Off in the distance, a Great Blue Herron was lurking in the tall grass. For a moment, we sat quietly and just observed what was happening. On the lookout for some fish to eat, this long beaked bird would quietly slog around in the marshy waters lifting its stick-like legs taking calculated steps. Then, when it was perched in a statuesque pose, all of the sudden, the bird would strike its beak down at the water and come up with a fish.

We wanted to get a better look at this beautiful bird. My paddling partner, Pat and I plotted a course, coordinated our efforts and quietly pulled the blades of our paddles through the water trying to move the tandem kayak as close as we could to get a better view. As we approached this highly skilled blue gray fisherman, we stopped paddling and let our kayak glide through the water. We didn't move or speak. Our kayak was almost at a standstill within ten feet of the bird. All of the sudden, the bird launched itself into flight - an ancestor of the pterodactyl? The Great Blue Herron when fishing or in flight is moment worth capturing!

Sea Kayaking (Kayak Touring) is an activity that provides disabled paddlers with a unique sense of independence as they navigate and explore a variety of ever changing marine environments. A chance to get out of a wheelchair or to leave crutches or canes behind and to sit in a kayak to benefit from a different kind of mobility and freedom is what makes kayak touring an important therapeutic activity.

Kayak touring is different than whitewater boating. With sea kayaking, the paddling experience is influenced by the existence or non-existence of many factors - wind, weather, tidal changes, currents and waves. As these environmental variables change, so does the degree of difficulty encountered by the persons paddling.

On October 11-13, 2002 our group of 5 disabled paddlers (Patricia, Ike, Chris, James, and Evita) and 6 support staff (Mark, Danny, Colin, Michelle, Rebecca, and Dr. Dan) ventured to Chicoteague Island on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. This therapeutic outing was designed to provide a unique camping and kayak touring experience. The Eastern Shore's Delmarva Peninsula, Chincoteague Island and Assateague Island are known for a quiet beauty -- many species of waterfowl, the Assateague ponies, as well as other wildlife and marine life.

Finding a nice plot of land with a view and then setting up some tents where one can sleep at the end of the day is a priority. The campsite we selected had a spectacular view of the red and white Assateague lighthouse. However, much to our dismay, a downpour of rain and high winds drenched us at the campsite as we set up our tents and dining fly. With hopes of eating and sleeping dry - we hustled to pitch four tents. A quick and simple meal of hotdogs, fruit and coffee helped us to forget about how wet we were. The rains let up as members of our group continued to arrive throughout the evening.

Before turning in, we all congregated under a tarp and planned out the schedule for the next day. Listening to the birds, the rain and watching the rotating light from the lighthouse made for a perfect night's sleep. As I lay in my sleeping bag, I wondered what the conditions would be like on the water the following day. 6:30 am came before I knew it. The cool misty morning that greeted us seemed promising. We cooked up some bacon, pancakes, juice and coffee.

Around 9:00 am, we got into our vehicles and caravanned to the outfitters and then the put-in where we would load into the kayaks. Much to our surprise and delight, the weather was changing. It looked like front was heading out to sea and we would have a nice day. We provided the group with a dry land safety orientation and fitted everyone with paddles, life jackets.

We transferred the members of our paddling team from their wheelchairs' into either single and tandem kayaks. A few of our disabled paddlers required some custom fitting to provide additional postural support in the kayak seats. Our put-in moving the kayaks down a sloped boat ramp went very smoothly. Everyone spent a few minutes getting accustomed to their kayak. Those who were in tandem bots worked to synchronize paddling strokes. We briefly reviewed and practiced paddling to move the kayaks forwards, backwards, making turns, rotating the boat 360 degrees (around the clock) while remaining upright and in the same place on the water.

To begin our paddling tour, in the tandem kayaks were Mark and Pat, Rebecca and Evita, Danny and Chris, as well as Dr. Dan and James. Our solo paddlers were Colin, Michelle, and Ike. We plotted our course and started paddling through the grassy maze of tidal estuaries en route to Assateague Island. Any time a member of the group spotted a bird we hadn't seen or some other interesting marine life or environmental quality unique to the Eastern Shore; we moved the boats together so we could all share the experience. After we had been paddling for about an hour, we rafted up all the boats by moving closely together. Out came the apples and muffins from our dry bags. The apples were tossed from kayak to kayak - with each paddler calling out the name of the person who was next to receive the snack. We were much more formal with the passing of muffins - placing them on the blade of the paddle. Much like a waiter at a fancy restaurant, we extended the paddle and carefully passed the muffins from one kayak to another.

