Four girls venture into a swamp with only the food and supplies they can carry on their kayaks. There’s no cell phone service. No electricity. No running water.
There are no toilets.
The men in our lives all said they think we’re crazy. But we aren’t crazy; we’re adventurous, brave, strong, and yearning to escape the corporate doldrums of everyday life.
Early Friday morning, we packed up our gear and boats and hit the road toward our meetup in Ahoskie. We grabbed sandwiches at Subway at 11:30, only 2.5 hours behind schedule already.
Merchants Millpond State Park was an easy drive through farms and one stoplight town from Ahoskie. We checked in at the Visitor’s Center where Julie made note of the scary and dangerous animals on the Critter Log. Alligators, cottonmouths, and a bear – oh my!
We loaded up our kayaks at the Bennett’s Creek launch which was a longer walk from the parking lot than expected. But we’re all rule followers, so we did drag all of our gear to the launch rather than parking along the side of the road and doing it the easy way.
Our heavy boats bottomed out on sand bars and shallows at the start of the creek until the water got deeper and darker. The first section of the 4.5 mile kayak trail took us through dense swamp with towering bald cypress trees, patches of duckweed, and the peaty smell of slow moving water.
After a couple miles, the swamp gave way to hardwood trees and southern pines. Farms, houses, and other signs of civilization were visible just beyond the banks. We saw geese, pileated woodpeckers, dozens of turtles, and a swimming cottonmouth that was too close for comfort.
The 4.5 mile journey took more time and effort than expected, so we were all thrilled when our camping dock came into view. We quickly unloaded and got to work setting up camp before night fell. Bennett’s Creek High Ground campsites aren’t your standard primitive sites. The state park workers somehow managed to bring a firepit and large picnic table all the way out there. We gathered firewood, pitched the tent, set out our sleeping gear, and got to talking about food.
Stacey quickly had the hot dogs and roasting sticks ready to go for a classic campfire dinner. I made quick work of setting a small but hot fire to cook over. After roasting her hot dog into a smoking brick of carbon, Stacey hilariously asked “Do you think it’s cooked?” The rest of the evening was spent eating, catching up, and playing Cards Against Humanity until the spiders and mosquitoes forced us into the tent and off to sleep.
The next morning, I was the first to wake and get going. I guess I can thank having a 1 year old for making me an early riser. I boiled some water for coffee, set up my tent, and enjoyed sometime to myself as the early morning warmed up. After the other Swamp Girls arose, we had a breakfast of oatmeal and coffee and a leisurely start to the day. Eventually, we all packed up our kayaks to explore the surrounding area. We made it another mile down creek and tucked into the arm of the swamp where the platform camping sites are located, just to check them out. When I had booked this trip, I was tempted by the flatness of a platform site, but they weren’t nearly as private as our high ground site. And without bathroom facilities, having access to the surrounding woods is critical.
Our lazy Saturday morning turned into a lazy afternoon as we enjoyed a snack of cheese, jerky, and bread. As the evening started to fall, we worked up a more substantial dinner of mac & cheese, tuna, and more campfire hot dogs.
We enjoyed another evening of talking as the night fell, until an animal sounded like it was getting just a little too close to our camp. We packed up our gear and food for the night and retreated to the safety of the tent.
Having no cell phone reception was a great respite from social media and the world. But it also meant that we weren’t able to keep tabs on the weather. We knew there was a chance of rain on Sunday, so after waking up, we make quick work of taking down camp and packing up our boats for the paddle back. While our boats were lighter with 4 gallons of water gone, the trip back was tough. Rain came and went throughout the entire 3 hour paddle through the hardwood forest and swamp waters. Fish jumped all along the creek gobbling up bugs for breakfast. When the sun did come through, so did the mosquitos. The boat launch was a welcome sight after a soggy and humid paddle.
The rain made me break the state park rules and and I brought my car alongside the launch to reload all of our gear. After we got the boats strapped down, I changed into clean and dry clothes for the drive back home. I checked out with the Visitor’s Center. The ranger didn’t even look up from her computer when I confirmed that all four of the Swamp Girls had survived our adventure. Maybe she was hoping for more dramatic news.
Stacey and I were starving as we left Merchants Millpond State Park. Unfortunately for us, there is absolutely nothing in this far northeast corner of North Carolina except Dollar General stores and the occasional gas station. I suspect most of the rural south looks like this. We both cheered when we saw the first road sign for fast food in Tarboro; Taco Bell was exactly what we needed after a weekend in the swamp with no toilets.
We drove back to the Raleigh area overly stuffed with cheap tacos. Both of us missed our families but also desperately wanted to shower. After settling back at home, the Swamp Girls once again joined to share photos and memories from our trip. The big question is, when’s the next trip?
Adventuring With Hillary 
Go women power!! Wonderful trip report and sounds like a good time was had by all. I think I would have been a bit worried by the spotted critters list…
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