Second Wind on the Great Loop and Beyond

Friday, May 11. A string of boats cast off early this morning and cruised through the Elizabeth City Bridge, which is scheduled to open every day at 8:30 a.m. All of us were making the run up the Pasquotank River to the Dismal Swamp Canal. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and we enjoyed a pleasant cruise through the wilderness. The entire procession ran at a slow speed (about 8 mph) through the narrow, curvy river because we didn’t want to arrive too early at the South Mills Lock, which was scheduled to open at 11 a.m. When we all arrived, the laid-back lock master interrupted his lawn mowing to figure out a way to pile 10 boats into this small lock. We were finally lifted the necessary 8 feet to continue our journey to the Dismal Swamp.

The Dismal Swamp Canal, which connects the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia and Albemarle Sound in North Carolina, is a historic landmark. We found it to be anything but dismal, and we are happy that we chose this route rather than an alternate route called the Virginia Cut, which doesn’t sound nearly as interesting. George Washington first proposed draining the swamp in 1763 to harvest the timber and use the land for farming. To that end, he purchased a portion of the swamp and had his slaves dig a ditch to nearby Drummond Lake. The return on his investment wasn’t what he had hoped, so Washington withdrew his interest in 1795. However, Governor Patrick Henry supported the concept of using the canal to ship produce, and by 1805, flat-bottomed vessels could be admitted into the 22-mile long canal.

The area is rich in both history and beauty. Slaves often escaped to the Dismal Swamp, and Edgar Allan Poe is said to have written “The Raven” at a hotel that once stood on the Virginia/North Carolina border. Today the water looked absolutely black. We were surprised to learn that the water quality in the canal is unusually pure, preserved by tannic acids from the juniper, gum, and cypress trees. Therefore, bacteria can’t grow in the water. The canal is maintained by the Corps of Engineers. The depth is often troublesome, especially during droughts, and concern always exists that the Canal cannot be maintained indefinitely.

A total of seven boats are tied up at the Dismal Swamp Welcome Center dock tonight. Several of us enjoyed a grilled pork chop dinner at one of the picnic tables until the mosquitoes drove us back inside. This is the only state Welcome Center to have accommodations for both boats and cars. It is a lovely park; we are really happy we chose this route.