Magnolia River Miasma

I had some new kit from NorthWater that I wanted to try out today, so I headed off to the Magnolia River as part 2 of my exploration of the Weeks Bay estuarine area. Looking at the topo's, I figured I'd be able to make it about six miles up the river before it shrunk down to creek size. I arrived at the boat ramp at the mouth of the bay accompanied by perfect paddling weather... a lot like Hawaii actually, warm and a little breezy. On the water, it turned out to be a lot breezy with 20+ just off the boat ramp where it seems to funnel in from somewhere. Setting off, I had the paddle gripped almost to the blade on the left side so I could sweep stroke the right and try to stop the boat whipping into wind. Luckily, the shelter of the river is only about a 1/2 mile from the ramp, and from there it was a relatively easy paddle with only occasional strong head winds where there were breaks in the trees. The houses down by the river didn't seem especially affected by last year's hurricanes, particularly as I moved deeper into the river. I shot by the first four or five miles pretty quickly. There was a lot of bird life sheltering in the river from the stronger winds on the bay, and a lot of fish jumping. I met Danny Smith, who attended the club meeting last week, as I passed by the bridge...we chatted for a while about kayaking and good put-ins before I continued up the river. Upriver of the bridge is where the Magnolia River really shines. Once you are past the houses, the river twists and turns, and becomes very sandy and clear (gin clear is the operative expression, I think). There looks to be some construction going on, I had to paddle through a little smoke from some sort of slash and burn operation, so I recommend hitting the river before it becomes further subdivided. However, for now it is pretty peaceful in the uppermost mile or so and it is a really nice little paddle. You could probably launch from the bridge and paddle that upper mile or so if you were pressed for time. After about 6.27 miles total miles from the boat ramp, I could go no further and turned around to enjoy lunch on my own private sun-speckled island in the river. On the way, I nearly ran over a fearless little turtle who kindly stood by while I snapped a few pictures. I saw nearly a dozen turtles, but most shot into the water before I could get a good look. This little guy sat quite patiently however. After lunch, with the current and wind behind me, I made good time for home. Coming around the final bend, where you leave the river and head for the boat ramp, I hit the strong headwinds and watched my speed drop by nearly a knot while I crabbed along at almost 20deg to my desired heading to the boat ramp. Always a fun way to finish a paddle!

As far as gear, I can highly recommend North Water's moduluar deck bag (it's not dry, but it's very flexible) and their foam paddle float...although I need some more practice in determining the best deck set up for it.