Indian Town Creek, Camden, North Carolina
Paddled 8.5.2007
I put in at the bridge on South Indian Town Road which is about 5-6 miles southwest of Sligo, North Carolina (just south of Moyock on 168).
It was overcast and the creek was very quiet and the water was moving eastward towards the North River. It didn't take long to see some wildlife. I encountered two deer drinking at the water's edge. The darted off as I came by even though I was extremely quiet.
After about a mile, the creek opened up and was nice and wide. I encountered a lot of different colored butterflies and species of finches. I could hear woodpeckers calling in the woods and the occasional sound of them pounding for their food. The finches were fun to watch although I never did get a good enough glimpse to see what types. They appeared to be slightly yellow but did not look like the finches we have in our backyard in Chesapeake.
I believe this is looking into the mouth of Bullfrog Creek. The upper part of this creek was very interesting but I left that exploration for another day.
And this is the mouth of the East Canal. I followed this almost to the end. There were a lot of blue herons (or they could have been egrets) in this area as well as in Bullfrog Creek. The upper parts of the East Canal held what appeared to be a juvenile blue herons/gray egrets. They were much smaller than the adults and were not as skittish. I took a picture of one but you cannot even see it because the picture is so bad.
Looking southward down the North River. That is another area to paddle for another day. When I finished paddling I went south to Garrington's Island Road and had a look at the boat ramp on Crooked Creek which also leads to the North River. A nice paddle can be had between Indian Town and Crooked Creeks especially if you use shuttle vehicles. Gotta try that soon. One of the boats I encountered came from this way and informed me they had put in at Coinjock and motored north.
Another shot looking down the East Canal from the confluence of Indian Town Creek, Bullfrog Creek and the North River.
This is from Bullfrog Creek. There is a very large bird nest in the top of this tree. The water in this area was full of white feathers. I need to read up on birds of prey. I don't know if I was seeing eagles, hawks, turkey vultures or what.
East Canal.
Sneaking up on turtles is hard. Seeing them in this not so great picture is even harder.
On the way back up Indian Town Creek. The wind was about 10 mph from the southwest on the way back. It wasn't any problem but felt good on such a hot day. Once I got up into the creek a bit, the little ripples smoothed out and once again the creek was a glassy surface and I had that feeling of flying because of the reflections.
A very large bird perching. There was another bird directly across the creek in another large tree. It flew away and I was treated to a show as it soared and wheeled above the creek.
On the way back, it sures seems like a longer distance on the way back.
Almost there. I wanted a picture of this neat area with little "islands" but it doesn't show up well in this picture.
Back at the ramp. The ramp is the extremely bright area. You can see a truck on the right. I passed two guys in a john boat on the way back in. Must have been them.
Well I have to say that this was one enjoyable paddle. I figure I paddled about 4-5 paddle miles. I took it slow and paddled from about 8:15 AM to about 1:30 PM. I only saw two other boats and both were courteous with their wakes. The ramp was nice and there was plenty of room for parking. Watch out for ticks though, I found two on my ankle shortly after arrival. The sun was out after about 10 AM and there were no storms or rain. It was extremely hot but the creek was plenty cool. No problems with fallen trees or any other obstructions. I encountered no snakes, a few turtles and hardly had any trouble with insects. Had a few flies buzz by now and again but nothing too annoying. There were a lot of fish breaking the surface and eating water bugs. All you VKFA'ers out there can bet this would be a prime fishing spot. Some boys fishing the bridge say that they routinely catch bowfin, crappie, brim and have even heard of the occasional striper caught in Indiantown Creek. I'll be the North River is a good striper spot when they are in season. I did not continue west on Indiantown Creek but it is possible to do so. I'll be paddling this creek again for sure.
Thanks to Lillie Gilbert and Vickie Shufer for their great paddling book/guide, "Wild River Guide to Dismal Swamp Water Trails including waterways of northeastern North Carolina". Their books have shown me tons of great spots like this that are just a short ride from Chesapeake. I plan all my paddles using their books.