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Day 44 (Dolphins in the morning and friends on Dauphin in the evening)

1/18/2010

12 Comments

 
Daily stats
Start: 6:45 AM - Petit Bois Island
Finish: 1:30 PM - Little Dauphin Island (entrance to Mobile Bay)
Time: 6:45
Daily dist: 26 miles
Total dist: 1,302 miles
Companions: Rob from the Mobile kayaking club
Weather: Gentle breeze and warm
Notes: Took paddling jacket off for the first time in the trip.

Today was about as close to a text book perfect day as I could have imagined. The wind that was blowing so strong yesterday wore itself out over night leaving a dead calm morning with glassy smooth water in it’s place. As I slipped my boat into the water the sound of a pod of dolphins feeding in the channel to the west caught my attention and I paused for a moment to enjoy the sight of a half dozen of them working together to hunt for fish.
Picture
Morning calm
The goal for today was to reach Dauphin Island (named after the French prince) with enough time left in the day to set up camp and catch up with a few members of the local paddling club to say hi, swap a few stories, and share a bight to eat. As I approached the new pass (aptly named Katrina Pass as it was that hurricane that created it) that separates the west end of the island from the more substantial and populated east end I came upon a gentleman in a petal powered kayak. Rob was out on the water today to see if he could intersect me on my way in and paddle with me for a bit. His plan worked and we enjoyed a nice chat as we paddled the last two hours of the day together. As we neared a bridge that accesses the island we were waved to shore by another kayak club member, Maggie, who had also come to greet me. Once she found out our destination she too launched her kayak and shared some time on the water with us as well.
Picture
Rob paddled out to greet me today
Picture
This little stow away shared Maggie's cockpit
It was nice to have a little local knowledge on my side with Rob as he helped direct me into the perfect camp site. I’m set up on Little Dauphin island behind a large sand dune out of sight of the nearby homes on the main island but within a five minute paddle of the local boat ramp. It was at the boat ramp where I caught up with Maggie for a ride into town for dinner. The Ikkuma with all the signatures is beginning to attract a bit of attention from passers by, I ended up fielding a few questions from a few curious folks and even had a couple add their signatures to the boat too.

In town we caught up with Tracy who is the kayak club president that helped coordinate my meeting with everyone as well as Nick who I paddled with yesterday. Nick thought it’d be worth the not so long drive over from Ocean Springs to meet Tracy and some of the local paddlers right along with me. It was good to see a now familiar face again and I’m glad he made the drive. We had an excellent dinner and I had a chance to learn a bit more about the local paddling scene and get to know a sampling of the core of the paddling community.

Picture
Rob, Maggie, Me, Tracy, Nick (photo by stranger in restaurant)
12 Comments
Rob link
1/18/2010 12:39:49 pm

Had a great time pedaling with you today and thanks for sharing some of your stories. Hope the rest of your journey goes well.

Rob

Reply
Duane Strosaker link
1/18/2010 12:55:23 pm

I saw Rob's photos of you and like your new hat. It's wild looking! Any story behind it?

Reply
Jake
1/18/2010 01:14:28 pm

The leather hat is a gift from my mom. I love it, it has a stiff wire brim that I can mold to block the sun whereever I need it. It also is stiff enough to not flop around in the wind. Another thing that it can do is double as an insulator so I can set a fresh from the burner kettle full of dinner in my lap and not get burned. It also holds its shape when it's turned upside down so I use it to store odds and ends like my cell phone and camera to keep them from getting lost in my tent.

Reply
Jan Kleck
1/18/2010 09:32:45 pm

Is there anything that hat cannot do - or the mother either as far as that goes? How perfectly lovely to read such a beautiful account of what sounded like a perfectly lovely, gentle day! Cheers!

Reply
martha link
1/18/2010 10:20:05 pm

gorgeous photo of the morning calm, jake! i love getting to see glimpses of your journey.

Reply
Neil B
1/18/2010 10:37:14 pm

That a rockin hat! Now I want one. Perhaps you could sell those along with your t-shirts. You could call it 'The Jake'. And when your not using it on the water it would look great on your scarecrow. ;p

Reply
lyn stachovak
1/18/2010 11:28:31 pm

Good morning Jake. You're doing exactly what you set out to do - good adventure and meeting new people who share your love of kayaking. I'm happy for you, but I can't help worrying about you. I'm your mother so it's my right to worry if I want to.

Got another chance to "brag" about you yesterday - I didn't even have to manufacture this chance.

Can't wait to read about your next adventure and "meet" some of the people you've come in contact with. Isn't the internet great?

Reply
Branden link
1/18/2010 11:43:50 pm

Jake I love that picture of your kayak sitting on the beach! Any chance on getting a copy? :D
Keep up the great reporting!

Reply
toni Roth
1/19/2010 12:01:50 am

I keep tweeting about you. :)

We just drove to Texas this weekend for a wedding - and we take I-10 most the way - so I knew we were passing you somewhere. I waved a few times on the way there and the way back.

Excited for your Florida arrival - I need to start making sure fellow Outdoor/Kayak places know about you so you continue to have company.

:) ~toni

Reply
Melissa link
1/19/2010 01:22:11 am

Jake-
Really enjoyed your stay, The trip from Petit bois to Dauphin sounded wonderful. I did wonder about the crossing to Petit Bois as you left Pascagoula, but I figured no news was good news!

Hope we see you back in these parts again.
Melissa

Reply
Cousin Alice
1/19/2010 11:24:22 am

Hi Jake!
I have a college friend on the other side of Florida. I told her about your trip, so maybe you will get to meet her.
So glad you're having much better luck...and weather!! Love, Cousin ALice

Reply
Sheila
1/19/2010 12:05:49 pm

Jake, I loved meeting you in O.S. and am so jealous I didn't drive over and kayak with you into the Mobile area as I'm friends with Tracy and Maggie. Glad you got to have Nick as company and he got to meet some fellow kayakers that will be here again for the Battle on the Bayou in March. Any other blog followers come on down!

Reply



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