At 7:00 a.m. on Monday morning, June 2, 2008, Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) Board Chair Robert Boone and 10 other kayakers will set out from the Anacostia Community Boathouse on AWS's 13th Annual Paddle to the Bay (PTTB). The trip, which encompasses 6 days and 120 miles, will take the paddlers from the Anacostia River to the mouth of the Potomac River on the Chesapeake Chesapeake Bay.

This year's expedition will honor the 400th anniversary of Captain John Smith's detailed exploration of the Chesapeake Bay, and coincides with Smith's own travels up the Potomac and the Anacostia between June 2 and July 21 in 1608. AWS's paddlers also will celebrate the creation of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Trail—the first all-water National Historic Trail in the United States. This new water trail will connects sites throughout the Chesapeake Bay that Smith and his band of English explorers visited during their first years as settlers at Jamestown in tideater Virginia. The Anacostia Watershed Society's own Kingfisher Canoe Trail will become part of the larger Captain Smith system in 2008.

Click here to learn more about the Paddle to the Bay program and how to join in next year!

Attention PTTB 2008 Participants!

Click here to download a PDF version of your required and recommended equipment and supply checklist today!

The Paddle to the Bay is a physically and spiritually challenging journey by water from Washington, D.C. to the Chesapeake Bay. If you are interested in participating, call AWS at 301-699-6204.

Paddle to the Bay participants glimpse stunning landscapes and sweeping vistas around each bend in the river. Skimming along the surface of the water provides a unique perspective on travel in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. region, and highlights the rich recreational opportunities in right in the back yard of the Nation's Capital.

2008 Paddling Itinerary

To read comments from the participants about events from any given day, click the the [Trip Log] link in the itinerary below.

Day 1: June 2—Depart Anacostia Community Boat House before 7:30 a.m. high tide. [Trip Log]

Day 2: June 3—Depart Indian Head/Chapman Forest before 7:30 a.m. high tide. [Trip Log]

Day 3: June 4—Depart Douglas Point/Clifton Beach, M.D. before 7:00 a.m. high tide. [Trip Log]

Day 4: June 5—Depart Lower Cedar Pt. at 5:00 a.m. high tide. [Trip Log]

Day 5: June 6—Depart Piney Point at 5:15 a.m. high tide. [Trip Log]

Day 6: June 7—Take out time at approximately 11:00 a.m. at Point Lookout State Park [Trip Log]

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Above: A satellite image of the Chesapeake Bay. The Potomac River is the larger blue spur that lies halfway down the left (western) side of the picture. Paddle to the Bay participants will travel 120 miles along the Anacostia River and the Lower Potomac River before concluding their journey to the Chesapeake Bay.

Highlights from Days 1—

The 2008 Paddle to the Bay crew posed for this group shot before embarking this morning. Standing (l to r): Lee Cain (Washington, DC), Gabe Horchler (Cheverly, MD), Robert Boone (College Park, MD), John Resch (Webster, NY), Don Yackel (Troy, NY), Margery Perko (Washington, DC). Kneeling (l to r): Foster Stolte (Taylorsville, MD), Mike Breen (Silver Spring, MD).

7:30AM—Robert Boone and the entire 2008 PTTB crew got off to an early start this morning. Pausing only a moment or two to provision their boats and chat with a news crew from WUSA9 TV, the team was set off with both tide and wind helping them along. A gentle breeze cast ripples across the river as they pushed off from the Anacostia Community Boathouse (O St., SE Washington, DC). With little boat traffic on the Anacostia to slow them down, the paddlers expected to make good time on their way to this evening's camp site near Indian Head and Chapman Forest (Bryans Road, MD).

12:00PM—Robert called in at noon today to let us know that the paddlers were indeed making good time on their journey. The double boon of an ebb tide and a northwesterly breeze has seen them clear to a vantage point on Mt. Vernon—George Washington's one-time home on the Potomac River. With only 8 more miles to travel before putting in at Indian Head, the team anticipated an early evening meal. According to Robert, the river was as beautiful today as it always is.

