This page is a log of the trip my wife, Ruth, and I are taking June/July 2015 as a follow-on to our July 2013 trip up the Chesapeake Bay.
The 2013 trip started at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, went along the western shore of the bay, and ended at Fort Armistead Park at the south end of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. The current trip has the same start/end as 2013, but crosses the mouth of the bay on day–1 (I paddle, Ruth drives), works up the Eastern Shore of the bay to the mouth of the Susquehanna River at Havre de Grace and then back down to Baltimore. The objective is to have paddled a circumnavigation of the Chesapeake Bay through the combination of the two trips: clockwise (2013) and counterclockwise (2015) - thus the subtitle.
Ruth and I are excited to explore the Eastern Shore and its rich history. If you have recommendations for places to visit or things to do, please feel free to drop me a note. My Gmail address is kwoodham.
Thanks
–Kurt
Here’s the going-in plan. The challenge for the eastern shore is that a good portion of it is a series of islands, rivers and bay crossings. This makes for beautiful scenery and shorelines but difficult logistics for put-ins/take-outs. Adjustments will likely be made for weather, wind, soreness or other factors so this whole plan may blow up after the first day or two. (Note that the Leg numbers are links to the daily logs and that the Garmin map in each log links to the GPS archive on Garmin Connect.)
| Leg | Put-in | Take-out | Plan:Leg | Plan:Total | Actual:Leg | Actual:Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | First Landing | Cape Charles | 18 | 18 | 17.6 | 17.6 |
| 2 | Cape Charles | YMCA Camp | 25 | 43 | 26.8 | 44.4 |
| 3 | YMCA Camp | Onancock | 19 | 62 | 19.7 | 64.1 |
| 4 | Onancock | Crisfield | 19 | 81 | 20.2 | 84.3 |
| 5 | Crisfield | Deal Island | 15 | 96 | 15.2 | 99.5 |
| 6 | Deal Island | Upper Hooper Island | 20 | 116 | 19.7 | 119.2 |
| 7 | Upper Hooper Island | Taylors Island | 12 | 128 | 17.5 | 136.7 |
| 8 | Taylors Island | Harrison House | 16 | 144 | 17.7 | 154.4 |
| 9 | Harrison House | Kent Island Narrows | 20 | 164 | 20.9 | 175.3 |
| 10 | Kent Narrows | Tolchester Marina | 18 | 182 | 17.9 | 193.2 |
| 11 | Tolchester Marina | Betterton | 16 | 198 | 16.4 | 209.6 |
| 12 | Betterton | Havre de Grace | 13 | 211 | 14.6 | 224.2 |
| 13 | Havre de Grace | Miami Beach Park | 29 | 240 | 29.9 | 254.1 |
| 14 | Miami Beach Park | Fort Armistead Park | 15 | 255 | 14.3 | 268.4 |
The following are links to each paddling day log (same links as in above table). Rest day comments are included here as well.
Rest Day 1/2 - June 27/28. Having paddled seven days straight, and with bad weather coming through some time during the day, we decided that it was high time to burn a rest day. Ruth and I spent the morning and afternoon in Cambridge, MD. I pretty much holed-up in a coffee shop to make some itinerary plans for the next few days and try to catch up on this neglected trip log, and Ruth went looking for treasures in the local consignment shops. Went back to the campground to ride out the storm. Yes, with a tornado watch in effect for a good part of the evening, we head for an RV park. Yup, go ahead, say it: “That boy ain’t got a lick o’ sense in ’im.”
Sunday was a trip into Baltimore to attend The Greater Baltimore Church of Christ, then lunch at Kent Island on the way home.
So I’m half-way done with the whole trip: about 140 miles under my belt and seven legs to go: five to the top of the bay and two more back down to Baltimore. I feel fine - not really anything sore or any injury concerns, just a little residual tendinitis that I’ve carried for a long time in both elbows. But even that is not flaring up beyond what I normally feel back home - although I’m being careful to not pull too hard and to back off a bit if I feel something is starting to get strained.
July 4 - Rest Day 3. Had planned on heading back south from Havre De Grace today, but weather indicated t-storms possible throughout the afternoon. This would be a long paddle (almost 30 miles) with most of it being next to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds. I don’t mind inclement weather if I can bail out if necessary, but setting foot on APG is illegal. So today is a rest day - and good weather or not, it’s a welcome rest. Woke up this morning feeling a bit spent: have been on the water five days in a row now, and the thought of facing down my longest paddle yet wasn’t a happy one. So we’re glad to sit tight in a beautiful town, drink coffee (me) and hit the antique stores (you guessed it: Ruth).