5.30.08

I haven’t had cell phone service for a few days so I haven’t been able to call in an update, here is what’s been going on; Tuesday was a pretty straight shot out of Swansborough up to Moorhead, good practice for upcoming sections because the water was pretty wide, had m skirt on the whole day, in the morning a dolphin was hanging out with me for about half an hour, come right up to the boat, flip over and show me his belly then swim along with me. He seemed to really enjoy playing along with me. Paddled straight through the day with no breaks right to Moorhead city in-between there and Beaufort up into a creek, finally the waterway became a little smaller and I could take off my skirt and relax, then I paddled up to Sea Gate Marina met a great couple Mary Beth and Frank on vacation from Maine I hung out with them and they fed me. We enjoyed each others company, I was really happy they were there; they really took care of me.
Wednesday I thought would be a pretty easy day paddling up to Oriental. Boy was I mistaken. It took me all day to get 10 miles to Adams Creek because of the 20 mile an hour winds right in my face. I then had to cross the Neuse River where I was trying to meet this guy whose boat I was staying on. The waves were huge because of the wind because of the thunderstorms. I was supposed to meet Bob Lucy who is the editor of Carolina Coasts magazine. Although I could finally see oriental across the river, there was no way I could make it across. The Neuse River it the widest in the US so I didn’t think I should give it a try. Fortunately, there was a guy sitting in his truck watching the storm, he saw me paddling so he came out of his truck and asked what I was doing. His name was Ashley, he was really nice. He brought me to some land and called the property owners and got approval for me to camp on the land. It is never fun setting up a tent in the rain but once I did and was inside, dried off and made some dinner, it wasn’t that bad.
Yesterday I was finally able to cross the river, there were strong winds and a pretty good chop, it was about 3 or 4 miles, it was hard, exhilarating and a lot of fun, I felt like I was paddling all day, it was tiring but I made it. I spent the rest of the day in Oriental, had some lunch and ate about 4000 calories in one meal which was great. I enjoyed hanging out at the docks, going to a paddle shop, got a new pad for my seat, hopefully it will help. I met with Rob and Joe in the afternoon and I really enjoyed spending the night on their boat, I appreciate their kindness.
On Tuesday, as I was paddling up to Moorhead, I pulled a total bonehead move; my spare paddle saved the day. I realized that something was not right; I looked around and noticed that my paddle was 10 yards behind me, I to quickly put my spare paddle together and paddle back. I would have literally been “up the creek” if I didn’t have my spare paddle handy.

5.27.08

First off, good morning to Scott, thanks for your message the other day buddy.
I hope everyone had as nice a holiday weekend as I did. Saturday I left Debbie and Keith pretty early and as soon as I got on the water it started to rain and it was pretty ugly for most of the day. I pulled over and tried to wait it out. It didn’t really clear up too much, it died down a little but there was pretty heavy rain and north winds. I trudged on and made it about 16 or 17 miles. I stopped just south of Camp Lejeune which is a big marine base with a lot of restricted areas as well as a big prohibited island. You cant stop anywhere along the base and it was getting late so I thought it would be best to just camp out for the night before I started paddling by. I pulled into Swan Point Marina, they were having a big party, turns out it was customer appreciation day, they were very nice to include me and Paul the owner let me camp right in the boatyard. Thank you Paul! By the way, Debbie and Keith, what a character Keith is, had a great time with you both, thank you.

Sunday, it seemed fitting to paddle by Camp Lejeune on Memorial Day weekend. There are thousands of marines stationed at Camp Lejeune, a huge base, this is where they do a lot of artillery testing and there are some active ranges there. Sunday of a holiday weekend I figured they wouldn’t be blowing anything up but I thought it would be better to paddle by quickly and to be safe rather then sorry. I stopped in Swansborough at the Barrier Island Kayak Company, I had contacted them earlier in the day and the owner Lamar let me pull up there on their beach. They were very nice and gave me a lot of local insight. I was going to camp close by but Lamar was nice enough to offer me his converted shrimp boat for the night which was anchored right off shore, she is called Savannah, cool little boat with a great deck and I sat up there for hours, there was an awesome view. I intended to get up really early the next day and paddle up to Moorhead city but I ended up staying there so I could watch the lax game which was dying to see. Unfortunately Hopkins lost, but I am glad I stayed and watched it. Today I am I heading for Adams Creek marina is where I intend to camp.

