ncbobd
05-02-2010, 09:31 AM
It seems awfully quiet here lately. Hasn't anyone been out paddling this spring? I suppose I'm as guilty as anyone about not posting any reports, so here's a little update on kayaking around North Carolina's Crystal Coast.
This being my first year with a kayak I'm probably a bit extra enthusiastic about getting out. Since my first paddle I've probably been out about a dozen times... launching once or twice a week. My explorations have been limited to three locations thus far.
Without a doubt, my trips around the Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve, Beaufort, NC, have been the most productive from a photographic point of view. Every time I visit this area I find a decent subject within five minutes of launching. Even more fun, every time I get to see and photograph a species I haven't seen/photographed before. I'm a bit blown away at the variety and quantity of shorebirds there are to be seen around the RCER! Getting there is really easy. The reserve is across from Beaufort, a short paddle across Taylor's Creek. When you see how close to town this area is you'll probably be as amazed as I am at the diversity and quanity of life there. You can find a number of images from RCER on my blog-site, www.carolinafootprints.com.
Nearer to my home is the Cahooque Creek paddle trail. While not as productive from a photography point of view, it is a nice trip just the same. It is also one of the few areas around the Crystal Coast where alligator sightings are fairly common. In fact, I've yet to paddle this route without seeing one or two. Getting a photo of these shy, apex predators is another story! Access is via a boat ramp off Highway 101 between Havelock and Beaufort. Coming from Beaufort the turn is the first right after passing Ferry Road... the exit to the Cherry Branch ferry. Launch at the ramp and bear left, out of Hanover creek and into Cahooque Creek. A casual paddle will take you to the end of passable water in about an hour. The Neusiok hiking trail runs along a section of the creek. Bring a fishing pole if you're so inclined the area is known to have some decent Bass fishing.
Finally there's the Newport River. A typical blackwater river this paddle is better for sight seeing and fishing than for wildlife photography. That's not to say you won't see any wildllife, just that they're not as approachable as the shorebirds of RCER. I launch at the wildlife ramp on old Highway 70/Chatham street, outside of Newport. From there I've explored a ways both up and downstream. Not far downstream you start encountering marshland and the river eventually empties into Bogue Sound near Morehead City. Upstream the route is surround by forest and pinches down to a non-navigatable stream past Nine-mile Road.
So how about it? Where have you been paddling this spring?
This being my first year with a kayak I'm probably a bit extra enthusiastic about getting out. Since my first paddle I've probably been out about a dozen times... launching once or twice a week. My explorations have been limited to three locations thus far.
Without a doubt, my trips around the Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve, Beaufort, NC, have been the most productive from a photographic point of view. Every time I visit this area I find a decent subject within five minutes of launching. Even more fun, every time I get to see and photograph a species I haven't seen/photographed before. I'm a bit blown away at the variety and quantity of shorebirds there are to be seen around the RCER! Getting there is really easy. The reserve is across from Beaufort, a short paddle across Taylor's Creek. When you see how close to town this area is you'll probably be as amazed as I am at the diversity and quanity of life there. You can find a number of images from RCER on my blog-site, www.carolinafootprints.com.
Nearer to my home is the Cahooque Creek paddle trail. While not as productive from a photography point of view, it is a nice trip just the same. It is also one of the few areas around the Crystal Coast where alligator sightings are fairly common. In fact, I've yet to paddle this route without seeing one or two. Getting a photo of these shy, apex predators is another story! Access is via a boat ramp off Highway 101 between Havelock and Beaufort. Coming from Beaufort the turn is the first right after passing Ferry Road... the exit to the Cherry Branch ferry. Launch at the ramp and bear left, out of Hanover creek and into Cahooque Creek. A casual paddle will take you to the end of passable water in about an hour. The Neusiok hiking trail runs along a section of the creek. Bring a fishing pole if you're so inclined the area is known to have some decent Bass fishing.
Finally there's the Newport River. A typical blackwater river this paddle is better for sight seeing and fishing than for wildlife photography. That's not to say you won't see any wildllife, just that they're not as approachable as the shorebirds of RCER. I launch at the wildlife ramp on old Highway 70/Chatham street, outside of Newport. From there I've explored a ways both up and downstream. Not far downstream you start encountering marshland and the river eventually empties into Bogue Sound near Morehead City. Upstream the route is surround by forest and pinches down to a non-navigatable stream past Nine-mile Road.
So how about it? Where have you been paddling this spring?