Paddle to the Bay: Day 4
Lower Cedar Point to Saint Clements Island
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Thankfully, the heavy wind and rain let up sometime after 2 AM. I say thankfully because we were scheduled to rise at 3:30 AM to catch the falling tide at 5. We would also avoid paddling in the worst heat of the day. Everyone turned out at the appointed hour and quietly began to pack up wet tents and sleeping gear. Around the campsite you could see shafts of light from many LED headlamps bobbing back and forth, and up and down, while the sounds of tent pegs and poles being tossed in strategic locations was the only sound that registered in the early morning darkness. Each paddler quietly packed up their gear and carried it to their boat, stowing gear carefully to be sure nothing was left behind.
We would stop for breakfast after sun-up. I managed to eat a granola bar and drink some still warm coffee from my thermos before we took to our boats. John, however, decided not to eat. He really didn’t like the granola bars I had brought and said he wasn’t hungry anyway.
Saint Clements Island is a beautiful place. As you approach from the north, you can see the top of a lighthouse on the south side of the island. Osprey nests are everywhere. Every post seems to have a platform for an Osprey nest. Every navigation marker sports a nest as well. And many trees on the island have a nest hidden near the top. It’s hard to believe that the area can support so many of these predators.
There was little wind, and given the heat and humidity, the mosquitoes were having a feast. I found my bug stuff and applied it liberally. I set my tent up without the fly, spreading the fly across a picnic table, and left them both to dry. (Yes, there were picnic tables… and a bathroom – isn’t that civilized?) Then I pulled out my sleeping bag, unzipped it and spread it across the top of my tent so that the sun and heat could un-do the effects of yesterday’s rain.
John was lying on top of a picnic table in the shade, looking not too well. I found the bag of lunch food and got out a variety of fruits, cheese, meats, peanut butter and jelly, and soft tortillas, a kayaker’s smorgasbord! I made up a lemon drink, then convinced John that he was probably feeling the effect of too little food and too much heat. He would feel better if he ate something, hydrated and continued to rest for a while. In an hour or so, he was feeling better.
After waking, I decided I wanted a sea bath. I say sea bath rather than river bath because the water had become progressively more salty as we paddled south. We were not too far from the Chesapeake. The water was definitely brackish.
John and I took our CampSuds and towels down to the dock area. We swam for a while to cool off, then lathered up, washing our hair and bodies, and even giving our shirts a good wash and rinse. I can’t stand a beard in hot weather and I had several days growth, so I lathered up and shaved as well. Back at the tent, I changed into lightweight long pants, a long sleeved sun shirt and I put on socks. This was my strategy for avoiding more mosquito attacks, though I think the increasing breeze did just as much.
The first task was to make the brownies. I had opened a boxed mix at home and split it in two. I knew from experimenting that half a mix just fit into the pan of my camp stove. One half of the mix was plain, the other had walnuts – my favorite. Each half required an egg, some oil and some water.
I used ten bags of dry tortellini, split six bags to the bigger pot, four bags in the smaller pot. Both pots were seriously short on water for the amount tortellini in them. Still, everything came out fine. Lee lent me his big, deep frying pan to use as a serving dish. Dinner was ready by 5:55 – right on time!
John and I cleaned up as the wind built to a gale. With everything packed up, I carried gear to my boat and stowed it. The boats were thankfully in the lea of the wind. Still, I pulled boats further up the beach and double-checked the lines John and I had secured our boats with. Walking back into camp, I faced the wind full on. Pairs of people were lifting tents and trying to carry them out of the wind. Tents were flailing wildly as these pairs danced drunkenly across the open field to an area behind some trees and brush. I helped John move his tent, then we did the same with mine. The view was not as grand here, but the tents would survive.
I hadn’t called Lisa in two days because of the evening storms, so I grabbed my cell phone and headed for the dock area to call her out of the wind. On the way, I noticed three girls in a gazebo by the dock, huddled under a blanket. It was getting dark. I asked if they were OK. They said they were in not too convincing voices. They had come here with their boyfriends who had dropped them off and gone fishing. The guys were nowhere to be seen and the girls looked concerned. I told them that there were eight of us camped beyond the trees. If they needed help, they should come wake someone up. They never came to the campsite and they were gone in the morning, so I guess they got picked up sometime. Frankly, I think they need to find new boyfriends.
Lisa and I had a long conversation. Then I signed off and headed to bed. Out of the wind, the night was mild. I went to sleep with the vestibule open.
*Some pictures, including the one above, courtesy of John Resch