Highlights from Day 2 —

7:30AM—Day 2 of Paddle to the Bay 2008 is underway! Robert phoned in this morning to let us know that all went well at the campsite last evening. He promised to deliver more details later in the day. Unfortunately, Margery left her spray skirt behind yesterday. AWS staff will be looking for it this morning. If we find it, we'll be delivering it to her later this evening at Clifton Beach (Charles County, MD).

12:00PM—As of noontime today, the paddlers had reached the 38 mile mark on their journey to the Bay. Robert called in to let us know how the day was going and what they needed for the rest of the trip in addition to Margery's spray skirt. Gabe asked us to bring down his own spray skirt (thanks to Joani Horchler for dropping it off) and John asked for a tarp he had left behind. Duct tape and Dorritos™ were on Lee's list.

AWS's Kamweti Mutu and Steven Reynolds will resupply the crew at a marina near the Rt. 301 bridge tomorrow afternoon.

As Robert spoke, a headwind blew up on the river that promised to make the rest of the day's trip challenging. He promised to check in one more time this evening.

5:00PM—The crew concluded their paddling for the day just a few moments ago. The landing near Clifton Beach (Douglas Pt., MD) promised to provide perfect shelter for the evening, just like last night's site. Lee and Mike are scheduled to cook dinner this evening and, apparently, fried rice and salad are on the menu. Here's hoping the green survived today's plentiful sunshine!

In typical fashion, the headwind that challenged the group all afternoon died down after they put in along the shoreline. Tonight may get rough at camp with an 80% chance of thunderstorms on the horizon; likewise for tomorrow's paddle to Lower Cedar Point. Scattered thunder showers are forecast for the entire day. Good luck crew! See you tomorrow, rain or shine!

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Above: A map of the 2007 PTTB journey on days 1 and 2. The large arrow shows the first campsite of the trip at Chapman Forest. Click the image for a larger version.

AWS Educator and 2008 PTTB participant Lee Cain worked to provision his sea kayak this morning for the 6 day sojourn to the Chesapeake Bay.

John warms up his paddle near the Anacostia Community Boathouse on the morning of June 2. By the end of the week, he will have traveled more than 120 miles under his own power.

AWS Board Chair Robert E. Boone takes a break from provisioning his sea kayak to talk with a news crew from WUSA-TV Channel 9 about Paddle to the Bay. The trip was created to highlight world class recreational opportunities local to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, and to remind area residents of their close connection with the Chesapeake Bay.

Highlights from Day 3—

12:00PM—Thunderstorms buffeted the paddlers last night as they lay in their tents near Clifton Beach. Robert said he had to consolidate all of his weight in one end of his shelter to keep it from flying away. Despite the rain and the wind, no one complained about sleeping in a puddle as some other paddlers have in years past.

Thanks to last night's storm, the going early this morning was a bit rough. White caps on the river slowed progress a bit, and the paddlers had trouble keeping water out of their boats. At one point, Foster's kayak was on the rolling after a large wave broke over his bow. When we saw him later this afternoon, he was soaked to the bone, but still afloat!

When Robert called, the group had recovered a great deal of time thanks to another day of favorable tides and winds. They were already approaching today's resupply site just north of the Rt. 301 bridge between Maryland and Virginia. Back here at the AWS offices in Bladensburg, Kamweti Mutu and Steve Reynolds quickly pushed up their timeline for their rendezvous with the team. Gathering all of the items requested at noontime yesterday, they hopped in a car and headed south.

1:30PM—Kamo and Steve made it to the meeting site on the Maryland side of the 301 bridge by 1:30PM. The main body of the Paddle to the Bay group had set out for tonight's campsite just a few more miles down the river. They did manage to get some photos of the paddlers passing under the bridge.

