I took M to the East River. We put in from the old stage ford as I usually do. The tide was all the way out and it was lower than normal. We waded almost all the way to the first bend. Then, after a couple hundred yards of floating, we waded the entire Gravel Flats. This part of the river is mostly a gravel or cobble bottom, fortunately.
It was fine day - temperature in the upper 70's, a little humid, mostly sunny with a light south wind. There were some people crabbing, but no other canoes or kayaks. There were a good number of the speeder crabs that people fish for. The tame Ducks that live above Clapboard Hill bridge were chasing fiddler crabs.
Below the railroad bridge, we continued past the Sneak, which was way too shallow to make it through. Spotted some Great Blue Herons, Osprey, a few Willets and Yellow Legs and a single Short Billed Dowitcher where the East and Neck Rivers meet.
We paddled up Bailey Creek, passing the Sneak again as it needed about 20 more minutes of rising tide to make it through. So we paddled to the culvert, which is too low for passage no matter what the tide, then came back. The Sneak looked passable, and it was, just barely. It did require some stinky poling to get through the shallowest section... rotten egg decomposition smell... as you should expect from a marsh.
It was an easy paddle back, and of course by this time, we had deep water all the way.
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