There is an old, large, arboreal cemetery near where Janet and I live next to the Historic District in Wilmington, NC.  It is appropriately named Oak Dale.  The grounds are full of big, old live oak trees, some with Spanish moss and ivy draped on their limbs.  It is a most pleasant place to be, so Janet Smith and her golden retriever Gracie and I walk or ride our bikes there nearly every day.

The lanes are mostly circuitous rather than straight, and mostly grassy rather than paved. It is a calming and soothing place to get some moderate exercise.  Several sides of the park-like area are bounded by swamps, which adds to the natural atmosphere.

Some of the gravestones show birthdates back in the early 1800’s.  Quite a few Civil War Confederate veterans are buried here.  And, some more recent well-known persons are interred here, like Graham Keenan, who donated the funds to build Kenan football stadium at UNC Chapel Hill University. 

For 60 years I have canoed all over the mountains of west North Carolina, east Tennessee, southwest Virginia and northwest Georgia.  I paddled in creeks, rivers and lakes.  Flatwater and  whitewater.  I was not particularly concerned about turning over.  I had a boat full of flotation bags, a bailer, bow and stern painters and a throw rope.  They always served me well.

Then about 15 years ago I got a cheap, roto-molded plastic sea going kayak. I did not even have a spray skirt or paddle float.  A few times a year I would drive to the coast near Bogue Banks and Croatan National Forest to paddle my kayak in the creeks, lakes and estuaries.  A few times, I carried a boat load of camp gear to paddle from Hammocks Beach State Park and spent several overnights on Bear Island. With this boat, I also did not worry about capsizing.

A few years ago, when I retired from living in the Blue Ridge Mountains and moved to New Bern near the coast, I found it to be a hot bed for kayakers.  All of my life I have had a main sport, transitioning from backpacking, to volleyball, to tennis and so on. In New Bern, I made kayaking my new main sport and joined the Twin Rivers Paddle Club.  In the club I met my good friend Bill Webb, who sold me a first-class British kayak. When I started paddling this good boat, some unknown factor flipped a switch in my brain, and I became conscious of how easily I could capsize, and how difficult it would be to get back in my boat. 

When I later moved to Wilmington and met my special lady friend Janet Smith, I was happy to see that she was an avid kayaker and liked to go often.  Now, I had painted myself into a corner.  Kayaking was my main sport, and I was afraid to paddle for fear of turning over and getting stuck in the water.

So, for the next year and half, every time that I paddled, I carried the burden of worrying about staying upright.  I attended several TRPC sponsored kayak rescue clinics, but each time I only observed.  I was prevented from getting in the water due to several different physiological problems. I also watched numerous rescue videos, but seeing is different from doing.  I was so frustrated that this Fall I asked a TRPC rescue instructor,  John Burt, to do another clinic, just for me.  He recruited another instructor, Terry Rich.  I am grateful that they planned, organized and taught the class on December 21, at the New Bern YMCA pool. They also wisely opened the class to other students.

Several TRPC members participated with their boats in the water. Several more members attended to observe. A couple of the observers who had not seen me for 11 months, since I moved from New Bern, complemented me for losing 40 pounds in 11 months. That weight loss certainly helped me to hoist my still somewhat chubby torso out of the water and into my cockpit.  The credit for reducing my body size goes to Janet, who is an expert on food, nutrition and calories. She is also demanding of me to get some hard exercise every day.

Besides being experts on all things about kayaks, paddling and rescues, John and Terry are super, super, nice men.  We could not have asked for better teachers.  Thank you, John and Terry.  After the clinic, one of the instructors let me know that I had done well in the class, had successfully performed the skills and could do tandem and solo rescues.  I felt like a great weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

My main problem was my seat back. Many years ago, I sprained my lower back muscles trying to learn a kayak eskimo roll.  It was so bad that it took a year to heal.  Since then, I have had a weak lower back.  Consequently, I need a tall, stiff kayak seat back to help hold me up.  My current kayak has such a seat back, which sticks up above the top of the cockpit rim.  It gets squarely in the way when doing a self-rescue. Several times I dragged it forward with my chest and it lay down under me when I sat.  It became literally a pain in my butt to get the back up and off the seat.  A couple other times, I evaded this problem, but I had to make an extra effort to push up off the back deck with my arms to get over it.

