Mallows Bay - "A interesting yet perilous paddle"

"A hop". The trip to Mallows Bay was an easy one hour trek from my home base. Once I left Indian Head Highway the route took me down scenic roads in what seemed to be a forgotten part of Maryland (Charles County). Mallows Bay is an official kayaking spot, located on the Potomac Rive,r in Nanjemoy Maryland. The site is listed on the Charles County Parks recreational website . The county provides a parking lot, reasonable clean port-a-johns, a hiking trail and a convenient boat launch. The launch includes a small ramp and (my favorite) a floating dock with kayak launch. I felt encouraged to see many vehicles and trailers in the parking lot and quickly realized that we could drop our boats right at the waters edge. We launched 3 hours after the start of high tide and I hoped it would be enough of a level to allow easy access to the over 230 ship wrecks.

I quickly realized that the trip would be a challenge. As I paddled into the bright sunlight, towards a large looming rusty metal ship's hull (An old ferry called the Accomac), I quickly started noticing metal and wood sticking up out of the water. The closer I got to the many abandoned wreckages, the more obstacles I had to maneuver around. A couple of weeks ago I read about the infamous ship's graveyard on another bloggers page(Fossil Guy)and he described the paddle as tough. I figured he was exaggerating and continued fearlessly to make my plans to visit this unique spot.

Ultimately the "adventure" of Mallows Bay had me experiencing a plethora of emotions; Awe, as I saw the revered American Bald Eagle (the first of 4 sightings at the bay). Excitement, when I first glimpsed the old rusty Accomac ship. Fear, when I kept scraping over and getting caught up on rusty metal spikes and chunks of wood from the ships' carcasses. Anxiety, as I searched for safe routes through the numerous ship ruins. Wonder, as I watched baby bass swim in nearby Mallows Creek. Giddy, when I spooked a Great Blue Heron into flying away while squawking loudly. Surprise, when I spotted two baby Osprey being mouth fed by their mother. Fatigue, as I paddled the chopping waters up to and around the Accomac.

When my friend and I decided to reluctantly call an end to our adventure, I was left feeling lucky to have had the opportunity and the courage to explore such a unique place full of the historic remnants of the Revolutionary, WWI, and 18th and 19th centuries. To read more about the fascinating history of how these relics ended up at Mallows Bay, check out the following links. http://www.dnr.state.md.us/naturalresource/winter2001/ghostship.html/
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