Day 169 05/23/2010
 
Daily stats
Start: 5:45 AM- Pine Island, VA
Finish: 5:15 PM - State line on Assateague Island, MD
Time: 11:30 Hours
Daily dist: 35 miles
Total dist: 3200+ miles
Companions: None
Weather: 5-10 mph head wind, fog then rain then fog then sun then fog
Notes: A hard day but I had to push across the state line to where camping is allowed. I also get a kick out of crossing state lines.
I made the call this morning to commit to two days of paddling on the outside of Assateague Island. The weather predictions showed tolerable winds out of the NE for the next several days so I went for it rather than deal with navigating the twisty marsh grass and shallows on the inside. I also figured that camping would be a lot simpler on the outside as well. There are few high and dry spots on the inside in this area.

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sky water and fog for most of the day - I think you can almost see the shore in this photo
True to prediction the wind was in my face all day but was not bad to deal with. It also rained for about two hours which was also not bad. What made the day a bit challenging was the thick fog that drifted in and out throughout the day. It would go from bright and sunny at one moment to completely socked in with 200 yard visibility the next. To find my way along the coast I kept a careful eye on my compass and at the same time ran just close enough to where I could see the waves stacking up before they broke on the beach. It was actually fun for a while but did become mentally taxing as the day wore on. Because of the fog I really can’t say that I know what the outside of Assateague Island looks like. I could make out the boxy shadows of trucks driving on the beach and occasionally when the fog did thin I could see sand dunes stretching as far as the eye can see up the beach. I had hoped to see one or tow of the ponies that the island is famous for but the fog was not helping.

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Somewhat dumpy surf but manageable
The state line was my goal for the day for two reasons. The first is because no camping is allowed on the VA end of the island. The second is because I get a kick out of crossing state lines, they’re sort of mini destinations in my much longer route. Of course making it as far as the border meant putting in a longer than normal day and with the head wind slowing me a bit it turned into a longer day still. It was worth it in the end as I ended up in a very pleasant camp spot with horse tracks right on the beach.

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Horse tracks right on the beach - I spared you the picture of horse apples on the beach
 


Comments

RJ
05/24/2010 10:16pm

Jake, if you would have spent the night on Asateaque at a campsite with a bag of apples you would have seen more "ponies" than you would ever care to see again. (I don't imagine you would have slept well though since they think they rule the campgrounds.) Great place! I know someone who has gone there at least ten times and has never seen a "pony". The pony apples yes. Great little deer there also that are only found on Asateaque. About the size of a whitetail fawn in Wisc. Keep on truckin'.

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