Gabe Horchler and Foster Stolte bravely volunteered to wait on the beach for the supplies and then ferry them down to camp. And, while Foster marveled at the number of bananas the group had just received, Gabe filled in some of the backstory from last night and this morning. After settling down for the night, the paddlers were hit by some strong winds and rain that caused some excitement. A few tents threatened to lift off the ground, and a few folks worried that the kayaks would be swept into the river. Thankfully, neither of these eventualities came to pass. No one at camp spotted any of the water spouts that other folks on the Lower Potomac saw last night. The group awoke to some heavy wind and wave activity, but thanks to a favorable tide, they were able to make decent progress throughout the morning, with only one incident—Foster's brief swamp—providing cause for concern.

As far as the rest of the day was concerned, Gabe mentioned that bald eagle activity on the river had been spectacular. Apparently, food for these majestic fishing birds of prey is in good supply—a good sign for the health of the Anacostia, the Potomac, and the Chesapeake Bay alike.

Noting that the tide was turning against them and that thunderstorms were forecast for late afternoon, Foster recommended that the two get started for camp. Thanking Steve and Kamo for the supplies and posing for a few brief photos, the men stowed their gear and started paddling. We expect to hear from the group a little later this evening by telephone.

4:30PM—Massive thunderstorms are rolling through the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, prompting tornado warnings throughout Montgomery County and northern Prince George's County in Maryland. The AWS staff has calls out right now to our colleagues on the trip to make sure the group is safely tucked away at camp for the night.

Back here in Bladensburg at this very moment, Acting AWS President Jim Connolly is being interviewed by David Furst from WAMU 88.5FM American University Public Radio. David and Jim are talking about Paddle to the Bay and the progress Robert and the others have made on their way to the Bay. Although he is not participating this year, Jim has been on 7 previous Paddle to the Bay trips and is quite familiar with the ins and outs of the journey. This interview is expected to air during WAMU's Metro Connection this Friday at 1:00PM.

5:00PM—AWS Restoration Specialist Mike Breen returned our call to let us know that everyone in the trip is fine and that camp has been set up for the night. He said that while this afternoon's weather front put on an awesome and frightening show over the river's horizon, the group did not bear the storm's full impact. They are approaching this evening's weather with a wait-and-see attitude.

Overnight—Lee Cain responded to a text message left on his cell phone this afternoon warning the paddlers about possible tornados along the river. While nothing bad has befallen to the crew, he said that these storms have been the scariest he's ever encountered.

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Above: A map of the 2007 PTTB journey on days 2 and 3. The large arrow shows the second campsite of the trip at Douglas Pt. Click the image for a larger version.

Lee, Mike, Robert, Margery, Don, and John cruise under the Route 301 bridge as Wednesday's resupply mission arrives at a nearby marina. Gabe and Foster stayed behind to carry the new supplies to Wednesday's campsite just two miles or so down the river.

Gabe stows some bananas in the front of his boat while Foster tears into something good. Thanks to favorable river conditions on Day 3, the paddlers arrived hours early for their resupply rendezvous just north of the MD 301 bridge. A forecast for strong thunderstorms forced the main body of the group to move on to camp before AWS staff members could arrive with some extra food and equipment. Gabe and Foster stayed behind to ferry everything down river.

Resupplied and back in the saddle, Foster shoves off for Wednesday's campsite, a mere 2 miles further down the river.

Foster (yellow boat) and Gabe (white boat) slide past a pylon supporting the Rt. 301 bridge between Maryland and Virginia. Wednesday's resupply mission is the last time anyone from AWS will see them until they arrive at Point Lookout State Park on the Chesapeake Bay this Saturday afternoon.

Highlights from Day 4—

11:30AM—Robert's cell phone battery is fading fast, so we only had time for a short call this morning. The ferocity of last night's storms have faded into a spectacular morning on the river. Since they started out near 5:00AM, the paddlers have already made it to today's campsite at St. Clement's Island. This means they have most of the day to rest and recuperate from the first half of Paddle to the Bay. Nice run folks!

