Last Saturday, I decided it was time to try a new paddling route...kayaking around Gravine Island seemed like a good idea so I borrowed a truck, loaded my Eddlyline SeaStar, and headed for the launch at Byrnes Lake. Byrnes Lake is an oxbow-type lake and used to be part of the Tensaw River. Gravine Island is predominantly a spoil-island that was created during a dredging project in the Tensaw River to allow for the movement of a mothball fleet of WWII-vintage warships into long-term storage.
The weather continues to be reasonably pleasant for kayaking (maybe a little warm) and paddling out of Byrnes Lake was completely uneventful. It was nice to be in a hard-shell boat again and I spent some time playing around as paddled out. From Byrnes Lake, I quickly crossed the Tensaw River to avoid being mowed down by the Memorial Day Weekend crowd of boats (I don't plan to find out, but I suspect a kevlar hull might do some good damage to an outboard!) and turned south to paddle with the current along Gravine Island's Eastern shoreline. There wasn't much to see along the Eastern shore, although everything is noticeably greener with the coming of summer and you can hear a lot of birds flitting around in the bushes. I wish I knew a little more about bird calls and give a better description of what I was hearing, but all I can say is that it was loud! The powerlines are home to osprey nests, but interesting enough, although each tower could theoretically support four nests, they each only hold one. I suppose, however, that it provides a chance for squirrels to cross to Gravine Island.
The West side of Gravine Island provides significant shelter from current due to the winding channels through grass and swamp. On any trip, this makes it worth planning to paddle against the current on the West side, and with the current on the East side. When I originally planned the trip, I didn't intend to cut into the two inlets on the West side, but I was felling energetic and paddle back into both. They make for interesting paddling, especially the southern inlet, because you can see a marked change in vegetation and growth as you paddle in towards the center of the island. Because of the shallow entrance, there is very little powerboat traffic and a good deal of bird life. After a quick stop on the sandbar at the North end of Gravine Island (home to red-bellied turtles during nesting season!) I rounded the island and crossed back to Byrnes Lake and the landing. My two detours ultimately drew out my original trip plan of 8-10 miles into to a 15 mile excursion, but it was well worth it! A shorter, and equally interesting trip would involve paddling around the North end of Gravine and cutting into one of the inlets before paddling back along the same Northern route and across to Byrnes Lake.
