Day 156 (a slight change of plans)

Daily stats
Start: 5:50 AM- Cedar Point, NC (Barrier Island Kayaks)
Finish: 3:30 PM - Core Creek, NC (ICW)
Time: 9:40
Daily dist: 30 miles
Total dist: 3000+ miles
Companions: None
Weather: ENE wind 10-15 (head wind) chilly temps high barely 70 late in the day
Notes: Headwinds slowed me the first five hours then I ended up working against a tidal flow the last three hours.

One could say that I have every right to change my mind. After all I’m the one that has to deal with the repercussions of the decisions I make, good and bad. After two days of considering every conceivable route from Cedar Point, NC to Norfolk, VA I had finally decided to run along the west side of the Outer Banks traversing the length of Pamlico Sound. The route would follow along one of the most remote strips of land on the east coast passing by small villages along the way. The route is not without its drawbacks however, it would wind through famously shallow and shoaly water which would require me to often paddle at least two miles off shore to be in water deep enough to ensure efficient progress. Running so far from shore would mean that the remote and beautiful islands I had meant to see would be mere strips of green separating the blue of the water from the blue of the sky. The only time I’d have a chance to see “The Banks” up close would be when I wound my way through the shallows back to shore.

Having passed through the upper Big Bend area of Florida running well off shore I know how un-exciting that kind of paddling can be. Then when it came to finding camp sites I would have essentially been winging it knowing that the mouths of inlets would provide sandy breaks in the marsh grass on which to camp. Or, as I’d been informed, often duck blinds can make good impromptu camp sites when one can’t negotiate the shallows to get to shore.

As I paddled into the wind this morning, I considered and re-considered my reasons for wanting to paddle the Outer Banks. When I finally thought it through my reason was because I’d heard so much about the area. It seems as though I’d heard from dozens of people who’d camped out there. The reality is though that those people didn’t paddle the entire length of the barrier islands. Instead they took shorter trips to the premier spots most often in the southern most uninhabited islands. Those kinds of trips allow you to see and experience the best of a place while avoiding some of the not so good parts. With this in mind I weighed my options of the Outer Banks route I’d plotted through shallow, often unmarked, water two miles from shore, to camp sites I was not sure about - verses the ICW which is well marked in deep water with spoil islands to camp on in many places.

Traffic on the ICW viewed from camp

So, by the time I reached Morehead City my mind was made up, I’d decided to run the ICW. The Outer Banks would have to wait for my return with a surf boat to frolic in the famous waves on the outside and with friends to take along to enjoy the famous camping there is to be had in the remote islands. For now I’ll be sticking to a sure route that will keep me moving toward the main target way back in Wisconsin. This “alternative” route will not be without its interesting bits. The ICW between here and Norfolk runs well inland along a mixture of long canals and large (actually huge) rivers and sounds which will offer significant challenges and sill provide natural beauty in abundance. Now it’s up to me to sort out the details of the next six days of paddling.