North Carolina's Outer Banks: 
Nov. 15-18, 1999

My brother, Bill, and I had planned a four-day, one-way, 60-mile-plus journey along North Carolina's Outer Banks for Nov. 15-18. The route planned would be from Harkers Island to the Cape Lookout lighthouse up to Portsmouth and then to a pickup point on Cedar Island. We intended to make the decision to paddle in the Core Sound or in the Atlantic a day or two before the start of our trip pending weather/water conditions.

Our preparation began about four weeks before our scheduled start. We established an equipment checklist and menu, and amended both numerous times via e-mail and telephone as the weeks passed. As it turned out, we were very well prepared for our journey in spite of what turned out to be some challenging weather conditions. Two days before our scheduled departure an "arctic" front descended into the South and North Carolina. High temps for the first three days wound up in the low to mid 50s with night temps lingering in the low 30s. Water temps dropped about four degrees into the high 50s and the winds kicked up to 10-15 mph out of the northwest. Fortunately, we planned for this possiblity and were well equipped with layer upon layer of fleece, Goretex jackets, paddling jackets, neoprene shorts and booties, etc. Only one item we went without [and ultimately wished we had] -- Farmer John's. I didn't own one at the time and was unable to purchase one on the drive down to Harker's Island from Fayetteville, and, as a result, Bill decided to leave his behind.

We arrived at the island ranger station at about 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 15 and had to make a last-minute change to our itinerary. The gent who was going to pick us up at the end of our one-way sojourn was unavailable. We opted for a 40-mile round trip from Harkers, over to the lighthouse, NE to New Drum Inlet [south of Ocracoke Inlet] and then back to the island. We also chose to remain in the sound for the duration of this trip due to the wind and cold [and lack of Farmer Johns].

We put in from a small beach on the southeast corner of the ranger Station at about 3 p.m. I was paddling my Current Design Solstice and Bill was in his Meridian SK. From there we paddled out to the Cape Lookout Lighthouse in a little over an hour and decided to call it a day at that location. A good thing we did! Otherwise it might have been incredibly ugly that night. Neither of us were very familiar with the South Core Banks prior to this trip. If you look at the chart, it shows, for the most part, nothing but marsh/sea grass on the west side of the banks for miles starting from the lighthouse north. As it turned out, the knee-deep muck and saw grass would have been impossible to portage through. Had we left the lighthouse area that night -- in the wind and cold -- there would not have been a take out for at least eight miles. We set up camp, and then had a fine meal and a great night's sleep under the guiding beacon of theLighthouse.

The next day we set out at 9 a.m. after a great breakfast of hot oatmeal and raisins, and coffee, and paddled for about 8 miles into a 15-knot headwind. To find our take-out spot, we wound up having to paddle through a mile or more of a marshy maze-like group of inlets surrounded by towering sea grass until we spotted a 6-foot-wide area deep in Johnson Creek suitable for taking out. Once out, we portaged our kayaks about 150 yard to the east side of the island and camped out on the beaches bordering the Atlantic. Though incredibly beautiful and remote, we were a bit disappointed by the fact that every 20 minutes or so until late evening a four-wheel-drive truck or camper would rumble up the beach. Unlike Shackleford Banks, the state allows trucks and campers to be ferried over to the South Core Banks for fishing and camping. Regardless, it was still a beautiful spot and the sunrise the following morning was absolutely incredible.

The next day we set out at about 9 a.m. for New Drum Inlet. Again, we were forced to do battle with 15-knot headwinds. It turned out to be the coldest day of all. Though not extremely uncomfortable, by the time we had paddled the 10 miles to New Drum Inlet, the cold had settled into my feet and hands [in spite of the 2mm neoprene paddling gloves I had on and which worked superbly for the most part]. I was more than ready to call it a day. The marsh/sea grass situation was not a problem near the inlet so finding a place to take out and camp was not an issue. It was a challenge, however, finding dunes tall enough to block the winds for our campsite. We finally set up in an area between two smaller dunes that served us fairly well. That final night proved to be the one with the most beautiful of all sunsets -- generated by an abundance of cirrus clouds that had moved in high above.

The fourth day was our "marathon" day. We took on a return trip of about 17-plus miles. We put in at about 9:30 a.m., paddled hard and fast, and arrived back at Harkers island by 1:30. It turned out to be the most hospitable of all the days weather wise. Temps rose into the 60s with nothing but sunshine. The wind all but calmed down, except for a gentle tailwind now and then. That day alone would have been enough to make this journey a memory milestone -- especially after crossing paths with a pod of 15 or so dolphin about mid way through -- but there was just so much more to this journey for both of us!

Equipment notes:

-- Oregon Scientific weather radios passed the test. Reception wasn't great from the banks, but, once positioned correctly the reception was good enough to understand all reports.

-- Cellular phone passed the test. Made a couple of calls to keep family members informed of our progress. However, as expected the battery died after the third day. For a longer journey, the extended-life battery would be the way to go. After the 5- or 6-day mark -- without recharging -- the cellular phone option is a non-player!

-- Will bring a VHF radio with alkaline backup for an extended trip such as this one in the future.\par \par -- Campmor's 2mm Aleutian gloves for $23 worked great for me though the inside thumb area on the left glove wore through late on the third day. Will try a different pair with an additional palm/finger support next cold-weather paddle. [For the record, Bill used a pair of nylon leather-palmed fingerless cycling gloves that suited him just fine!]

-- Nylon fleece-lined pogies proved to be a waste of money [$35]! Once soaked through, the added weight caused major arm weariness.

-- New Spyderdo rescue knife sustained excessive spot-rusting after three days of salt/water expsoure. Removed rust with steel wool and WD40 after trip.

-- North Face's Cat's Meow is an awesome bag! Never a cold moment - with or without fleece!

-- I was a dried fruit/beef jerkey/Power Bar/water-Gatorade-Guinness kind of a guy before this trip. I am now a hot-food oatmeal-raisins/shrimp gumbo/blackbeans with rice/hot coffee-water-Gatorade-Guinness convert!

-- Salamander "kitchen sink" worked superbly.