Mason Neck, VA (USA)

It's been a while since I've been able to paddle on the Potomac and I gladly seized the chance today! Mollie was at a sleepover with Rano and I decided to drive over to Mason Neck to check on my kayak. It was overcast but pleasant (70s) and hardly anyone else in Pohick Bay while I was (1045 to 1245) - just occasional speed boats in the distance and a couple of bass boats drifting, with motors cut, along the shore. I basically had the water to myself (or so I thought). The ospreys were nesting in force on the high pilings on the western coast of the bay and any time I got near them, they shrieked angrily and would not relax until I moved away. In some cases, I was trying to get away from one nesting pair and encountered another. One determined couple was building a completely new nest on a picnic table on someone's dock! It was a jumble of sticks - not an effective nest - and I wonder whether the dock owner would actually leave it there for the season... Eventually, I reached the creek behind Gunston Hall and entered a world dominated by herons, hawks, bald eagles and Canadian geese. They weren't too happy with me in proximity either and I felt like an intruder for most of the day. This was the calm, shallow water experience I'd been seeking and I only got to enjoy it a little bit. Eventually, though, I took my kayak out to a channel several hundred yards from shore (a much different) and paddled my arms off (much more upper body exercise than I typically get on a hike). The receding tide was a factor on my outbound leg and the wind was a bigger factor on the way back to Reza's landing. The sun did make an appearance near the end and I'm pretty sure to remember today's jaunt with a light burn and some sore shoulders. But it was all worth the expense. Hoping for more afternoons like this in 2019 - maybe even on the way home from work!