I received several take-aways from this class. First, kayaks are designed to sit in calmly and paddle forward.  When the boat gets tasked with other projects, like staying upright during the rescue of the paddler, or assisting the rescue of another paddler, then they get squirrelly.  The paddler must keep constantly in mind a tool or procedure to provide balance, like an extended paddle, sculling or leaning on another boat. A paddler can be 95% through with a correct rescue action, and then forget for one second to keep a balance point, and he may go in the drink. Which means starting over.  I know from wet experience.

The second take-away is that one lesson does not make an expert rescuer. This skill requires many lessons.  If the Club sponsors a roll clinic this coming spring or summer, then I will participate.  Also needed is much-repeated practice.  And nearly daily physical workouts to keep our muscles, joints and cardiovascular systems in shape.

A good time was had by all.  

On the cool and mostly sunny day of November 25, Janet and I (Bob Laney) went on our longest paddle trip to date.  We were outside for about 5 hours. We put-in our two kayaks at the Wrightsville SUP parking lot.  It is located off West Salisbury Street (US Hwy 74) on Harbor Island, just west of the bridge over Bank’s Channel near the northern end of Wrightsville Beach.  This place has a beautiful and handy little sand beach with a long, shallow slope into deeper water. Note to readers who may want to use this put in.  It is not a public parking lot or beach, and I had special permission from the business owner’s manager. During the busy season of April through October the business charges a fee for parking.

Our route was into Lee’s Cut, which is the northern end of Bank’s Channel.  It is salt water and has several miles of sea grass estuaries with winding, undefined channels. I attempted to use my Garmin Montana 750i GPS for navigation, but it only half worked.  It showed a track where we paddled, but the map on the screen did not show enough detail of the sea grass beds to tell which fork to take and where to make turns.  

After I got home while typing this article to post, I did some more map research and found that Google Earth on my cell phone screen shows good detail.  Next time I will use both the GPS and phone.

After entering Lee’s Cut, we turned left and went about 75 yards and turned left again under a short, low bridge.  From there we wound through the estuary most of the way to Causeway Drive (US Hwy 76).  

Then, I tried to activate the return function on the GPS to follow our track back to the put in. But the sequence of buttons to push and icons to tap were so convoluted and confusing that I could not make it work.  That made me mad.  It took several minutes of Janet’s pleasant humor and encouragement for me to get back into a good mood and enjoy the rest of the trip.

We could have, and should have, gone a short distance further to the end of the estuary at Causeway Drive. But I was upset with my semi-dysfunctional GPS. I was nervous that we could not find our way out of the sea grass maze.  So, I pushed Janet to turn around sooner than she wanted.  Next time, we will go all the way to Lee’s Nature Park beside Causeway Drive. On perhaps other future trips, we will go further west to the Intercoastal Waterway and further north to Big Lollipop Bay.

Janet’s golden retriever Gracie swam the whole way with us. After a while, she got tired.  Then while heading back, the tide was against us.  Out boats were sleek enough to sufficiently slice through the water, but in several places Gracie could not make headway.  We moved the boats over to paddle beside the shore and encourage Gracie to walk instead of swim.  But the banks were paved with a solid carpet of sharp oyster shells.  Gracie severely cut her paw and bled significantly.  The next day Janet took Gracie to the veterinarian who used four staples to close the wound.

After returning to our take-out at the quaint little beach, I unpacked all my gear from my kayak and loaded it with my cold-water clothes (wet suit and booties) into the Jeep. About 10 minutes later Janet let me know she was not finished paddling and wanted to go out again.  My sciatica pain had grown to the point that I decided to stay on the beach with Gracie.

Janet deputized me to go into Wrightsville Beach town to get some lunch.  But the restaurant she chose was closed, so we did without lunch.

Janet took off kayaking solo and crossed a large stretch of open water to another small beach on the other side of Lee’s Cut on the south side of an unnamed island. There she conversed with some other paddlers and learned of another route. She followed their directions and went further north on a channel through sea grass.  When she reached the houses and docks off Parmele Boulevard, she followed the channel circling to the right (east) around the unnamed island. She eventually came back to US-Hwy 74 and went under the bridge into Banks Channel.  I began to get worked for her where abouts and called her on our cell phones.  She responded and, in a few minutes, we were back together at the take-out.

A good time was had by all.

Late one evening in mid-November 2024 Janet Smith and I (Bob Laney) drove to the south end of Wrightsville Beach where the Banks Channel meets Masonboro Inlet. We were amazed at the large number of sail boats and some motor boats which came in from the Atlantic Ocean to the channel and went north to the many docks that line the water fronts for the night.