Thanks to Ray Lane—a past Paddle to the Bay participant—and the St. Clements Park staff, a shipment of watermelon will arrive for the team around 1:00PM this afternoon. (Watermelon at St. Clements is a PTTB tradition like the bananas at the 301 bridge.) Now a state park, St. Clements greeted the first English settlers to come to North America under the Baltimore proprietorship. The Ark and The Dove—the two wooden vessels that carried the settlers over the Atlantic—landed on the island on March 25, 1634. In commemoration of that event, Maryland Day is celebrated each year on March 25.

Overall, Robert tells us everyone's "as happy as little bugs in a rug." Tomorrow brings a new day and a quick paddle over to St. George's Island, site of the first Revloutionary War battle fought on Maryland soil. Today the island serves as a popular vacation spot.

We found out that we were mistaken in some of our tide projections for the trip. A low tide actually took place at 4:33AM this morning instead of the high one we initially predicted. However, it apparently had no effect on this year's strong paddlers. (Today's high tide actually began at 9:23AM). Tomorrow morning's high tide starts at 10:17AM, and Saturday morning's at 11:13AM. The paddlers have been notified!

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Above: A map of the 2007 PTTB journey on days 3 and 4. The large arrow shows the third campsite of the trip at St. Clements Island. Click the image for a larger version.

Highlights from Day 5—

12:30PM—Overcast skys greeted the paddlers this morning after some gusty conditions overnight. Getting underway just before 9AM, the team faced what Robert described as "some smooth two foot waves."

Lee Cain's friends Dennis and Janice drove their boat over from Virginia in the mid-morning hours to wish the paddlers well and to drop off more Dorritos™. They also brought along some homemade brownies that the entire crew looked forward to sharing this evening. (Thank you Dennis and Janice!)

With only two more miles to go before they reach Piney Point on the Lower Potomac, the crew continues to generate extra time to rest and recuperate on this trip. The last leg of the 2008 Paddle to the Bay starts tomorrow morning. Congratulations to all our adventurers! You did it!

Staff memebers from AWS will head down to the beach at Point Lookout State Park tomorrow to greet the paddlers as they arrive at their final destination. Arrival time (and lunch!) is expected to be happen around noontime. See you tomorrow!

1:00PM—Listen to AWS's Acting President Jim Connolly describe Paddle to the Bay during a radio interview with Metro Connection host David Furst on WAMU 88.5 American University Public Radio. Jim's been on 7 previous PTTB trips.

Click here to listen!

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Highlights from Day 6—

Final Stretch!—With the high tide pushed back to 11:13AM, the paddlers got off to a slightly later start this morning and wound up pushing against the river on their final morning. Fog blanketed the entire route from St. George's Island to the landing site at Point Lookout State Park on Chesapeake Bay.

The socked-in conditions lent a air of eerie silence to the scene as the paddlers cruised up the the rip-rap just north of the Point Lookout Lighthouse. Dissolving out of the mist like so many apparitions, the team slid their boats onto a crescent of sand right in front of AWS's welcoming party.

Following an exchange of greetings and some well-deserved congratulations, the 2008 Paddle to the Bay came to its conclusion as the team packed up their gear and loaded their boats onto the trailer for the ride home up Maryland's Eastern Shore. A welcome shower at the Park's beach facilities and a dry change of clothes started the paddlers on their transition back to the "real" world. This was followed by a stop at a restaurant on Solomon's Island for a special celebratory lunch.

Photos from the last day of PTTB, and possible some video shot during the trip will be posted shortly.

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Above: A map of the 2007 PTTB journey on days 5 and 6. The group made their fourth campsite at St. George Island. The pulled their boats out of the water on Day 6 at Point Lookout. Click the image for a larger version.

To learn more about the Anacostia Watershed Society, click here.

To become a member of the Anacostia Watershed Society, click here.

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