Summer has come and gone. The first days of fall are here, and the days are still long and bright. Jane’s parents come to visit for a weekend, so we bring them along on a Saturday activity that we’ve long had planned - a guided sunset canoe trip along the Patuxent River. After a morning spent walking around the Johns Hopkins medical campus and Jane’s lab at Bloomberg, we eat lunch at the recently renovated Water for Chocolate and then depart for the Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary in Southern Maryland. We arrive at the Wetlands Center in the late afternoon, and after receiving our paddling gear with brief safety instructions, we take a short hike through the woods, following an old railroad bed to a dock at the center of the river.
There, we and about twenty other participants pair up and set off in tandem canoes. Jane’s parents are new to the water. They spend some time steering in circles, but quickly get the hang of their boat. Jane laughs from the pier; she will never admit it, but I know that she only agreed to bring her parents along on the off chance we might see them capsize. Fortunately, the paddling gets underway uneventfully. We convene on the riverbank and set off up the Western Branch of the Patuxent River. The weather is balmy - perfect for being on the water - and the afternoon sun shines a beautiful sidelight on the distant loblolly pines and the marsh reeds adjoining shore. I stop frequently to take photographs. Heading upriver, we see herons, a pair of osprey, a flock of swallows, and a bald eagle.
After canoeing for about an hour through the winding marsh channels, we reach our turnaround point just past Ironpot Landing, where the river enters a stand of mixed deciduous woodland. There, we link up our boats and pass around our dry-bag for a prepared picnic dinner on the water - Chinese tea eggs, chocolate biscuits, dried peaches, and canteens of Gatorade. Except for contented chewing, the whole group is quiet. We sit in appreciative silence, taking in the sound of water lapping against our boats, of birdsong, and of leaves rustling in the trees. Around us is a warm, golden room - the light of sunset reflecting off the river and the forest canopy.
Turning the boats around, we return through the marshes in fading light. By the time we reach the dock, it is nearly 8 PM, the sky is dark, and the wetland mosquitoes are out in force. Jane and I don our headlamps to help stow the boats, after which we set off walking back along the railroad bed. We return to Baltimore around 9:30, and make a homemade ramen dinner (ingredients mostly prepped during the week) for Jane’s parents before retiring for the evening.