After completing our brief snack, the group continued to paddle for another thirty minutes making our way through the maze of grassy channels. Off in the distance, we could hear some nice reggae music playing from over at Chincoteague where the annual oyster festival was taking place. Looking around at the group, everyone was boogying to the beat in their kayaks. We finally came to the bridge that connected the two islands. This would test the teamwork of the group; it is where we would have to cross a large open channel with a swift current. Once again, we rafted up close together and planned the strategy as to the order that each kayak would negotiate the pass. In perfect view directly off the bows of our kayaks, we could see the beautiful Assateague lighthouse about a half mile away. Paddling our kayaks single file, the group made its move over to the banks of Assateague Island-Colin, Michelle and Ike paddling in the singles ran safety making sure the group stayed together and successfully got to our destination.

We rested briefly at the shore of Assateague and then started paddling again plotting the return route we would take to back to our final destination. Remaining close to the shore to avoid the currents and to conserve energy, we paddled our way down the coast of the island heading south. We passed the lighthouse and had a beautiful up close and personal view of the red and white striped tower that reached high above the trees. From our campsite over on Chincoteague, we had a clear view of the same tower that would send off a rotating light of safety to boaters in the dark of the evening.

Our paddling team had been on the water for about three hours and we had one final crossing to make to get back to the destination of our take-out. Changes in tide had us paddling in some very shallow waters in places. We could see the boat ramp off in the distance and we plotted our way through the maze of grass. After we got to the take-out and transferred everyone from the kayaks back into their wheelchairs, we headed back to the campsite. Our first trip was about four hours long. It was certainly a good journey for everyone.

Upon our return to the campsite, everyone changed into dry clothes and rested for a while. Most of the group wanted to do a brief road trip in our vehicles over to the ocean by way of the Assateague Wildlife Refuge. A few decided to remain at the campsite and rest. During our visit to the ocean we got to see the world famous Chincoteage/Assateague Ponies. The ponies normally run wild on Assateague Island. They were penned up during this weekend getting their annual check up from a team of veterinarians. At the ocean, the group was able to wheel their chairs up a ramp to the top of the dunes. From this point, we could look out in both directions and see the Atlantic Ocean to the East and Tom's Cove to the West. Our group made a unanimous decision to go out to dinner for some good Eastern Shore seafood. We all dined at the Chincoteague Inn. The food was great and they were very accommodating. However, I don't think they were used to having five wheelchairs show up at one time. We certainly turned a few heads!

Back at camp we heated up some coffee and hot chocolate. Everyone hung out under the dining fly for a while prior to going to bed. We wanted to get a good night of sleep because we had planned to do a guided sunrise paddle with Jay, the owner of Wildlife Expeditions. 5:30 am would come very quick. From my tent, there was a spectacular view of the Assateague lighthouse. We got everyone settled in their tents and it didn't take long to fall asleep, especially after a long day of paddling.

We had a light starter breakfast of coffee, juice, and fruit to get us going. It was still dark out and we made our way to the boat ramp. We would eat a full breakfast upon our return from the sunrise paddling trip. At the boat ramp we went through similar procedures of getting everyone set-up in their kayaks. A few members of the group switched-some trying singles and some moving to the tandem kayaks. Jay, our guide was great! He was able to share some of the history and culture behind the two islands. He also shared his knowledge of the waterfowl and aquatic wildlife. Every so often we would raft up and Jay would share his knowledge about birds, clams, oysters, and other qualities that make Chincoteague and Assateague such special places.

While the sunrise paddling trip on our second day was a little bit shorter as far as our time on the water, it was equally as spectacular as first day! The beauty of paddling is that every day brings a different type of experience. The weather was different-cooler, more wind, and some drizzle. Of concern to our entire group was doing what we could to protect and preserve the current environmental ecosystem. As we paddled back to our take out point, Jay educated us about some of the local politics and some development proposals that would cause irreparable damage to the two islands. Just then, the sun started to break through the clouds and we were all treated to a beautiful rainbow that arched across the sky between the two islands. As if it was part of a devine plan-our group was in the right place at the right time. Because of the wonderful experiences we all shared and our consensus that some things must not be changed, we ALL signed a petition to support local efforts to limit further development.

We returned to base camp and packed up all the tents. Everyone helped with cooking up a good breakfast. Everyone was thankful for all that we went through and all that we shared. Prior to everyone leaving, it was decided that we should share many more meaningful therapeutic adventures in the future!