On 6 Aug, 18 Groupers met at Windsor Castle park in Smithfield, VA to paddle on the Pagan River. Some folks were intrigued by the name “Pagan” and wondered about the origin of the name. Well, it is a curious name and the origin is not what you think. According to Wikipedia: The name of the river may come from the Algonquin language word for pecan (Cree pakan, Ojibway pagan, Abenaki pagann) "that which is cracked with a tool" referring to the nut. When the area was explored in the early 17th century there were many pecan trees along the banks. So, there you have it, no pagan rituals required on our paddles. You can save those outfits for Halloween.
The plan was to launch and paddle on the Pagan River for an hour and a half and then turn around. The current would be full force against us on our return, so we cut the outbound time by fifteen minutes. That decision was helped by the fact that we ran aground a few times with the low tide before we decided to turn around. We also later learned that our trip leader was incompetent. Michelle pointed out that two thirds of our paddling was on Mt Holly Creek which is a tributary of the Pagan River. It all worked out, however, as the creek was totally undeveloped and more to the Tuesday Groups liking. The weather was outstanding—mild temp and humidity, a cloud or two but much sun—and the Tuesday Group pushed on.
After the paddle, the group was headed to Smithfield Station for lunch. The problem was they were having a fashion show and there wasn’t enough room. So off to “A taste of Smithfield” for lunch. The group feasted and we departed—some to the ice cream parlor, some directly to their cars. It was a great day outside with friends. Life is good in Tidewater. We didn’t paddle what we planned to paddle, we didn’t eat where we were scheduled to, and no one complained! I love the Tuesday Group.
Brian
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Thank you Brian for leading our paddle in and around historic Smithfield. Special thanks to our photographers.
Jim's pictures: https://jimarendphotography.smugmug.com/Sports/n-rdXFW/Kayaking/20190806-Pagan-River