The Pampered Paddlers

The morning sun filtered through the forest canopy like a stage light, drawing our attention to another bend in the river. We were making our way slowly upstream from Porters Crossing in a shallow channel at times not much wider than our canoes. Except for a woodpecker off in the distance, the only sound to be heard was the whoosh of paddles breaking the water.

Were we experiencing the river much differently than the Pocomoke Indians who lived here three centuries ago? Probably not, although they were likely on the river searching for food. We were looking for the great blue heron we had spotted earlier in the woods. There was no worry about provisions. Our made-to-order lunches had been packed by the inn where we had spent the night.

Call it primitive pampering. By day, our party of four--my wife, Marie, and our friends Don and Kathy Higdon--explored the beautiful, remote and somewhat misunderstood upper Pocomoke River, with its abundant wildlife and mysterious-looking bald cypress trees that grow right out of the water. By night, we indulged ourselves at lovely inns on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay.

Larry Knudsen, owner of the River House Inn in Snow Hill, a beautiful riverfront colonial town, began offering inn-to-inn canoeing trips a couple of years ago. Meals, luggage transportation, canoes and portage are included in the package along with overnight accommodations, at a cost of $300 per day for two. “All the details are cared for,” a brochure says. And for busy folks hoping to temporarily escape the responsibilities of work, home and life in general, it sounded like the ideal short trip.

Not only would we get to enjoy the upper Pocomoke in all its natural beauty, but somebody else would be taking care of the particulars. An intrepid explorer would need only to wake up in the morning and be pointed in the right direction to ensure a successful outing.

Our three-day, two-night package included one night at the River House Inn and one night at the Garden and the Sea Inn in New Church, Va. Two other inns-- Waterloo Country Inn in Princess Anne, Md., and the Atlantic Hotel in Berlin, Md. (where part of the recent Julia Roberts movie “Runaway Bride” was filmed)--participate in the inn-to-inn canoe tours, although only the River House is actually on the Pocomoke.

Where you go on the river each day, and how far, is up to you. The friendly employees at the Pocomoke River Canoe Co., next door to the River House Inn, will gladly offer suggestions. And at the end of the day, they will transport you to your lodging. If you’re a novice paddler, no problem. Even though the Pocomoke is a tidal river, there’s not much current upriver. The wind is occasionally strong, but during our trip the water was calm and the paddling was easy.

Wherever you end up, either in the wider stretches south of Snow Hill or winding along the narrow cuts on Nassawango Creek or near Porters Crossing, it will almost assuredly be a back-to-nature treat.

In our three days on the river in mid-July, we spotted herons, geese, red-winged blackbirds, turtles sunning themselves on logs along the river’s edge, and a snake that popped its head above water in front of the canoe. If you’re lucky, you might see a bald eagle winging over the water, or river otters on the banks of Nassawango Creek. And if the afternoon turns hot, you can flop out of the canoe and go for a swim.

But best of all, for us, was the satisfaction of being under our own power. Canoes are wonderfully simple vehicles--you paddle, they go. There are no motors, batteries or gears, nothing to program, gas up or recharge. And while the paddling is only mildly strenuous, it’s deeply relaxing.

At this time of year, as leaves begin to turn and fall, paddlers will have a different river experience. In October and November “you get a different bird scene,” says Larry Knudsen of the River House Inn. Visitors are likely to see more eagles in migrating pairs and more deer because you can see farther into the forest. “The whole topography, the whole nature of the forest scene changes,” Knudsen says. “Each season has its own texture and its own appeal,” but fall and spring (inn-to-inn tours usually start up again in April after a winter break) are considered the most agreeable times, with lower humidity and fewer bugs.

