Saturday, September 23, 2017 - Eastern Shore National Wildlife Refuge
Back from vacation ... back on the water.
I decided to head across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and launch at the Eastern Shore National Wildlife Refuge.
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In addition to being a wildlife refuge now, the area served as a military outpost in the past dating back to colonial times. Prior to World War II, the property was acquired by the federal government and turned into Fort John Custis, named after a prominent eighteenth century resident of Northampton County who was also the son of Martha Custis Washington [wife of George Washington] and her first husband. The location at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay encouraged military uses of the area in the years before the refuge was established. During World War II, bunkers with 16 inch gun protected naval bases in Norfolk and Virginia Beach. 1950, the U.S. Air Force acquired Fort John Custis, renaming it the Cape Charles Air Force Station. Radar towers and additional buildings were built by the Air Force, which occupied the area until 1981.
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The refuge, established in 1984, is located at the southern tip of the the Eastern Shore. This area is one of the most important avian migration funnels in North America. Each fall the refuge hosts millions of songbirds and monarch butterflies and tens of thousands of raptors on their voyage south.
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There is a boat ramp on the southern tip of the refuge that provides access to the marshes. This area is tidal so I needed to be sure that I wasn't hitting it at low tide. I checked the tide gauge and found that high tide would be just before noon and was actually projected to be higher than normal (minor flood stage), so this was perfect for kayaking these shallow flats. This area is also part of the Virginia Seaside Water Trail.
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I launched from the kayak launch (which is before you get to the main boat ramp) since the water was very high. There were a bunch of guys launching their kayaks to go out fishing. The small parking area was pretty much full. Since the water level was very high, as I paddled through the saltmarshes, I was able to paddle into some parts of the creek that I would imagine are inaccessible during lower tides. There were lots of birds hanging out in the marshes.
The cut between the mainland and Racoon Island is part of the "Virginia Inside Passage". As I crossed it, I could definitely feel the current pulling me sideways. At one point, I looked at the GPS and it was reading 5.0 mph for my speed. I can assure you that was not due to my paddling prowess.
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​​Great paddle. 2 hours and 43 minutes on the water and 4.4 miles on the GPS. Scroll below the pictures to see the track maps.
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I'm still figuring out the settings on my new kayaking camera. I had to get a new one because the lens on my other camera got accidentally smashed on our RV trip in Yellowstone.
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Edit: Here's the GoPro video.
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After paddling, I parked and walked on the nature trail. Part of the trail leads to the marsh overlook on a little platform. Another part of the trail leads to a World War II bunker that is still in place. The large bunkers housed the 16 inch guns that protected the naval bases across the bay. The gun from USS Missouri was placed on display in the bunker in 2013. This thing is HUGE. I put my hat in the open end to provide some scale.
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I also went into the very nice visitor center. It is considered by many one of the finest in the national wildlife refuge system
Kayaking
Hiking
