Back in the Canoe

It has been almost 3 weeks since my last trip. A nasty deep chest cold sapped any strength and lung crud takes rest, no way around it.

I put in under the highway bridge for a short trip through the marsh.  The tide is still high, although it has been dropping for 2 hours.  The watermark on the river bank is about a foot and a half above the current level.  The day looks positively autumn with a heavy overcast and the hardwood trees in full oranges and reds.  If the sun was out it would be as brilliant as the inside of an exploding box of crayons.

I head into the Nell's Island maze, flushing five Great Blue Herons once I am in about a hundred yards.  The spartina is standing tall and gold in color. They were congregated about 50 feet to the side of the channel, out of sight due to the standing spartina.  It is an easy passage with only one surprise, the large drift log that has blocked the easiest route for about a year is gone.  I don't know whether it drifted off or was towed away by hunters - sometimes big logs show up or disappear from inner channels after having been stuck for months and it is a bit hard to believe that high water alone moved them. 

Coming out of the bottom of the maze I see several fishing boats out in the main channel.  They are the only other boats out, maybe ten or twelve total, and they are all working oyster boats.

I cross to the east shore, spot several Yellow Legs and a pair of Mute Swans.  Heading up toward the inner channel, I flush three dozen migratory Canada Geese and a half dozen Black Ducks. 

The tide is nearing low as I head back up river and the current that opposes my progress is light.  Still, I follow the shore closely where I can make use of the eddies and slack water.