Saturday, May 27, 2017 - Tull Creek & Buckskin Creek - Currituck, NC
First day of Memorial Day Weekend. I checked the traffic going down to the Outer Banks and it wasn't bad so I decided to head down to a boat ramp in Currituck called Poyners Road. It's a standard small North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission ramp. There's a small gravel lot with space for about a 10 vehicles. And there were a bunch of trucks and trailers there when I arrived. There also an area adjacent to the ramp with picnic tables.
The water was super high. It was all the way up to the boards on the docks. But this allowed me to launch right from the bank.
Despite all the recent rain, the water in the creek was not muddy. I went out into the creek and went back toward Poyners Road so I could go under the bridge and into the creek on the other side. As I mentioned, the water was high. Probably 2 or 3 feet higher than normal. So I had to put both my flag and GoPro stick down flat and duck down a bit to get under the bridge. The bridge slants from on side of the road to the other, so the clearance got lower as I went under. But it was a short distance and it appears to be a brand new bridge. The concrete was all clean and white. I also knew that it was likely that no one else would be on this side.
The payoff was worth it. The scenery in the creek was GORGEOUS! Breathtaking. I always take a lot of pictures (yeah, I know), but I felt like I couldn't stop taking pictures. The colors were so vibrant, the sky was so clear, and it was so calm out which made the reflections beautiful.
I came across several derelict piers along the way. Although there were boats at two of them, none of them appeared to be in use currently. The only sounds I heard other than my paddling were the birds singing and the leaves rustling. Incredibly peaceful.
There was a gentle breeze at times which was nice as the temperatures rose into the upper 80s. But one advantage of kayaking where there are trees is the ability to get a bit a shade when needed.
I went back under the bridge at Poyners Road and down Buckskin Creek which leads toward 168. But before I headed down the creek, I heard and then saw an osprey overhead. I quickly grabbed my camera and zoomed in when I realized he was diving for the surface of the water. I was too far away to get a great picture, but I did manage to get several shots of him diving and coming up with a huge fish in his grasp. They are, and will always be, the greatest fisherman.
I paddled all the way down to 168. The traffic noise got louder and louder the closer I got. Summer traffic has begun for sure. The creek continues for a bit on the other side but there was no getting under this bridge. The water was all the way up to the top and then some.
I paddled a little bit further than I planned to and was a bit tired when I got back to the ramp. But boy was it worth it.
Great day today. 3 hours and 33 minutes on the water and 7.0 miles on the GPS. Scroll below the pictures to see the track map.
Edit: Here's the GoPro video.
Osprey Close Ups
