A Tidewater Paddler: Northwest River

This was my second paddle on the Northwest River. My first was during the fall when the colors were near peak. For this trip the colors were only clear sky blue and leafy green. My put-in point was Bob's Fishing Hole, right on the river. This enterprise rents Jon boats, sells bait, runs fishing tournaments, and has several ramps which they let kayakers use for only $2. Bob's is easy to get to, and is right next to busy 168, which connects Hampton Roads to northeast North Carolina and the Outer Banks. I mention this because I was never able to get completely away from the noise of this artery, and when you factor in the fighter jets roaring overhead, and the occasional train, my day with nature was not ideal. However, the river was lovely with all the bright green foliage and beautiful sky reflecting in the near-black water. I did not see much in the way of wildlife, though turtles were abundant, and I was thrilled to get pretty close to a pileated woodpecker.

I left the landing, turning west (right) and crossed under a railroad bridge, then under highway 168. The river forks here in several places, and I took the most southerly (left) fork, figuring this would get me away from the noise of traffic, which indeed eventually got better. There are several side creeks you can explore, but the further in you go, the more likely you are to encounter fallen trees, and while you are on this river, you probably don't want to get out of the kayak. There is no firm ground except at the landing, and the rest of the land is a flooded forest. I was able to take one of the cut-throughs and explored the other forks before returning to Bob's. As I paddled it, my trip was about 5 miles. If I return, I will probably head in the opposite direction to get even further away from the noise, but I suspect I will encounter more boat traffic as the river widens as it heads east.