WATER VIEWS
Paddling past Rock Hall
another hub of seafood harvesting in Knapps Narrows but then across the eight-mile-wide mouth of the Choptank River and the four-mile-wide mouth of the Little Choptank. Psychologically, paddling long distances over open water is tough, because the scene changes so slowly and the “road” ahead seems so immense. Paddling choppy water is a continuous balance challenge on both legs. “One mile at a time” will be the 2021 paddlers’ mantra as they make their way down the Taylors Island shoreline to the Campground. On the
latter leg, they will pass inside the eroding remains of James Island, which is next on the beneficial use restoration list for the Corps and the port.
TAYLORS ISLAND
29 miles to Crocheron Wharf
This was Chris Hopkinson’s favorite leg last year, working his way down the marshy shoreline into the Honga River. He recalls, “It was so pristine, with entry from Taylors Island and Tar Bay over shoals into the calm of Fishing Creek.
It was so natural. The bridge was like a gateway back in time. I worked my way down the Honga to Bishops Head and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Karen Noonan Environmental Education Center, just below Crocheron. The stars in the sky were so bright that night! This event is so different from an Ironman for the scenic quality of the experience, with no paved road. You are part of the environment, with water below, air above, and marshes around. I felt very connected to the Bay.”
CROCHERON WHARF
23 miles to Crisfield
Staying close to shore, especially from the Honga River south, is a lot more visually interesting, especially past marshes and over grass beds. Headed down Tangier Sound from Crocheron,
wylderhotels.com wylderhotels.com
