The Dismal Swamp

Dismal it is not!

There are a fair amount of route decisions to be made on the Great Loop.

For us, during the first month of the trip it was fairly straightforward… ICW or nothing. There were a few opportunities to go offshore and travel in the ocean for a while, but we were too new and too nervous to even consider doing that! There was an optional side trip to Jacksonville, but not many other path variations. The main choices to be made were where to stop and how long to stay there.

We managed a mix of cute little towns, beachy places, and a few large cities. We skipped Jacksonville, but dove headlong into Savannah and Charleston and many of the smaller towns along the way. We stayed at free docks, fancy marinas, and a few times we were “on the hook” (at anchor).

And then we got to North Carolina and Virginia. Things got a bit more complicated. The Pamlico sound offered an easier, straighter shot north than the day long crossing to the Outer Banks. We chose the latter. Well worth a few days’ delay to learn about that part of the world. And such colorful sunsets!

The Albemarle Sound presented another, very different choice…. The fast way had deeper water, longer travel days, and a great restaurant for prime rib! The slow way was through the Dismal Swamp. What a name. We had to do it.

People had told us that it was “just a canal through a swamp”, nothing to see, and so shallow that we were almost guaranteed to “bump” a few things along the way. We were encouraged to go the fast way. So glad that we didn’t.

The canal is 22 miles long 5 or 6 feet deep in most sections. It was intended to connect the waters of the Albemarle Sound in North Carolina and the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia for lumber transport. It quickly became an escape route and hiding place for runaway slaves. Today it is a National Wildlife Refuge and the bulk of our route to Norfolk.

We staged our boat in Elizabeth City, “gateway to the Dismal Swamp”, and enjoyed a nice time at the city docks, and some good food at Hoppin’ John’s restaurant.

Early in the morning we timed our departure for the bridge opening and headed into the unknown. Wow. Almost immediately we were greeted by glassy, cola-colored waters. The reflections of sky and trees were unbelievable. So peaceful and pretty.

We went through a lock at the entrance, then docked with 3 other boats at the Dismal Swamp Visitors Center and enjoyed happy hour with new friends.

The next day we got another dose of natural beauty, went through another set of locks and said goodbye to one of my favorite places so far.

Ahhhh…. The Dismal Swamp….