Creek Abstract - Durbin Creek

Creek Abstract – Durbin Creek

Durbin Creek has been one of my favorite mystery place for some time. I had visited the Bartram Canoe Trail launch point on Racetrack road many times to photograph the impressive creek entry. I thought about buying a pair of waders to go further into the creek to see what was just beyond the next bend. Now I could solve that mystery. Gray and I continued our practice of backing his trailer and unloading the boats. With my small point and shoot, I was gaining confidence in my ability not to destroy my more expensive equipment.

The yellow flies were at the height of their activity. Yellow fly bites hurt, and I have a particularly bad reaction to their bites. They didn’t seem to bother Gray at all. In addition to a liberal application of OFF! I brought along a can of Raid flying bug spray. Turns out that these guys never heard of OFF and you have to swat them out of the sky to get rid of them. Yellow flies are noisy and you can hear them swarming about like a bunch of bees. I think they must be territorial too, as they will annoy the heck out of you for a while and if you keep paddling they will disappear, soon to be replaced by one of their friends. I wore long sleeves and pants but they manage to bite through the thin “expedition” gear I was wearing. Sigh!

Golden Morning - Durbin Creek

Golden Morning – Durbin Creek

We paddled up to the big “clog” at the power lines. We made no attempt to go further, the area was thick with water hyacinth and without a massive effort there was no way to get through. Later we learned that the Clean Waterway Society had cleared the area last year and everything grew back. This is a big problem for the creek, as these plants are invasive and can cause a major disruption to the health and flow of the creek.

Overall we’ve been happy with our boats and our ability to get out to some wild places. All of this is new for us and it is truly a wonderful feeling to know that all of this exists in your backyard. I may never leave this place!

Paddle Dip - Durbin Creek

Paddle Dip – Durbin Creek