This area is famous for the soft light at dusk and the beautiful sunsets.  While we were there six groups of folks came down to the beach with photographers who took pictures of engaged couples and families.

We walked down the beach to the inlet and back while Gracie played in the cold surf.  A good time was had by all.

On a sunny afternoon in early November,2024, Janet Smith and Bob Laney (me) went pedaling at Blue Clay Bike Trail Park for the first time. It is advertised as a mountain bike trail, but being in New Hanover County near the coast, there were not any mountains.  There are three trails designated as beginner, intermediate and expert.  The expert trail does contain some short, steep climbs and tight turns. Janet and I stayed on the beginner trail, and it was plenty of fun.

Biking on dirt, grass and roots was new to Janet. Even without hills, the sometimes-rough trail surface and tight squeezes between trees were uncomfortable for her.  I have done a considerable amount of mountain biking at several professionally prepared trails in Wilkes County and Watauga County.  They are tough enough that the Appalachian State University mountain bike team practices there.  And multi-state competitions are held there.  I biked on the rough trails for a number of years, but as I got older, I could not handle the steepness and the exposure of falling off the trail down a steep hill.

We were pleasantly surprised with the views.  Most of the trail is in a mixed pine and hardwood forest. A few places were in open fields and passed a pond. We will go back again. 

A good time was had by all.

On the warm and mostly sunny afternoon of November 5, Janet Smith and Bob Laney pedaled our e-bikes the length of the Wilmington City to Sea Trail.  The trail mostly follows Eastwood Road (US Hwy 74) from the eastern side of Wilmington to the Intracoastal Waterway on the mainland side of Wrightsville Beach.

The trail has several distinct sections. The western part is an asphalt paved trail running between a major traffic street and developed  houses mixed with shopping centers. Then it joins city sidewalks for a number of blocks. Several places require crossing small side streets.  One major intersection requires crossing a major highway of about 10 lanes.  Fortunately, a stoplight helps with the crossing.

The eastern part of the trail ducks down into shaded woods on another asphalt paved trail winding between a forest and a wooden fence protecting the upscale Land Fall housing development.  This trail opens out of the woods onto a quaint street of small houses looking over an estuary to the Intracoastal Waterway. 

Most of these houses have a small yard across the street adjoining their boat docks. Janet and I had our picnic lunch on a wooden bench in one of those yards.  A good time was had by all.

Banks Channel in the Wind

On Saturday, November 2, the Calvary Baptist Church went on a paddle trip with the Kayak Carolina of Wilmington outfitter who supplied the boats and a guide.  They launched from the NC Wildlife ramp at Federal Point (the southern-most end of US Hwy 421) and went to Zeke’s Island. Janet Smith and I, Bob Laney, had registered to go, but we both developed back pain from musculo-skeletal problems which prevented us from participating.

So, the next day, November 3, Bob and Janet were still wanting to float a boat and wet a paddle, so we went on our own shorter trip in Banks Channel. We launched from a public water access point beside at the south end of Waynick Boulevard at the end of the long straight-away and just before the sharp left curve. 

Like our last time on Banks Channel, the wind was brisk.  It was just below the limit recommended by the Coast Gard for paddle boats.  We had considerable chop but no whitecaps. The bigger problem was passing large boats throwing out a wake which tossed us around.  During the first few wakes, Janet ducked into sheltered coves between boat docks.  Eventually, I showed her how to place her paddle blade flat on the top of the water in a low brace to stabilize her boat.  This procedure worked well for the rest of the trip.

We followed the standard rule and first paddled upstream (north) against the current, which happened to also be against the wind, to make our return trip easier and safer.  Upon returning to the take-out and put-in, I followed Janet past it further down-stream. We went to a large dock which housed the Coast Guard boats and was at the southern end of the peninsula.

When we turned around to go back to the take-out, we were now paddling against both the current and the wind.  As bad luck would have it, Murphy’s Law kicked in and the wind blowing in our faces picked up speed.  So, the final phase of our paddle was a good, strong workout.  Fortunately, we both had sleek, new boats which cut through the wind and water nicely.  Thanks to Bill Webb and Lori Bork for guiding us in our purchases.

A good time was had by all.

Biking and Hiking the Neusiok Trail

On October 30, 2024, Bob Laney explored the Neusiok Trail in Croatan National Forest.  The National Forest is between New Bern and Morehead City, NC.  The trail runs 21 miles southeast from Pine Cliff Recreation Area on the Neuse River to Oyster Point Campground on the Newport River.  [Note - Pine Cliff is closed to vehicle traffic for hurricane repairs and can only be accessed by this trail.

