The trip that was the inspiration for this website was a great success! Despite all my worrying about the weather, we never saw a drop of rain and I came home with a slight sunburn. The camping platform was set back into the swamp surrounded by cypress trees and black water. Being out there was like stepping back to prehistoric times and we’re pretty sure a pterodactyl scared us half to death in the middle of the night.

Launch Location:
We had planned to put in at Roberson’s Marina at the US-64 bridge over Gardner Creek, as recommended by the Roanoke River Partners and other kayaking blogs. However, when we got to location where the marina should have been, everything was marked with private property signs. So we ditched that plan and found our way downriver at the Astoria Landing Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) boating access. When we arrived, the Roanoke had a much stronger current than we expected and we were a bit nervous about having to paddle upriver. Launching here also shortened our paddle by about 3 miles. It was a very busy and secure location though, so we felt comfortable leaving Lauren’s car in the parking lot overnight.

Lauren and the boats at the launch.

Trip Leg #1: Launch to Barred Owl Roost Camping Platform:
We left the dock around 12:30 paddling upstream along the Roanoke River. We only had to get about half a mile upriver before we detoured off into Devil’s Gut (not scary sounding at all). There were navigation signs along the river for us to follow to our platform.

Signs pointing us onto Devil’s Gut and toward our camping platform.

I was expecting the current to drop off once we left the main river, but Devil’s Gut was just as rough going as the Roanoke. We battled another mile upstream and into the wind. Eventually, the water got calmer and we were able to enjoy the paddle.

Kayaking in Devil’s Gut.

About a mile and a half from the boat launch, we went north into a fork off of Devil’s Gut toward the Barred Owl Roost camping platform. In here, the water became completely still, and the swamp closed in around us. The water was only a few feet deep at most, so the motor boats that were running up and down the river were nowhere to be found. The deeper we got into the swamp, the more we started to realize that we were going to be very alone.

We arrived at the platform just an hour and a half after launching. As we arrived, the clouds started clearing and sun finally came out. Setting up camp was easy – we just pitched the tent in a corner and set up a picnic area to the side.

Our campsite at Barred Owl Roost.

Camping at Barred Owl Roost:
One thing I forgot to mention is that there were originally 3 members of this adventure crew. Unfortunately, Stacey decided to be a good student and use the weekend to study and catch up on school work rather than bum around with us. So we replaced her with Coconut Stacey, made with a coconut and black marker we got at Walmart while we were caffeine-deprived on our drive from Raleigh. I really can’t explain Coconut Stacey in any way that doesn’t make us sound completely insane, so I won’t try. But you can expect to see a coconut with a face in many of the pictures we took during the weekend.

Once camp was set up, we had lunch and enjoyed some down time (this is when Coconut Stacey was born). It turned into a beautiful and warm afternoon once the sun came out.

Lauren brings Coconut Stacey to life.

Coconut Stacey enjoying the sunshine in front of the tent.

Enjoying lunch on the platform.

Getting some sun in the afternoon.

Lounging around on the platform in the afternoon.

After lunch, we decided to get out into the swamp and do some exploring now that all of our gear had been unloaded. Here’s a gallery of photos of the area (click for a slideshow):

After exploring the swamp, we decided to head back to the platform, have dinner, and watch night fall. Normally, I’m all about a big camping dinner but campfires are not allowed here. I do have a propane camping stove, but space was tight in the boat. So we decided we’d just have a dinner of cheese, crackers, summer sausage, beef jerky, and wine. We definitely did not starve on this trip!

Dinner on Barred Owl Roost platform.

As we were eating, the swamp’s night creatures started to stir. At 7:30, the fish started jumping like crazy. We had seen fishing throughout the day, but someone must have rung the dinner bell, because they just went insane. I think it would be impossible to not catch something if you tried. Note to self: next time, bring a fishing pole! There’s an obvious reason why this platform is called Barred Owl, as the owls hoots were plentiful all night. We also saw a big muskrat in the distance. Eventually, the cold set in and we decided to call it a night. Our tent was nice a cozy for most of the night. The sounds of fish jumping and owls hooting didn’t bother us at all. It wasn’t until we heard a guttural scream in the middle of the night that we both woke up in terror. We just laid there whispering to each other. “What was that?” “Is that a bear?” “Bears don’t make that sound.” The creature jumped into the water near our platform and splashed closer to us. “Oh god, it’s getting closer” “Should I get the mace?” “I don’t want to die!”. Eventually, the creature, which must have had giant wings, flapped up into the sky and over our tent. We never heard it again and were somehow able to fall back asleep. In the morning, happy we had survived the night, we couldn’t figure out what had terrorized us. It didn’t sound like any of the birds we’d seen on our trip. It sounded way too big to be a vulture, owl, or heron. Our best guess is that it was a pterodactyl. If an extinct dinosaur is going to live anywhere, the swamp of eastern North Carolina seem like a pretty prime location.

Trip Leg #2: Barred Owl Roost Camping Platform back to the Boat Launch:
After we got over our prehistoric shock and had a quick breakfast, we decided to break camp and head home. Sunday was a beautiful, sunny day to be on the water. We took our time with the trip back since we weren’t fighting the current and it’s always a bit sad when an adventure come to an end. It only took us about 40 minutes to make it back to the dock.

Landing back at the boat launch at the end of our trip.

Adventure Thoughts:
Lauren and I really enjoyed this little trip. It was the perfect easy adventure to figure out how to kayak camp. We had everything we could possibly need, and more. Next time, I should be able to pack lighter since I didn’t wear half of the clothes I brought. The swamps along the Roanoke River are beautiful and a great place to explore on a kayak, especially since larger boats can’t get back there due to the shallow water. Hopefully we’ll be back again soon since there are so many other camping platforms to explore in this area.