Thank you to Lamar, Debbie, Keith and Paul.

A LOT TO CATCH UP ON...

Ok so I have a hodgepodge of different things that I have been waiting to mention but I haven't gotten any computer time in for awhile now.

so I want to go all the way back to Waccamaw River (which seems like so long ago). One of the coolest parts of the ICW is how varied it is. Its remarkable when I think about how many different types of ecosystems and the contrasts in the surroundings that I've passed through. The Waccamaw was completely unique. The water was dark and tanic from the cyprus trees that grew out of its meandering banks. It also seemed to be almost entirely fresh water but I guess it did have low levels of salinity. I was amazed by how abundant the Ospry were - I suspect that this was due to the fact that they nests were safe atop trees growing out of alligator infested water. I loved how I was paddling 10-15 mile stretches without seeing anything, not one house, marina, or bridge. Surprisingly though there was sporadic advertising attached to live trees.

And then, all of a sudden the beauty ended. Just north of the Socastee Bridge, Myrtle Beach's infamous "rockpile" section started. This was the last portion of the waterway to be completed by the corp and certainly the narrowest section so far. Apparently they were having trouble blasting through the thick rock to create the canal so as the construction schedule began to lengthen and lengthen they began to just making the channel narrower and narrower to remain on budget. You can see here why they call it the rockpile. It was very obvious from the development on the high banks that this was all very new. Houses were being built very close together on lots that never should have accommodated houses in the first place - I suppose everyone just wants something "waterfront."

I'm so glad things worked out and I was able to stay at Dock Holidays: thanks to Charles and Rhett.

As soon as I crossed into NC the waterway changed again. The last few days I have been cruising a pretty straight section on the inside of some barrier islands. I had a tough little stretch when I had to head up the Cape Fear river to Snows cut. I had it planned perfectly and waited around in Southport for the tide to change. Hank and I even went out on a skiff to check the conditions which was cool - that was the first I had scouted out a section prior to paddling it. Although I had a great plan I didn't execute well. I was riding the incoming tide well and hit 7.7 mph but I stupidly left the shipping channel to early and struggled to paddle 4-5 miles in stagnant 3 foot deep water. Yesterday with a low tide in the afternoon I enjoyed the Myrtle Grove/Masonboro Sound area. Its notorious for shoaling and I saw 2 people get stuck. The sea tow guy was busy all day - he looked surprised every time he passed me every few hours. I know that the traffic this weekend is going to be crazy because it was bad yesterday as I came through the Wrightsville Beach section.

Ok next, I've been meaning (since like FL!) to tell you guys about a game that I made up. It actually isn't much of a game, because its not really fun, and I also borrowed a name from another very popular game: power hour. The idea is to paddle for a full hour without breaking my stroke. so no taking a break for water, change the song on my ipod, or scratch an itch. It might be a little silly to sit there and be uncomfortable but it does really help me cover some miles. plus i've realized that when you are paddling at 4.5 mph that only means that you'll actually go 4.5 miles with you paddle for all 60 minutes. Everytime you take a break you're going 0 mph (or even worse, negative (backwards)), and so you have to factor that into your average. Since I made up this game like 500 miles ago I've gotten pretty good. I now sometimes play a couple times a day or even go for power 1.5 or 2 hours. One time I was able to do 2.5 hours straight without breaking my stroke - it felt great.

let see what else....

Oh I noticed that there are 2 versions of the website up which confuses me on how that could happen. Please make sure that you direct your browser here . If not you are seeing an old version of the site. This came to my attention because I think my notice on the gmaps link updates has been going overlooked. Unfortunately the SPOT is full and I can't accommodate any more email addresses but I will make sure to publish all of them here on the blog.

I guess thats it. There is a lot of big water coming up and I don't really no how I'll approach it. Does anyone have any advice??

5.23.08

So yesterday I got on the water by 8:30am and paddled pretty much non stop for about 12 hours. I got out once just to fill my water and get some local advice in the Mason Borough marina, besides that I was just paddling along. There was a lot of traffic because of the upcoming holiday weekend. It was a shallow section and a narrow canal; I saw a lot of people get stuck, as low tide was in the early afternoon. I almost got stuck myself but I was really pushing it and even though I wasn’t making great time, because I was out there for so long, I was able to make it 33 miles. Hank was staying at his mom’s cabin just off the waterway so he and his step dad came out in their boat and met me on the water, gave me a beer and some encouragement. When I got to where we branched off, they actually towed me into the house which was a first and a lot of fun. It’s 2 o’clock now and I am just starting for the day so I am thinking I will only make it about 10 miles.