The Pocomoke originates in a cypress swamp on the Maryland-Delaware border and flows more than 50 miles through Wicomico, Somerset and Worcester counties and a small part of Virginia before emptying into Pocomoke Sound at the Chesapeake Bay. Along the way its water turns from fresh to brackish, a fact that has caused the lower Pocomoke trouble in the recent past. In 1997 the toxic microorganism Pfiesteria killed fish and sickened people on the lower Pocomoke, prompting the state to close part of the river for nearly a week.

The upper Pocomoke, it seemed, was guilty by association. Even though the Pfiesteria outbreak was not a threat to the river’s freshwater upper reaches--the organism requires a saline environment--tourists stayed away and businesses suffered. Fish kills this summer on the lower Pocomoke were not caused by Pfiesteria, officials have determined, but by a lack of oxygen in the water attributed to the area’s prolonged drought. The lower Pocomoke, however, continues to be closely monitored for Pfiesteria.

Barry Laws, owner of the Pocomoke River Canoe Co. in Snow Hill, says some tourists still call to inquire about Pfiesteria, but since last summer, “people from out of the area are starting to come back.”

Even so, the upper Pocomoke feels like an undiscovered treasure. During our trip there were a few other canoes on the water, and some fishermen angling for bass, but mostly we had the river to ourselves. Even when you encounter other people, chances are you won’t see them for long. With so many cuts and turns in the winding river, solitude is never far away.

The Pocomoke meanders through one of the northernmost cypress swamps in America. Bald cypress, more commonly found in the South, grows along the river’s edge and directly in the water.

The trees’ unusual roots protrude up and out of the water, forming crooks, or “knees.” These strange, exotic knee formations are thought to deliver oxygen to the root system, and they are loads of fun to look at.

Your back-to-nature course continues around every bend as you float past clusters of waterlilies and small islands and stands of evergreen, sweet gum and cypress, or as your eyes follow a turkey vulture circling lazily overhead.

Still, it is difficult to escape civilization entirely. Our first day out, about half a mile north of Snow Hill, an unmistakable--and unwelcome--smell wafted over the trees from Route 113: Did somebody say McDonald’s?

Encroachment on the natural world may be relentless, but then again, let’s not go overboard knocking civilization. When your day on the river is done, you want a hot shower and a cold drink. You want a soft pillow for a nap and, later, a great meal. And you want all that in pleasing and comfortable surroundings. And why not? After a day of intrepid exploration, you deserve it. So let the pampering begin.

The River House Inn is a handsome 1860 Gothic Revival house with inviting porches and equally inviting gardens. A rolling lawn sweeps down to the river, and after dinner by candlelight, as night falls, you can stroll down to the water, sit by the willow tree and count your lucky stars.

If you’re staying at the Garden and the Sea Inn, it’s a 25-minute car ride from Snow Hill, which stretches the concept of canoeing inn to inn, but never mind, the Garden and the Sea is a great place. Innkeepers Tom and Sara Baker will make you feel at home in their 19th century gingerbread Victorian in New Church, Va.

Although the inn is near Chincoteague Island, there is no “sea” at the Garden and the Sea. The inn’s name, Sara Baker explains, was inherited from previous owners who wanted to emphasize that their restaurant featured the best selections from the garden and the sea.

These days, Tom Baker does the cooking, and it’s difficult to imagine anyone doing it better. Our meal, from appetizers to dessert, was outstanding.

Here was an ideal day for us:

8:30 a.m.: Raspberry pancakes at the River House Inn. An explorer’s day should never begin without a hearty breakfast. 10 a.m.: Put in at Porters Crossing and prepare to leave civilization behind. Noon: Take a refreshing swim in the river and then tie up under a bald cypress tree for a leisurely lunch. 4 p.m.: Arrive at the Garden and the Sea Inn. Have a cold beer and a long nap. 7:30 p.m.: Dinner at the Garden and the Sea--it’s terrific. If you’re lucky, they’ll be serving chocolate-pecan pie for dessert. 9:30 p.m.: Take a walk, sit on the front porch and enjoy a summer evening without a care in the world. Isn’t that what vacation is all about?

