After a not too horrible night’s sleep in our dorm (photos coming one day), we were ready for morning. We are housed at a field station. That means dorm style rooms and a cafeteria. The concession to grown-ups is that coffee and tea are available at 7:00 while you wait around for food at 7:30. We also packed a sandwich lunch to take on the excursion. Then it was load the bus and drive to Maryland to paddle at Janes State Park. The park had a fantastic launch area. It must be extremely busy in the summer months. It’s miles around the island— a feat we did not even try to accomplish, since one side would be on the open bay. We were the only boaters present.
Our route was a loop. Loops in hiking are always a positive because the scenery will be different the whole way. For paddling, though, a loop on marine water can mean that at some point the current and winds are against you. When we plan trips on Cape Cod, we try to launch as the tide is going out, let it turn, and then paddle back as the tide comes in. The tides have their own schedule though, and don’t always turn with convenience. The wind is another factor and definitely not under the paddler’s control.
This week’s excursions are planned by our capable team at the field station. If you can’t have the current and wind with you the whole way, then the next best plan to get the hard part over with first. That’s what we did.
For the first hour, we paddled hard, especially when we hit more open water. Here is what I thought about: “I wish I’d brought the wool base layer I packed away. I wish I’d brought thermal lined leggings. Why didn’t I bring my rain pants?” Mostly I missed my own kayak, a single with an almost closed cockpit. I thought of its cheerful shiny yellow hull whenever a swell came over the bow of my borrowed boat and soaked my legs and feet.
Those with a “No such thing as bad weather, only inadequate equipment” attitude, take heart. I had a lot going in my favor. Full fingered gloves, wool socks, three layers under my PFD, good sunglasses, and a pretty warm cap. Most of all, it was not raining. When the group beached we opened the plug in the stern and let water drain out for a few minutes. The sun came out and the world was made new.
We had a break on one little beach and then paddled through a tidal river to another little beach for a lunch break. The day got warmer and warmer, with a high in the mid-fifties. After the halfway point on the loop, we had the wind at our back. I didn’t think about left-at-home equipment at all. I admired my light Werner paddle that we’d brought with us. I admired the blue sky. I smiled at the laughing gulls. I listened to the stories of the other travelers in the kayaks around us.
Janes Island has almost 3,000 acres of salt marsh. The amount of productivity in such an area is phenomenal. It’s important to think about it as a nursery where almost all the activity happens just under the water line or just above. With protection from the open ocean, crustaceans and some fish can lay eggs. Birds can as well. The dominant vegetation is a salt marsh grass.
Miles of the waterways an around Janes Island are described in six water trails and even have 66 stops with trail markers, something that is growing more popular. Kayaking is a great sport. It can be as challenging or gentle as one likes. It’s easy on the joints. I am enjoying it after so many years of hiking because it gives me a different perspective on the natural world, being able to see things from the water instead of from the banks.
Making it back to the launch site after lunch felt fast and easy. All in all we were out for about 3.5 hours and actually paddling for only 2.5 of those. Best of all, the temperature is supposed to rise for the rest of the week. I’m counting on forgetting all about that wool base layer and those rain pants.
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