Golden Grass and Blue Sky
34 degrees, wind NW 10-15, sunny
Dobbs and I launched at Elk River Landing and paddled south to Plum Creek and back.
We cut through the marsh off Scotland Point and bypassed gunkholing a couple small coves and creeks in order to go straight to Plum Creek, the longest and most interesting-looking (at least from satellite imagery) of the lot. Exploring Plum Creek, we made it as far as the bend beyond the Oldfield Point Road bridge before it was time to turn back. This time of year, when the sun sets it gets cold fast! We want to go back another day and explore more of the upper parts of the creek, though we'll need to find a closer launch spot - it's already about 2 miles from the park to the bridge one-way. Winter kayaking presents more physical challenges than paddling in warm weather. It's usually not distance, but exposure time, that limits how far I go. My hands get cramped and tired from gripping the paddle through densely insulated gloves and thick rubber over-gloves. Eventually, those same extremities and my feet get cold, and then I start to feel chilled throughout. Still, I cherish every late Fall day on the water - Dobbs and I are almost always completely alone; just us and nature.