As nice as the pampering was, though, the star of the show was the upper Pocomoke. Being on the river--eating lunch under the shade of a bald cypress, cooling off with a swim, watching the majestic flight of a great blue heron--was a pleasure, and also, in our increasingly hyper-modern, digital-virtual world, a privilege.

GUIDEBOOK

Canoeing Inn to Inn on the Pokemoke

Getting there: To visit Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the most convenient city to fly to is Baltimore. US Airways and United offer nonstop flights from LAX, and Continental and Southwest have direct flights (involving plane stops). American and America West have connecting service (with plane change). Round-trip restricted fares begin at $248. To get to the River House Inn in Snow Hill, Md., from the Baltimore airport, it’s about a 30-minute drive to Annapolis, and five more minutes to the Bay Bridge, which connects the Eastern to the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. From the bridge, take U.S. Route 50 east through Salisbury, Md.; then take the U.S. Route 13 bypass south, and 2.5 miles later pick up Maryland Route 12 to Snow Hill. Go over the bridge, turn left on Market Street and after one block turn left on Green Street.

Canoeing inn to inn: A three-day, two-night package costs $600 per couple, which includes everything but taxes and lunch the first day, or $300 per day per couple. Canoeing trips run roughly through November, depending on the weather, and start up again in spring (roughly April). Information about the four inns participating in the canoe tours, and also on the Pocomoke River Canoe Co. (telephone [800] 258-0905), can be found on the Internet at https://www.inntours.com. Or contact the inns directly: River House Inn, 201 E. Market St., Snow Hill, MD 21863; tel. (410) 632-2722, fax (410) 632-2866, Internet https://www.riverhouse.com. Garden and the Sea Inn, 4188 Nelson Road, New Church, VA 23415; tel. (800) 824-0672, e-mail innkeeper@gardenandseainn.com. Waterloo Country Inn, 28822 Mt. Vernon Road, Princess Anne, MD 21853; tel. (410) 651-0883, fax (410) 651- 5592, e-mail innkeeper@waterloocountryinn.com. Atlantic Hotel, 2 N. Main St., Berlin, MD 21811; tel. (800) 814-7672, fax (410) 641-4928, Internet https://www.atlantichotel.com.

Suggested routes (for a three-day excursion): Day 1: Put in at the Pocomoke River Canoe Co. dock in Snow Hill and paddle down to Pocomoke River State Park--Shad Landing, a trip of less than four miles. Day 2: Put in at Red House Road on Nassawango Creek and paddle either back to Snow Hill or to Shad Landing (about seven miles either way). Day 3: Put in at Porters Crossing, go north for a mile or so until fallen trees block the way, then turn around and head south to Snow Hill--that’s also about seven miles.

Five to seven miles will take four to five hours at a relaxed pace. You could do less and still see a lot of the river. Allow time for swimming, spotting wildlife and taking pictures. If possible, plan your itinerary to minimize driving time between inns.

Books: I found “Maryland and Delaware Canoe Trails” by Edward Gertler (Seneca Press, $13.95), “Rivers of the Eastern Shore” by Hulbert Footner (Tidewater Publishers, $29.95) useful. The latter, and other publications about the region, are available at Duck Soup Books in the Old Globe Theater, 12 Broad St., Berlin; tel. (410) 641-0784, fax (410) 641-9374, e-mail theglobe@beachin.net.

What to bring: Use sunscreen, pack extra water and wear a hat that offers protection from the sun and also from the occasionally bothersome horseflies (they seem to go for the head). If you wear bicycling gloves when you paddle, you won’t get blisters. Also, bring a backpack for your camera and binoculars, and store them inside plastic bags.

For more information: Maryland Office of Tourism Development, 217 E. Redwood St., 9th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; tel. (800) 543-1036 or (410) 767-3400, fax (410) 333-6643, Internet https://www.mdisfun.org.