Reflection and Appreciation

Home safely. 

Over 3 weeks and 184 miles we followed the river’s course from Blue Ridge Mountains of Northern Virginia to the Chesapeake Bay, experiencing the richness of its human and natural history.  The river basin is home to Colonial American heritage, Civil War battlefields, fisheries, wildlife refuges, and ever expanding urban development.  Within the basin over the course of centuries cultures have clashed, natural habitats have evolved, been destroyed, and regenerated, wars have been fought and resolved, and dams and bridges built and removed.  In large part the river’s watershed represents many of the issues present in today’s society and was fertile ground to study and reflect upon the complexities of today’s diverse world.

The Rappahannock River is truly a remarkable gift—one that has made an impact on us all.  Our sincere appreciation goes out to all the wonderful people along the Rappahannock River who educated, encouraged, and supported our journey.

Day 18- By Payne

We did in fact wake up at 11:15pm, technically yesterday. We packed up and skipped on “breakfast.” Liza felt bad so she was absent for the first half of the kayaking journey, resting instead. We set off around 12:30am while it was nice and cool. The only things that lit up the area were the stars and the lights on top of three flag poles hooked onto the kayaks. There were small crabs swimming around here and there. During the night paddle everyone was pumping out mileage and awake. It was not till we got near the half way point when people started getting tired, some falling asleep for a few seconds. Once we got to the landing dock, which was the half way point, most people ate a quick breakfast and then passed out on the dock for an hour nap. It ended up helping everyone get through the rest of the day. While most of us were asleep, Austin and Emily came by to heat up some coffee for us and to drop Liza off. From there we left around 8:00am to paddle the rest of the way to the Chesapeake Bay where we stayed at the Delta Yachting Center. The second half was a bit more vigorous yet the wind was not bad at all. It was mostly hot and muggy, though luckily there was overcast to take off some of the heat. When we were a few miles from our final destination we went around “Parrot Island.” Took a short break there and eventually reached the Delta Yachting Center around 12:30pm!! Everyone was so excited and Emily and Austin once again met us there and helped us with the kayaks. We took pictures of completion and word got out that there was a pool. We all ran to get some munchy food and then jumped into the pool to cool off. While swimming in the clean salt water pool, Onna Grimm, came to talk to us about the marina. She and her husband have owned the place for about ten years now. We had free time to set up tents, hang out, and clean out the kayaks for transportation for tomorrow. Left around 5:45pm for the dinner reservations which was at a restaurant called The Gallery. It was delicious and I am under the impression that everyone enjoyed it! None of us had to prepare for a meal nor clean up afterwards, as well as actually eat real food. When we got back to the center, we had meaningful tokens and a speech for the person and then the nightly debrief. The rest of the night people talked about the trip and other miscellaneous topics!

May 31st- Audrey

Today 3 members of our crew (Tyler, Claire and I) got up extra early (around 5:30) to go crabbing with our lovely hosts. The sunrise would have been worth the early wake up by itself but we had a great time on the boat too! For those who don’t know I am from Cincinnati and there isn’t much crabbing up there so this was my first time ever on a crab boat. We sorted the crabs out in addition to fish that were caught in the pots. There were even two eels! Jessica was really patient with us and went over with us many times how to tell the different kinds of crabs apart. When we came back the rest of the crew was up already and making pancakes for breakfast which were delicious. After this we heard from Richard who is a Rappahannock River Steward and is part of Friends of the Rap. He told us about his job and things that are threatening the river. He talked also about different groups wanting different things from and for the river but how the river connects them all. I thought this was an amazing summation of VOR as a whole. Everyone we have met and everything we do is tied to this river. After this talk we set off for Bayport Boy Scout Reservation. It was only about two and a half miles away so we had a very light day today. Once we got there we went swimming right away because it was so hot out. Then we had a lesson from Dr. C and made dinner. I watched the sun set and it was magnificent! About now everyone is pretty much sleeping except for a few people out on the dock maybe. This is because we are waking up at midnight tonight to paddle 26 miles. This will probably take us about 12 hours so it looks like we will finally be reaching the Chesapeake Bay at about noon tomorrow. I am so excited and I can’t believe this crazy journey is almost over already. I have to go catch some zzzs though or I am going to be dying around 9am tomorrow.

Have a good one!

