Paddle to the Bay: Monday, June 2, 2008 - Day 1
The wake-up call came at 4:50. I fumbled in the dark of my motel room to find the switch on the unfamiliar lamp and blinked, rubbing my eyes until the room came into focus. I needed to be back at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park by 6 AM. On my feet, I shaved, not knowing when I would next have the opportunity. I brushed my teeth and combed what is left of my hair. Thankfully, I had showered before bed last night to save a few minutes this morning.
Next came the stretches and exercises that keep my arthritic back and hips functioning and allow me to sit in a kayak for hours on end. Checking the gear I had brought into the room last night, I noted that all my water bladders had been filled and were not leaking. I packed my “civilian” clothes in the overnight bag I would leave in my car, then headed for the lobby and checkout. Last evening I had noticed that my car’s wireless automatic door locks weren’t working, then saw that my headlights weren’t functioning either. This was a problem I would have to deal with after the trip. However, I was glad that it was light out when I pulled out of the motel driveway, headed for the 24-hour McDonalds I had spied on my way in yesterday.
The Crew, geared up and ready to go.
Top Row: Lee, Gabe, Robert, John, Don (Yackman), Marg
Kneeling: Foster, Mike
Grabbing an Egg McMuffan and two large coffees (one for now and one for the thermos), I was on my way to the waterfront park to rendezvous with the other paddlers. I arrived a few minutes before 6 AM. John, Robert and Gabe were already there. We had loaded all the boats onto the trailer last night. All we had to do this morning was load our gear into the gearbox of the trailer and into the van for transport to the paddling facility at the Navy Yard where we would launch. The decision to launch from this site rather than the Waterfront Park was a tactical one. It shaved ten miles or so off of our trip for the day, which would still be over 20 miles. We were scheduled to arrive at the paddling facility at 7:30 to avoid the morning paddlers who would have completed their workouts by then.
Arriving at the paddling club, we quickly began to unload the boats and line them up on a low-lying floating dock. We tended to work in groups of two at this point, as everyone had come with someone they knew, and as yet, we were strangers to each other. With the boats and gear on the dock we set to work trying to fit everything in (it all went in there at home!). A reporter and photographer hovered around, asking questions and setting up impromptu interviews. By 8:15 we were ready to launch. With everyone in the water, Robert set up a few on the water group shots, then we were off.
We immediately paddled under a bridge and passed alongside a large and impressive Navy warship. Next we saw a large baseball stadium and soon we were passing Reagan National Airport. There were helicopters everywhere, taking off and landing from military facilities on both sides of the river. As we entered the Potomac, the river became less busy. I could see Mount Vernon high on a hill up ahead. It loomed larger and more beautiful as we came parallel to it. Passing Mount Vernon, it wasn’t long before Fort Washington came into view. Fort Washington was built after the Revolutionary War. While it was built to protect our nation’s capital from attack from the sea, the British attacked overland to burn Washington during the War of 1812. Fort Washington never saw any real action.
As the river opened up before us, my reaction to it was completely unexpected. I’ve paddled on lots of rivers. Each one is special in it’s own way. But the Potomac, I searched for words to describe my reaction. Beautiful wasn’t a big enough word. Magnificent was better. Stately fit too. Undiscovered, unknown and unexpected were appropriate as well. I didn’t expect it to be so big, so broad. I didn’t expect so much green. I didn’t expect that we would be able to paddle close to an interesting and changing shoreline, hour after hour. I wondered how many people drove along its shores or passed over it on the high-speed bridges of our interstates, never really seeing the river and its beauty. I was thankful to be in my slow moving kayak where I could feel the river’s heartbeat and drink in all the slowly changing details of its shores.
We were making good time, clocking some 6.0 mph over the ground. We were getting a great push from the falling tide and current. We took a number of shore breaks to adjust equipment and relieve ourselves. Interestingly, it was one of the young guys who needed to stop all the time, not the old guys or our lone female.
We took turns in the lead. When our 15 or 20 minutes of leading the group was up, we fell to the back to take up the sweep’s position. Then we worked our way back up to the lead in a designated order. This worked well and gave everyone a chance to be out front without regard to paddling ability or speed.
The weather was absolutely perfect, with a light breeze from behind, temperatures in the high 70’s and sun shining through broken clouds. We made good time and arrived at our first campsite, Indian Head at Chapman Forest, by mid-afternoon. We had traveled 20.3 miles, attained a maximum speed of 7.1 mph with an average speed of 3.6 mph. Our travel time was 5 hours, 36 minutes. Not bad for our shakedown paddle with several novices in the group!
We had a pretty good beach to pull our boats up onto. What I didn’t know about the tides on the Potomac is that high tides vary widely. I discovered a day later that the early morning high tide tends to be significantly higher than the evening tide. This proved to be a problem at our next campsite.
The campsite itself was backed against dense woods, with ample space along the raised shore of the river for our tents. It was shaded and lovely. After setting up my tent and getting out my table for tonight’s cooks, I went with Robert and Gabe to get water. It was quite a hike through the woods and across a field. At the top sat the stately Chapman Mansion, a beautifully restored residence from the revolutionary period. The view of the river from its front porch was breathtaking. So much so, that several of us later made the hike to sit on the front steps and watch the sun go down.
Robert and Gabe made dinner for us all. It had a base of rice, with lots of fresh vegetables, and meat re-hydrated from beef and turkey jerky! I’d never seen this done before. It was delicious! As we ate dinner an unexpected guest arrived, a colleague of Robert’s, who was behind the restoration of the mansion at the top of the hill. (Unfortunately I neglected to write her name in my journal and it is now lost to me.) She came bearing gifts - cheesecake. Robert set it aside for later.
After watching the sunset, the mosquitoes came out and it was time to retreat to our tents to complete our individual evening rituals and go to sleep. We would be up early tomorrow to again catch the outgoing tide.
Washington D.C. to Indian Head
or
20 Miles in Three Minutes
