The Kayak Chronicles ©
by Darren Caffery
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Elk Neck State Park
Elk Neck, MD
October 19, 2002
We awoke from our tents on our second day at Elk Neck State Park to more grey skies and the threat of rain.
Although the grey sky, cooler temperatures and threat of rain had me considering to bail out on the last paddle of the weekend, I decided against it. A group of about 10 paddlers from JSSKA and CPA launched from the Elk Neck State Park boat ramp at about 10:15 am and congregated on the water to plan their destinations. Within a few minutes, a few paddlers were headed down the Elk River towards the Bohemia River while another group headed out towards Havre de Grace. A few of us planned to paddle out to the Susquehanna Flats. While Barb headed out towards Turkey Point, Tom, Bob, Christine and myself paddled out a bit but waited for Mary Lou and Lenny to get on the water. After they got on the water at about 10:45, we finally started paddling toward Turkey Point in hopes of catching up with Barb. The sky was grey and air temps were in the 60’s with a slight breeze. The water was very flat and a big change from the conditions on the previous day. After slightly less than 2 miles of paddling and just before approaching Turkey Point at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, we met up with Barb. After taking some pictures of the lighthouse above the cliffs, we rounded Turkey Point and headed out into the bay towards the Susquehanna. On our way, we got to see some bald eagles in flight and one perched atop a tree on the shore. As we paddled along the coastline, we also witnessed a young heron attempting to eat a 6-8 inch fish on the shore. After about 3 miles of paddling along the shoreline we landed on a beach for lunch. The beach was filled with driftwood and remnants of junk left by previous tides. It seemed chilly once we stopped paddling. Although the sun attempted to peek through the clouds, it remained grey for most of our break. We snacked and later talked to a man who was combing the washed ashore remnants for fishing treasures. He reported this to be a weekly routine that made him some cash and he appeared to enjoy the scavenging. In the distance, we spotted two paddlers coming towards the beach where we landed. Peering through my binoculars, I noticed it was two paddlers from CPA that I met the previous night at the camp and within a short while they landed and joined us for a brief break.
After lunch and some chatting on the beach, the two paddlers from CPA re-launched into the bay and began paddling back to the Elk River takeout. Shortly thereafter, the rest of us re-launched and headed out into the bay. We set a course back to Turkey Point which was about 3 miles ahead. On our way, someone noticed a monarch butterfly fluttering in the water. Upon Mary Lou's urging, I rescued the creature from the cold waters of the Chesapeake with my paddle where I then transferred it to my front deck. After a very short rest on my bow, it attempted to fly, but landed in the water again. As Barb passed it, she rescued it again with her paddle. It soon crawled onto her face, shoulder and eventually to her head. After a 5-10 minute relaxing break in the warmth of her hair, we watched the winged creature take the flight to freedom. Barb's head of hair provided the insect with a quick rehabilitative nest!
On the return trip, the bay was eerily silent, still and very tranquil. A few powerboats and two barges broke the silence and the stillness of the water. As we approached Turkey Point, we noticed another kayaker paddling towards us. It turned out to be Wendy Wang, who ironically, was a topic of wonderment around the campfire on the previous night. The last time many of us had seen Wendy was on last season’s Delaware River trip from hell, in which Wendy and many of other paddlers struggled against the tides and some very strong winds on the Delaware River, along the Camden-Philadelphia Waterfront. Wendy told us she was now living in Maryland and also a member of CPA. She was paddling a beautiful new yellow Impex design that she reportedly got a very good deal on. We paddled a nice pace back to the takeout while chatting with Wendy.
We arrived back at the Elk River ramp at about 3 pm after 10.5 miles of paddling for the day. I was glad to have the opportunity to paddle before heading back to NJ. Despite the damp, soggy weather, this was the end of a great weekend of camping and paddling with members of JSSKA and also a great opportunity to paddle some new waterways and meet some new paddling friends from the CPA.
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