**Thank you to everyone for all the emails I have been getting. It’s really encouraging. It’s great to know I have so much support I am going to try my best to get back to everyone. Word must be spreading about the trip as I am getting a couple dozen a day! It’s hard to type out emails on my phone, I am doing my best to respond to everyone, it just takes a while.

Hank's the man

Hank helped me out tremendously again, I came up to South Port and met him about 10 o’clock, we made a plan and a strategy and after lunch I prepared to leave. I left around 4:30 and the tide was a little late switching, but once it finally did I figured I could cruise up the river and get through Snows Cut where Hank and I could meet again on the other side. I was able to cruise up the shipping channel to Wilmington NC, at one point I hit almost 8 miles an hour, I was at 7.7! Once I got through the channel though, I was in only about 3 feet of water, there was a lot of friction and I had no help from the tide and I was struggling. I barley made it to our intended meeting spot. I finally did about 8:30pm.
Hank got me going from that same spot this morning. I hope he caught his ferry; I don’t want to make him late for work especially since it’s his birthday and he went out of his way two days in a row to help me out. Hopefully I am going to meet him again tonight at his cottage which is right on the intracoastal.
Its 11:30am, I just pulled in to Mason Borough Inlet to get some water and some local advice, the guys here were super nice, and I want to thank them. The goal right now is to go another 20 miles to Top Sail Inlet. If I can do that I might take off tomorrow because there is a lot of work I want to do on the website.

New State= Good......Tornado Warning=Bad

I had strong winds to my back all day (5/20) and cruised as far north as I could, heading for Southport, NC. I stopped for a quick break at Ocean Isle to call my friend Hank. It was too far to make it to his marina (over 40 miles) so we arraigned to meet at a public ramp at Holden Beach. I felt very fortunate to sleep under a roof last night because not long after I got off the water the weather took a serious turn for the worse. The radar was showing purple - which is never a good thing - and there were tornado warnings all through the area.

Hank and his wife Laura filled up my belly and since he spends a lot of time on the water and works in a marina, Hank was able to give me lots of good advice about the upcoming stretch. About 15 miles from where I am now is the Cape Fear River which is apparently a VERY tricky.

I have a lot that I want to detail about the last few days, especially the transition from the Waccamaw to the Myrtle canal to my first impressions of NC and I will as soon as I get some time on a pooter. So I know I said this yesterday but please continue to stay tuned.

Here's where I stopped yesterday

And here is a link that you can check out too

5.20.08

Its 9am and I am at Dock Holidays. It worked out really well to camp here; I slept like a baby and was un-bothered. There are southwest winds today and tide is going with me so I’m going to try to meet up with my buddy Hank and his wife Lara. I have spent the last three nights in a row camping so a bed will be very nice. I had a really good time talking with Charles form the local paper, learned a lot about the area. This has been a unique stretch not the most beautiful but unique. In about an hour I will be in North Carolina! Hopefully tonight I will be able to get to a computer and write more. Lot’s of pictures to upload so stay tuned.

Last night in SC?