The trail section I was on goes 5.6 miles northwest of a crossing at NC Hwy 306 where there is an unmarked parking lot to Pine Cliff.  It is also south of the Cherry Point Marine Air Station and east of Havelock, NC.

This trail is nice for hiking, being well cleared and maintained.  There are several long wooden foot bridges traversing low lying wet lands and creeks; and several more logs thrown across short swampy areas.  There are some ups and downs, but being near the coast, it has no significant hills.

My goal was to go 3.1 miles to the Copperhead Landing trail shelter and scope it out for a future backpacking trip.  Other than utilizing the shelters, the trail is no good for backpacking.  There is no grass nor any smooth, flat areas where a camper can put a tent.  The whole forest, as far as I have seen on several hikes, is small trees, shrubs, brush and swamp.  

I needed to check out the condition and useability of the shelter, and the presence of open water.  The published brochures and maps say there is no potable water anywhere.  There are a few places with open water which can be filtered, including the two creeks crossed at 1 mile and 1.25 miles on the trail I took today, but that is too far from the shelter to be practically useable.  A call to the Ranger Station revealed that the only filterable water at a shelter is Copperhead Landing. The other shelters at Dogwood Camp and Blackjack Lodge have no water nearby.

I rode my bike to make the trip faster in scoping out the trail.  About 2 miles into the trip, I realized my mistake. The trail was too rough with nearly constant roots, plus the above-mentioned hills, swamps and foot bridges which were too narrow to bike. I wore myself out trying to pedal. When my thigh muscles were exhausted, I turned around to head back to the parking lot by hiking and pushing the bike.

Then my sciatica pain kicked in, worse than is has been for several months.  For a few minutes I could not bike, walk or move at all.  I briefly considered my exposure to a night in the woods with no camping equipment. I did have a phone with two bars of cell coverage; and a Garmin Montana GPS with satellite access to county 911 emergency services, so I was not in mortal danger.

Eventually, with many rest stops and snacks sitting on handy stumps and logs, I mustered enough energy to hike to the parking lot. I contemplated the fact that to go into remote, semi-wilderness areas for any significant distance requires substantial physical strength and stamina.  On this day I did not have enough of either trait.  

I guess that is why so few of my 72-year-old friends do this kind of stuff anymore.  As Janet Smith tells me, I must continue to bear down on my physical stretches, exercises, dieting and training to get good enough.

My plan is soon to return with a daypack, explore the route trail all the way to the Copperhead shelter, and then another time backpack the trail.

Flanners Beach Camp and Hike

Over the weekend of October 18 – 20, 2024,  Janet Smith and Bob Laney went with multiple Twin Rivers Paddle Club and Crystal Coast Kayaking Community partners camping and hiking at Flanners Beach Park in Croatan National Forest.  Some of the other campers included John Burt, Terry and Becki Rich, Diana Hastings and Zadoc. Many other members including Suzanne Blais came for the hike.

The campground was originally established to support a boating put-in on the Neuse River. However, some years ago, a hurricane destroyed the launch ramp, leaving an unmanageably steep dirt and forest face, so kayaking is not allowed.

The weather was moderate without being too warm or cool. Sleeping at night was pleasant.  We had no rain, with some mixed sun and clouds.

Saturday morning Diana and Zadoc lead a 3 ½ mile hike on the trail through the woods around the campground.

Diana and Zadoc were good hosts Friday and Saturday night, inviting the other campers to join them around a nice fire and shared some wonderful desserts contributed by several campers.

A good time was had by all.

Janet’s Birthday

For Janet Smith’s birthday on October 14, 2024, we drove to Southport, NC. It is located on the Cape Fear River south of Wilmington and just north of the Atlantic Ocean. This quaint seaside town was the setting for the movie Safe Haven.  There is a picture of the main character’s house in this post. 

We took our e-bikes and cruised all around town and the water front.  It is a beautiful place with many big live oak trees almost every block.  While pedaling up main street we stopped at a small bakery shop for a sweet indulgence.  Janet got a key lime tart while I got a brownie and some ice cream.

Then we went down to the sandy shore just south of the marina and dipped our feet in the cool, foamy water. As the final treat we ate supper at one of the water front restaurants on a dock extending over the water.

A good time was had by all.  We plan to go back.