Audrey

Day 16 - by Christina

This morning we woke up early, as in 3:00 A.M., so we could be on the river by 4.  The stars were incredible!  When we got on the water everyone turned off their headlights.  We began paddling then realized we should have a way of making sure everyone was accounted for.  It was a good thing we did because we almost lost Liza.   She was distracted by the stars and began paddling in the wrong direction.  Once we were reunited with Liza, we began our 26 mile paddle.  Due to the lack of light the group managed to run into the marsh multiple times before sunrise.  I found it to be one of the best sunrises I have seen in a long time. Our first stop for the day was in Tappahannock VA where we stopped for our second breakfast. As a group we made multiple trips to the 7-11 for snacks and drinks.  After hanging out for a while and pretending to be homeless people we hit the river again.  We had to begin this leg by crossing the channel (meaning we had to cross the river and avoid boats (kind of like a game of frogger)) Well during this time 11-04 paddled together and thought that in the middle of the channel would be a good place to stop and take pictures! (We strive to make good life choices.) Around 12:00 or 1:00 we stopped for lunch and a group swim.  By this time everyone was dying from the heat and sun exposure, so the swim was quite refreshing. During our swim we played games that included screaming under water and throwing each other.  We also had time to talk about the Low country boil we are eating to night and Audrey got very excited and yelled in a strange voice, “I LOVE LOW COUNTRY BOIL.” The funny thing about this is she just leaned what it was yesterday! After lunch we finished our paddle.  When we got into camp we were all tired and hot lucky for us we have amazing interns that had Ice cold water and fresh fruit salad waiting for us. To make every thing better there was a shower that we all got in to have to cold water cool us down.  At this point we are waiting for the Low country boil to be ready. But the prepping for it was fun we all got massages and we got to shuck corn and ate some raw. It was good so we are excited for food tonight! Tomorrow will be an easier day, but I am ready for it!  

You will hear from us again tomorrow!

Christina J

Day 15 - Claire

Today was pretty chill which was a welcome change from the past few tough and challenging days. We paddled about 7 miles today up a marshy creek. The weather was cloudy and cool, and the water was glassy and calm. A huge and wonderful difference compared to the sun beating down on us and the choppy water of the now 2 mile wide “river”. We are camping tonight at the Heritage Resort and the Montbel Winery; a very peaceful and beautiful camp ground that has restrooms and showers. Yay! Dinner tonight was fabulous; we had delicious pizza with lots of sautéed veggies and meat. Also our debrief today was awesome. After the plan for tomorrow, word of the day, and the hard drive being passed on, we all circled up and gave each other massages for a few minutes.
The evening has consisted of a lot of prep for tomorrow. Morning revelry is at 3am and we are shoving off the pier at 4. Fun times…  We have 24 miles to go so our fearless leaders of the day thought it best to get an early start. We are excited about the night paddle though, getting up early is not all that bad. Hopefully the moon will be shining bright for us.

Day 14, By Willis

Today on VOR, the day was not as long as the past two days. We had 13 miles from our campsite at Leedstown to our new campsite a Naylor’s Beach. The water was a lot calmer than it was yesterday with some wind towards the end of the day. We did not have an early start; We woke up at our usual time of 7:30 and got on the river at around 9:15. The temperature was hot but the clouds rolled in and stayed around for most of the day. We had calm waters to start and when we got closer to our destination the river opened up and was about 2 miles wide with lots of waves. Since it is Memorial Day weekend, everyone who lives in Virginia was out on the water tubing and having a huge party which caused the river to become rough with some pretty big swells. We made a nice stop on a beach before reaching our campsite and had a nice swim and cooled off before we finished off the day. Once we got to camp it was packed. The campgrounds are hoppin with folks. The boat ramp was quite busy and we rushed to get a trailer to load the kayaks and gear onto the trailer to make sure they went to a safe location. Our pace for the day was great. We did not arrive too late and the day was not exhausting with heat and long mileage. Tomorrow is a mystery, but you will hear about it soon enough!

                                Enjoy, Willis     

Day 13 - by Liza

Today we opened our eyes at 5:00 am this morning and we decided to start our journey at 6 am, a little earlier than expected. The sky was beautiful and made it a good start to the day as we pushed off the shore in our vessels.  During our paddle we decided to make a practice sail for future voyages. We entered some treacherous waters that endangered the crew. It really opened our eyes up to boating safety and actually working as a group not just one single person, being a cohesive unit is what Voice Of The Rivers 2011. We had a delicious lunch of PB&J with the optional orange or apple, it was a nice break, some peoples took naps to recover from the long day and we all got to calm our nerved and prepare for the last stretch of the river we had to conquer today. As we pulled into the shore of Leeds Town we had a nice welcoming crew that was happy to help us with pulling our boats into the grass. I think they were about as excited to see us as we were to see them. The one happy moment that we encountered a REAL shower, it felt amazing!! We are all happy campers now because we don’t actually smell that bad. Also team intern was so nice to clean our clothes so now we don’t have schmelly clothes and don’t have to worry about scaring other people that encounter us. Lol. Side Note: Christina and Audrey decided to do back flips off their kayaks just for kicks and giggles. But no one really saw it because they were too far ahead. Tata for Now -Liza