Aimee and I went on a CFPA trip today on the NE Cape Fear, from Croomsbridge Rd. to Sawpit Landing on Whitestocking Rd. There were about 15 people along, including Geezer and Marie, Virginia H., Rezac, Pete Brown, and a crew that I didn't know. It was more people than I usually like to paddle with, but once everyone got launched it spread out nicely. Aimee and I lagged behind everyone else by 50 yards or so most of the trip. The weather was coolish, but sunny and nice. There was a moderate breeze, but it didn't really matter because we were sitting down pretty low between the banks. Along the way we saw an old abandoned school bus that reminded me of Chris McCandless' Magic Bus in the Alaskan wilderness (see Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer). We saw a couple of hawks that I'll have to dig through the book to figure out (I think red-shouldered), turkey vulture, tufted titmouse, cardinals, and heard several woodpeckers, though never saw any. It's quaint country, with one side of the river peppered with domiciles that ranged from the very basic to the reasonably ostentatious. I'm a fan of the little rustic places. There were lots of nice folks out on their porches and docks enjoying the day and most of them quizzed us on where we came from and where we were heading. I'm not sure that they see a lot of kayakers on the water, especially groups of that size, judging by their questions. It was an interesting group that ranged from the extremely experienced to one poor guy who had his paddle backwards and upside-down and was slouching like he was in an easy chair watching a football game. It's a pleasure to watch Rezac maneuver his boat. I've never seen anyone edge and turn so proficiently. We were under three hours on the water, covering almost 9 miles. It seemed like a really short trip, but it was a nice one.
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Magic Bus
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