By Sean CW Korsgaard
CP Reporter
During those hot, humid dog days of summer, nothing sounds quite as relaxing as spending some time down by the river. Or for that matter, spending some time cruising on the river, at least that’s what the folks organizing the Port Royal Paddle are hoping for.
The Port Royal Paddle, which is being hosted in Port Royal from 8 am until noon August 12, is being organized by the Friends of the Rappahannock, one of the latest of such events from the group, and one of the first they’ve hosted in Caroline County.
According to Daria Christian, the Assistant Director of Friends of the Rappahannock, two things convinced them to put an event like this together in Caroline the new docks and boat launch in Port Royal, and the nearby Port Royal Unit of the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
“One of the cool things about Port Royal is that not only do they have this great new boat launch, but they’re right next to the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge, which feels a world away from everywhere else nearby,” said Christian. “We felt that was a very unique thing about any paddle we’d host in Port Royal, having that gorgeous wildlife refuge right next to it, which not a lot of people know about, so a big goal we had in planning this was trying to showcase that, and make that a centerpiece of the trip.”
Growing up in Fauquier County, near the headwaters of the Rappahannock River, Christian has been working with Friends of the Rappahannock for eight years. According to Christian, a major part of organizing events like the Port Royal Paddle isn’t just finding what makes each stretch of the Rappahannock River unique, but also what can make each event special too.
For the Port Royal Paddle, that means two things: a focus on families, and an emphasis on education.
“One of the things special about what we’re doing in Port Royal is we’re really targeting families, making it a good time for kids, because a lot of our paddles don’t necessarily target young kids,” said Christian. “We’ll have two of our education staff on this paddle, so we’ll be able to focus much more on the kids and being more family friendly and letting the kids experience the river, maybe for the first time.”
The planned itinerary for the Port Royal Paddle is to put in the canoes and kayaks at the Port Royal boat launch in the morning, paddle a bit downstream before coming ashore in the wildlife reserve, where there will be some hiking and educational activities. From there, the plan is to paddle up one of the creeks in the refuge, before turning around and paddling upriver back to Port Royal in time for lunch.
Christian kayaked the route herself in late July along with her younger sister, and she says she’s looking forward to showcasing what she’s seen with all the prospective paddlers.
“We really hope to get a good crowd out there, this is a new trip for us and we’re excited to be doing it,” said Christian. “Anyone interested in participating can go to www.riverfriends.org/events to sign up and purchase tickets, which are $40 per individual and $120 per family.
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