I left Georgetown and I guess I was a little naïve, I made 30 miles in 6 hours the day before and figured I could replicate that or at least close to that. I had a marina in range about 28 miles north of Georgetown (Bucks Port) and they were going to let me camp there. I didn’t get a real early start, woke up and had breakfast at the town diner. Once I got out there, I was hardly moving, it took me abut 3 hours to go the first 8 miles or so, I had the conditions working against me. It was pretty choppy and when you are down in the troughs between the waves you are not moving at all. Then, it started raining a storm came my direction I paddled in the rain and then I realized it was time for me to get off the water, I pulled into a place called Reserve Harbor, they were very nice to let me tie up and get out o the rain but it was a private marina gated community having two wedding rehearsals that night. They called me a cab and I had to get a hotel room for the night. Change of plans, but at least I was safe. I took the situation and tried to have ea little fun, it was Friday night, not that far from myrtle beach so I got tipped off to go to be SBB which stands for suck, burn, blow. It was a biker bar. Suck burn blow is what an engine does, they were having a hug rally, and there were police all over the street, thousands of bikers and bikes. Check out some of the pics. The next day, Sat I finished my trek to where I was trying to get to the night before Bucks Port. Sat was so nice. I really enjoyed the day on the water; it’s very unique in this section with the cypress trees and the huge osprey population. The dark water is different then what I have been paddling through so far. It seems like half of these cypress tress have big osprey nests in them. As I paddle along, the osprey think I am coming after them, so they come out of their nests and fly right over my head. It’s the same routine all day long. Everything about Saturday was great, but the highlight was my sandwich that I picked up at the deli before I left was awesome and it was very nice to enjoy on the water. I got to Bucks Port just in time to watch Preakness. After I had a little dinner, I got back in my boat and paddled to a boat to hang out with some folks who were traveling down to Georgetown. Sunday, I took the day off today, I needed it, and I didn’t feel too great when I woke up. I met the Masfield family from Burlington, Vermont, they were nice enough to buy me lunch. I really enjoyed talking with them about Burlington etc. Later in the day, I met up with a guy named Wayne Williams who is on a two week trip or so in his 27 foot sailboat, we talked all afternoon and shared some stories and beers.
It’s about 7am now on Monday morning and I am looking to get on the water by 8 or 8:30 after a quick bite with Wayne. I hope to paddle about 30 miles today to Dock Hollys Marina.

First night sleeping ON the water

The last two days have gone pretty well… mostly uneventful on the water. From Capers Island, I had a nice easy paddle about 24 miles to McClellanville where I planned to meet Sarah Burden at the public boat ramp. Sarah used to work for Outside Hilton Head too and over a decade ago, she and another friend from the shop hiked up the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine and then got in kayaks and paddled back down to Hilton Head. It only took them 8 months for the whole trip, which is very impressive. It was great to get to hear some of her stories, get some insight from her and also to pick her brain on things I could be doing differently. There were a lot of similarities between our trips that we noticed, but the biggest difference between the two were the levels of technology incorporated into each one. She said she didn’t carry a cell phone with her and she only checked her email a few times during the trip. Its remarkable how much technology has changed and how I am able to use (and rely on) my GPS and solar panels etc. Unfortunately, Sarah was graduating from nursing school the next day and her family was in town so she had to spend time with them. She introduced me to her friends, Hayden and Richard Geere who live on about 25 acres right in town. McClellanville is cool, it’s very old and it’s the shrimp capital of South Carolina, there is a huge fleet of boats. The Geere’s have about 25 acres surrounded by woods where they keep horses and dogs. They really took care of me; I refueled my engine and rested it in a nice soft bed.

I passed the most obnoxious boater yet yesterday. He totally waked me after blowing his horn about a dozen times from a quarter mile away, warning me to move over. Then he comes flying by, totally wakes me and gives me the salute wave. Along this stretch of the Santee and Waccamaw Rivers, there are supposed to be a lot more gaters because the low levels of salinity. Richard told me at low tide they lined the bank and I would be able to see them so I envisioned the scene from temple of doom, where the crocs are lined up at the bottom of the rope bridge, waiting to devour anything that comes toward them. I did see a few, but the ones I saw were all swimming, with their whole bodies in the water. I’m such an idiot. I thought I saw a log in the middle of the channel; I was going to go move it until I saw that it was paddling away from me. Yesterday, Thursday, I got a late start but I had the perfect combination of tides and wind and I was bale to paddle 30 miles in less then 6 hours and I got to Georgetown, South Carolina. Richard came through big time by calling one of his friends father Jim Hills who arranged to let me stay on his boat: Bob’s Boat. I got to sleep on the water which was awesome and walked into the town for a great meal last night.

I am about to get some breakfast before I leave for the day!So, I am leaving Georgetown now, I just had breakfast at Thomas’s café. Delicious. I am going to go up to Buck Post where I have a camping site picket out. It is about 24 or 25 miles. Hopefully I can have as easy a day as I did yesterday when I averaged 5 miles an hour. I have the wind on my back and the tide change is only about 4 feet so I should be good.

