Thumbs down to the weatherman! Typically a nice venue but unfortunately we launched into a 20 mph easterly wind and a very overcast sky. Wind I don't mind but yuck to the thick clouds. We were insulated in most part inside the Creek and experienced 15-20 in Essex Bay. We had a bite on the beach inside the bay. The decision was made NOT to do the circumnavigation. Small craft advisories thwarted the spirits of some not to mention the white caps so for safety sake we stuck together (sort of) in our muddy trek back through Fox Creek. With barely 12" of water in some areas and 5 foot walls of grass covered mud walls we barely made it back.

With a High Tide in Essex at 10:20 am and a Low Tide at 4:19, we were barely squishing through the lowest part of the creek between 2:15-2:30. 10-15 minutes later, "no way"!

In retrospect, I wish we taken the slog up the wind chopped beach but majority ruled and in true CAM spirit we stuck together. In any event, any paddle is better than no paddle and I think we all shared an interesting experience. Good company, many laughs and one "canary" (inside joke)

Bravo on good decision making! That route is wonderful for its variety of conditions, but doing the inside part first can leave you having a tough call to make.

I definitely enjoyed the trip. Just the right exercise level for me. Enough paddling to be sore afterwards, but not sore enough to reach for the pain killers!

One minor correction to Doug's report.

With barely 12" of water in some areas and 5 foot walls of grass covered mud walls we barely made it back.

I don't think my kayak draws 12". The bottom of my kayak scraped mostly muck and occasionally rocks numerous times during the return trip. So make that less than 12" of water in some areas! I definitely just barely made it back through the "creek" section. Fortunately, no harm done.

Guess I'm ultra conservative on that one. I try to avoid anything outside of two hours or so on either side of the tide through Fox Creek. I get claustrophobic. I *think* I finally figured out how to be sure to find the right inlet in from the other direction now, which should help me in the future. (lol)