Mystery Log

Last night, we got our first dusting of snow, just enough and dry enough that a broom cleared the walkway. If I needed an excuse to go canoeing, and I don't, the first snowfall would work.

I put in at the highway bridge.  It is about freezing with a light wind coming up the river, and a mostly sunny sky. But, the weather is going to shift this afternoon as a front comes through. Gusts and clouds are predicted, with another dusting of snow overnight.

The tide has been coming in for about 2 hours, so I follow the east shore closely and take advantage of the eddies as I make my way downriver against the current.

With the low water, the spartina is standing tall and golden, and reaching above my head. I explore a few openings that I don't remember entering. There is some tidal ice still on the banks in areas where there is no wind or current.  The plan is set and I end up wandering and weaving through the marsh in a generally downriver direction until reaching Milford Point. Then I turn and wander back with a lean to the west, eventually forcing my way out into Nell's Channel. The main opening to the interior of Nell's Island is right in front of me, so I go there. 

I make my way down the center of the island, which is pretty obvious if one has been here a few times. Then, unlike my last trip in here, I begin making wrong turns. Meanwhile, it has clouded over and the wind has come up. The day is turning raw. I start heading back out, needing to at least find a place that I recognize. I find the mid-island exit, which leads west into the main river channel. But, there is a mystery log blocking it. Mystery logs show up near Duck hunting season (this is my second one). I suspect that the mystery logs are the work of a Duck hunter of the fuckturd persuasion who is trying to keep other hunters from crowding the space that he thinks is his. This mystery log is clearly a man made operation as there is a well trodden path around the end of it. This pisses me off as I have to backtrack for about 20 minutes against the current and the wind to get off the island.  There are always unintended consequences when one messes with nature.

I get back to Nell's Channel and head upriver with the current and wind at my back. A quarter mile up, there is a well behaved flock of Black Ducks and Mallards dead-nuts center in the channel. It's as if they are decoys, which they are.  It is a main channel and kind of a goofy place to hunt. I paddle through and I am pretty sure that the hunter didn't notice me.