5.15.08

I finally got going yesterday around 4pm. I got advice from a local that the Wappoo Cut is tricky to navigate but I was able to time it just right because the tide was on my side and the wind was on my back which got me cruising at 9 miles an hour, double what I can do normally, it felt amazing. On the way, I came upon some dolphins that were “getting it on” and they seemed kind of upset that I interrupted them that one even went so far as to splash me. After finishing the 12 or so miles to Charleston from Adam’s on Johns Island, I was able to dock my boat in the Charleston city marina amongst the big yachts. My family friend Laura and her fiancé Scott were nice enough to meet me and pick me up. I got another night’s sleep under a roof which I am clearly happy about. Thanks Laura and Scott! This morning, I had coffee and cake samples (their wedding is 13 days away) Sugary goodness and caffeine were a great way to start off my day. I am looking for a place to camp tonight on Capers Island. I have heard you need a permit to camp; I think I will be fine though.

slow news day.

if you have a fewe minutes to kill - obviously you do or you wouldn't be on this site in the first place - check out this link: http://www.islandpacket.com/lowcountrylife/story/494134.html

Happy Mother's Day

Here is where I slept/started from.

Yesterday (5/10) was a surprisngly nice, easy little day. I had a moderate wind to my back and had the current assisting me almost the whole time. Only at one spot did The Waterway get wide at the North River, just East of Edisto. After that it was just hour after hour of nice meandering river. For whatever reason there were lots of cruisers heading north, maybe because it was Saturday, but 90% of the boat traffic was going the same direction.

The last 10 miles of the day was awesome. Definitely one of the best stretches yet. The Stono River along Johns Island and Hollywood is a narrow, pristine gem with large, unique private homes on both sides many of which had fantastic super-long docks. I love those long docks. I'm talking about the ones that seem like they're a 1/4 mile long. The kind that takes you 15 minutes to walk down. In the middle of all these homes there was a beautifully manicured golf course. I thought it was interesting the designers had avoided the usual aproach to have holes play out to the water and instead had created 3-4 hours running right along the river. The fairways were basically directly adjacent to the waterline. It looked like paradise. Plus they had their own dock so you could arrive but boat for your tee time if you felt so inclined.

I stopped just shy of the John Limehouse brige, about 10 miles south of Charleston. I am staying with the Lawrences, (Adam, Kate, Grace, and very soon Addison) who were nice enough to take me in. I met Kate's parents while I was in Hilton Head who got me in touch with them. Adam is actually a fellow UVM alumnus and a paddler himself. And because I got to their dock it 4:30 (earlier then I had planned) I had all afternoon to relax, meet the neighbors/friends, take advantage of Adam's kegerator, and eat some delicious home made pizza pies.

____________________________________________________________________

A special thanks today to all the awesome women in my life, especially the moms. And ESPECIALLY you mom! Thanks for dealing with me.

Monkey-ing Around

Friday was quite a day....

I woke up to some pretty gross weather - overcast with storm clouds in the distance - but I ignored it, got my things together and started to paddle around 9. Pretty much right away it began to rain and quickly I found myslef with my skirt and rain gear on, head down trying to just trudge through the storm. At one point the rain did get so intense that I was forced to take shelter underneath a boat that was up on a lift at the end of a long dock. The people were probably looking out from the house wandering what I was doing out there in the first place. As soon as the rain passed it became beautful though. Well, sunny at least, but there was a pretty good south-ish wind. I entered the Coosaw River which was very wide and got carried along by the wind at a pretty good pace. The problem was that the river was so wide and straight that I was having a very hard time seeing markers which were way to spread out, I think, anyhow. I'm pretty sure that I have mentioned this before but it is VERY hard to navigate unknown water from a kayak. I don't sit much off the surface of the water so my eye-line is just 2.5-3 feet from sea level. From that height I can only see about 2 miles to the horizon - not much when you are in open water. Its easy to spot markers and distinguish cuts in the marsh when you are standing up on the deck of a boat but not for me. Plus I don't have any binoculars with me, which admittingly is my own dumb fault. Anyhow the point is that I got lost. I missed what I was looking for, the Ashepoo Coosaw Cutoff, with seems to be nothing more then just a small passage through marsh. I instead paddled to a marker that appeared to be right according to my chart but when I got up to it I noticed it was #3 (with no yellow triangle of course) opposed to #186 as I was expecting. If you think I'm an idiot then also understand that at the time I was also getting beat up by 2-3 foot waves caused by a 15-20 mph wind so it wasn't like I was just floating in calm water with lots of time to reference the chart.

