Day 163

Calm rainless start - Photo by vic Sorensen

So, what does an expedition sea kayaker
do on a day off?

Go canoeing of course.

That was the story for me today as I joined Vic and his friend Cliff in solo canoes on the Blackwater River near Franklin Virginia. Cliff is a paddle-sport product rep who was in the area for a kayak demo day so he decided to stay an extra day to get a little water time for himself. He and Vic had been planning this outing for a while and I was lucky to have made it here in time to join them.

Paddling through the trees - photo by Vic Sorensen

We woke to the sound of sprinkling rain and ended up donning our rain coats as we loaded the canoes on Vic’s truck after breakfast. As we drove to the boat ramp in Franklin, VA the skies opened and it started to pour. The rain paused long enough for us to get on the water with thoughts that we may not need our rain coats but minutes later a steady rain began that lasted throughout the day.

A bit of rain - Photo by Vic Sorensen

I wouldn’t say the rain really bothered any of us, more so it added to the mystique of paddling the twisty tannic brown river through and around enormous cypress trees who’s branches created a tunnel of green overhead. It had been quite some time since I was in a canoe and I felt a bit clumsy at first, but after an hour or so I was getting the hang of it again. We paddled on for several hours, each of us with the curious desire to see what was around the next bend. Frequently what was around the next bend was interesting wildlife ranging from Muskrats to Blue Herons and even, at one of our break spots, a small Snapping Turtle, we think that was digging a nest.

This turtle was the only bit of wildlife slow enough for us to get a picture of

Wanting to try out each of the three different canoes we had along, we paused a couple times to take a break, swap boats, and empty the accumulated rainwater. The fun couldn’t last all day so we finally did have to turn around and enjoy the scenery all the way back to the boat ramp near the paper mill in Franklin. Amazingly, after a full day of steady rain it paused long enough for us to load up and change out of our damp clothes before it began again. Hungry and cold we all ordered a hot beverage and warm meal at Fred’s restaurant in Franklin then continued on toward home. It was a great day of paddling with great company.