Pocaty River  paddle, Va. Beach, 8.31.2008

The Pocaty was particularly nice today.  It was overcast much of the time and even though the wind blew a fair clip, it was not too tough of a paddle.  I didn't want to repeat a paddle but the Pocaty is a good place to go when I can't figure where else to go.  In order to fulfill my standing order of paddling a different spot when possible, I launched on the west side of the bridge and paddled west from Blackwater Road rather than the normal east direction of most trips.  That was a first for me.

I didn't make it quite a 1/2 mile before I ran across a showstopper, a tree all the way across the water.  I could have portaged but looking ahead it was even more cluttered and I decided it wasn't worth the effort.  The west paddle was nice enough but it really can't compare to the trip heading east from the bridge over Blackwater Road.  So I headed back to the bridge and portaged to the east side for a paddle there.  The tree that had mostly blocked the way east last year is still present but the left (northern) end has broken (or been cut back) and sunk so it is very simple to slip through the small gap there to start your paddle.

I had not traveled more than a 1/4 mile or so before I heard something in the woods off to my right.  I stopped paddling and quietly listened.  Nothing out of the ordinary could be heard.  But then ahead on the right, about 100 yards or so, two deer had entered the river and swam completely across to the other side while I sat there watching.  What a great encounter.  I always take something away from a paddle as being the thing that made it worth the effort.  The deer encounter was today's reward.

I encountered a couple of fishermen on the paddle out to the North Landing River.  I got out at the observation platform and spent 45 minutes or so piddling around with my gear, watching boats with my binoculars and looking for birds.  I thought I might paddle up to the mouth of West Neck Creek but the wind was really blowing by that time and I decided against it.  Someone has repaired the top deck where someone burnt some of the boards probably by using a grill up there.  So the platform is in great shape.

I launched for the trip back to Blackwater Road and was immediately given a thrust by a passing yacht on the North Landing River.  I took my time paddling back which was easy since the wind was at my back.  I took time to explore a couple of areas that I have seen before and never paddled into.  The first is on the south side of the river and is just a small opening between two banks and you can slide about 1/8th mile down this little offshoot.  There were ducks and egrets in there.  They exploded with cries of alarm giving me a start.  On the map this little finger of water leads to some type of flooded field or pond but the trees where getting thick across the water and I didn't feel like trying to trailblaze.  I headed back to the main part of the river.  The next offshoot was to the north and I actually have been down this one before.  This time though on the way back to the main river, I saw a cut through.  I tried to use it but there was a tree spanning the banks and I could not get under it.  It would have been a cool cut through.  I saw what may have been a Merganser ahead of me.  When I backtracked to the river proper, it didn't take long to arrive at the other side of my short cut.  Just a short ways up from there the Merganser was sitting dead still on the end of a branch sticking out of the water.  I got real close but couldn't make a certain identification of the bird.  It took off and quietly swam down the river from where I had been.

All in all a very nice trip with the sun peeking through for the last mile or so.  It never rained on me and was not particularly hot or humid.  It ended up being almost a six mile paddle but it sure didn't feel like it.  I loaded up and headed for home.

Something I noticed when first arrived at the bridge was the massive amount of garbage that someone  or some people have dumped in the woods around the river.   There has always been the trash from fishermen and other people who sit at the bridge but this was full out dumping of large items and trash.  Truly disgusting and ugly.  I can't believe that anyone who lives in that area would do that.  I believe it was someone from another area who simply decided not to make the trip to the dump.  Or maybe there was some type of accident there but I find that hard to believe the way this stuff was strewn around.  I should probably stop complaining about it and just get out there and pick some up one day.  I'd like to think I'd do that but I am not sure if I will.

See ya next time.