So I was pretty upset about being lost. Marker #3 was nowhere on my charts, my GPS was vaue about where I was, and my phone (of course, Scott) had no service. I really was totally lost with no idea where I was. I refused to backtrack though which would entail paddling back into the wind so I just kept going. Fortunatly the island the I came to on my left had all these little white signs posted every couple hundred yards along the shore and even without being able to read them I knew that it had to be Morgan Island. Although I had never been there I knew of Morgan Island from its infamous reputation and I was aware that it was in the area. Actually I had originally always intended to detour off the waterway to visit the island but the night before Patrick and Rob had adamently advised that it would not be wise/worth it to go that far out of my way. I think Patrick's exact words were, "that would be an all-day affair." With that in my mind I had mixed emotions knowin that I had gone pretty far out of my way but also that I could see some wild MONKEYS! That's right, Morgan Isl is full of wild monkeys. Who would think, in SC of all places. I hadn't been out of my boat all day (it was like 3) so I ignored the no trespassing signs and went on shore to try to see if I could get a glimpse of one of the monkeys - I figured it would be hard to find them. Boy was I wrong. In just a minute I saw this little monkey in the trees, jumping from one to another and I was tiptoeing after him trying to get close enough for a good picture. I came around this corner and there was a little clearing and there in front of me were literally hundreds of monkeys. They all seemed aware of me and kept their distance but they didn't flee so I just watched them for awhile. I considered trying to lure one over for a photo with a piece of Sweet Baby Ray's beef jerky but I realized that (besides being ecologicaly irresponsible) there was the potential with so many of them for the situation to get out of hand.

Knowing that I was on Morgan Isl I was able to use my GPS to get my bearings and hatched a plan to get my back on The Waterway. It was 4 oclock by this point and I was tired so I didn't expect to reach it that afternoon. I also had no idea where I was going to sleep. My GPS did label Ottor Island which I remembered Scott mentioning that people sometimes camp there so thats where I was heading for. When I got up to the northern point of Ottor Island at about 7 I was SOOOO relieved to find marker 162 which signified that I was no longer lost. Apparently my very inacurate and outdated charts refer to Ottor Isl and Fenwick Island. Either way I was at Fenwick Cut and I was siked. Sure I had gone hours out of my way and paddled aobut 15 miles when the path was only about 7 but I had gotten to see monkeys. The sun was dropping and I didn't know what I was going to do for the night, though, so my excitment didn't last too long. I think have said this before too but while in this stretch them in right now (since basically the St. John's River) dry gound is really hard to come by. At least dry ground that is accesble by a kayak: pretty much everything has a border of marsh around it. Plus the tide was just starting to come back in so I had oysters and pluff mud between me and any land too. Based on my charts I had one potential option for camping: Raccoon Island. The fact that it was directly across from a place called Alligator Creek didn't make me to happy but I was desperate. I was very very lucky that Raccoon Island's banks were firm (that honeycomb-ish looking clay mud opposed to pluff). I pulled my boat all the way up, slipping and falling on my butt I few times, and found a few trees to sleep between. The old Clark Hammock saves the day again. It actaully wasn't that bad for the marsh - buggy, sure - but I was so tired I slept like a baby.

5.9.08

So I got back going on the water at about 10am yesterday, leaving Hilton Head. It was hard to get back in the water and leave but I realized it was just mental and I knew just the first day would be hard. I left from Broad Creek, repeated a section I had done the other day which was about an hours worth of paddling. I cruised up Calibogue Sound, along Skull Creek where I saw my buddy Scott who was out on the water with some of his customers. It was nice to see a familiar face as I paddled out of Hilton Head. I am kind of rusty I guess and it was kind of stupid for me not to put my skirt on as I was crossing Port Royal sound, it wasn’t terribly rough but it was choppy and the tide was moving out of the sound fast. I got pretty wet and was wet the rest of the day. My shoulder was initially hurting very bad and I was getting worried but fortunately it loosed up a bit. For some reason once I got in the rhythm of my strokes, my shoulder started to hurt less but it hurts doing just about everything else. Despite my best efforts, I missed the Beaufort river entrance but I paddled back and got to see Paris Island and the marine recruiting station where I heard something going on above the marsh grass, some hooting and hollering, some sort of training exercise I guess. Apparently they used to tell the Marines that the river was filled with alligators and sharks so they wouldn’t be tempted to try to swim away because their boot camp (apparently) is the worst 8 weeks you could have in life. I passed Paris Island and came up to the town of Beaufort which is awesome. They filmed a lot of Forrest Gump and the Big Chill here, it’s the second oldest city in South Carolina, I really wanted to stop and stay in Beaufort as it’s such a beautiful place. I have been there plenty of times though when I lived in Hilton Head plus it was after hours and the city marina seemed to be full. I kept going past my original idea for a campsite in Beaufort and campsite and it was getting late, didn’t know if I had enough sun light to get to the campsite I had intended to stay at which was still 12 miles away. When I rounded the corner, there was a new boat ramp that wasn’t marked on my chart; I talked to some guys who were fishing. I decided to pull over and try to make a new plan for camping that night. One of the guys suggested that I walk up to the row of houses that lined the creek and ask someone to let me tie up my kayak to one of their docks. Luckily I met a really, really nice newlywed couple Scott and Tiffany who just returned from their honeymoon and were spending the night in their new house for the first time. They fed me, took me in They were very kind to let me crash at their place.
Click here to see where I stayed last night

