Crazy Kayak Launch and Slow River

I awoke around 2am with huge shivers, due to temperatures dropping to near freezing. After adding another layer of clothing, plus a toboggan and gloves, and drifted in and out of sleep. I was excited about our travels and also still a bit chilled.

Morning came quick enough. Cody, one of the guys from the center, picked us up at 7:30 to drive us a few miles through their property to the river. In my mind, we’d have a nice and easy put in for our kayaks. However, the reality before us was five, 2.5 ft tall stairs leading down to a side trail to the Neuse. Again, in my mind, everything would be placed in the kayak as I planned and prepared. In reality, everything got shoved in because we couldn’t lift the boat with supplies on the stairs and once in the water, I couldn’t reach every place that the bags needed to go. To further complicate matters, it was tough getting the boat because the bank was slippery and deep and the step was 2.5 ft from the water. So yeah, we had a muddy, wet, and cold start.

We finally got comfortable in our boats and bags where they needed to be after pulling over. The fog was slowly lifting and the sun was shining, but the river just wasn’t flowing. That ultimately meant that our easy 12 mile trial run last week, at 4 miles per hour, was out the window. Today, our first landmark never seemed to arrive. We were paddling our butts off, against the wind, and not going anywhere fast.

After reaching 19 miles of our 30 mile day, we pulled over and came to the conclusion that we wouldn’t make our destination of Old Waynesborough Park by dark, as we’d planned. So, we pulled our kayaks out at the Cox Ferry Bridge ramp and set up camp. This allowed us plenty of time to relax and cook dinner and get to bed early enough to get another sunrise start in the morning.

While it’s not supposed to be as cold as last night, we are preparing for rain all day. Our plan is to wear rain gear and paddle 15 miles down to Old Waynesborough Park.

Jennifer carefully getting in her boat.

Such a mess!! Mud everywhere. Bags everywhere. 

  

Jennifer’s dehydrated burrito was delish!!

Camping on the cliff of a boat ramp.