Friday, July 6, 2012 - Happy Birthday, Meg! Bok bok!
We launched from West Neck Marina on West Neck Road. Temperatures were forecasted for the mid-90s. 80 percent humidity. Virtually no cloud cover. No wind. But we were determined to head out anyway! :)
We had a goal in mind to paddle to the observation tower platform at the mouth of the Pocaty River and climb to the top.
It truly was was a scorcher out there. The first hour was rough. But we kept pouring water on top of our heads. The water in the creek felt like it was about 85 degrees (maybe warmer). Bath water. No entirely refreshing, but evaporative cooling DOES work!
As we headed down West Neck Creek, we saw several Osprey nesting and soaring around. One had a HUGE fish in it's grasp! A bunch of power boats and jet skis were out especially on the North Landing River. We crossed the channel quickly to stay out of their way.
We made it to the tower at the Nature Conservancy. Great view from the top. We found a geocache in a tree near the tower! We looked for a few other geocaches along the trip but they seemed to be on shore and we didn't feel like trekking through the brush and poison ivy. Staying on the water was a much better option. :)
We continued down the Pocaty River. The further we got down the river, the more duckweed we saw gathering on the top of the water. Yuk! But it was a nice paddle.
When we turned around to head back, we finally got some wind. DIRECTLY IN OUR FACES! But at least it was cooler.
On the way back, I picked up some hitchhikers. Dragonflies. At one point, I had four of them on me and on my kayak!
Four hours on the water. 8.1 miles on the GPS. Longest trip yet!
Great (but HOT) day. Thanks Kate! Bok bok!