Thank you for your help: Scott, Tiffany, Rob, Patrick, MJ, Abby and Charlie!

If you've been wondering what I've been up to.....

I hope no one has been worried about me; I haven't drowned. Actually, I'm safe and sound here on beautiful Hilton Head - my old stomping grounds. Since I arrived on Thursday I have engaged in a stress free regiment of sleeping in, reading, eating and visiting with friends trying to relax and let my body recover. My sore left shoulder has really seemed to benefit from a couple continuous days off. I've set around the pool, I've gotten caught up on playoff hockey/basketball, and I've regained 8 pounds since I pulled in: its been a little vacation within a vacation.

BUT....The second half(ish) of this adventure is set to begin! It took 31 days to paddle the 556 miles from Key Biscayne to HHI and there are now 564 miles left on the ICW until its northern terminus at Norfolk, VA. Now, of course, after that I'll have to figure out how to navigate the Chesapeake Bay (which I haven't thought about at all yet), and there's the fact that I've actually done about 30 miles more then the waterway's length up to this point bc of my failed shortcuts, but I'm disregarding all of that because I like the notion of this nice break conveniently being right in the middle. Either way, I know I won't take another extended break like this. Pretty much since day 2 I had my sights set on HHI, knowing that if I could make it here I would be able to catch my breath, reassess, and that it would signify success in being able to reach the goal of Baltimore. I've also been able to take this time to get some small boat projects done - the critical ones anyhow. I fixed my thigh support padding, smoothed and waxed the hull, and made some more adjustments to the seat back supports. I abandoned what I decided was frivolous plans to attach cleats and install a fishing rod holder - I just don't think I would ever even take the time to fish when I could be paddling and its just another piece of equipment to care for and break. The most important project, repairing my good paddle's ferrule, was a huge success. I'm glad I wont have to use my spare paddle any more (btw the ferrule is the middle of the shaft, where the two pieces attach).

So tomorrow I'll be hoping back in my boat and leaving HHI behind as I head for Beufort. I'll be honest, I am pretty anxious about starting again. I think the second half of the water is going to be a lot different and that uncertainty has me feeling a little apprehensive. Part of it is that I've spoiled myself while I've been here on the island and its going to be tough to give it all up again. When I started in FL I was naive to a lot of the process and how hard days (c/w)ould be but now that I do know its tough to be excited for that. Then again, Miami doesn't seem like that long ago or that far away so I know its just a little case of butterflies. Plus all I have to do is remember how much fun I have been having and maintain the feeling of how fortunate I am that I get to do this at all. So tomorrow will be the day. If you're reading this and are in the HHI/Bluffton area and want to come out and paddle with me, well that would just be great.


I want to officially thank everyone again and who helped this first month. I've gotten tons of support through this first stretch which is the only reason I was even able to make it here to HHI at all. I don't want to leave anybody out so I'm reluctant to mention names but....
THANKS TO:
Wayne, Devin and Dienna, Bob & Allison Smith, Gracie and Zach, Ed & Edna, everyone at OHH, Whittney, Sari, Steve Cox, Brian Harder, Jack Anderson, Margo, LiveOac and everyone in my family particularly Jim&Becky, Barbie&Hudson, my brother, RACHEL, and mom & dad. THANKS GUYS, I owe you all one (or three or four). This list is totally incomplete btw, this is just a smidgen of the people who have been so generous to me.

And sorry for my absence in posting all week but the blog will resume a regular schedule tomorrow as the paddling continues. I hope I haven't lost any readers: you can't afford to when you only have a handful.

Also, in honor of the tight primary contest going on answer the new "exit poll."