Spurwink River... Sunrise!

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The Spurwink River is a great trip.  I have posted it before, click  HERE to see it, including directions and information.  This post is a little different... More about this unique experience than logistics!

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I know many people get up early to watch the sunrise... I have done it a few times... but have never done anything like this!  

I thought about it as I was with the FitMaine Social Club on our solstice paddle... we were there to watch the sunset... and sadly I missed the sunsetting... I was busy loading all my kayaks... I should have paused, taken a moment, and watched the sun set and loaded my kayaks after.. but I wanted to get it all done... The lesson there - stop, take it in, pause and be in the moment!  

I thought about what it would be like to see a sunrise that is combined with kayaking... so I thought about places I would want to go to watch the sunrise where I could kayak to get there... 

I thought of  Higgins Beach via the Spurwink River!   And have this image in my mind of watching the sunrise with the shipwreck in the foreground... 

So... I looked at the tide charts... along with the sunrise times... and there were not many opportunities to combine the two... But on July 6th Low tide is at 8:31 (at OOB) and sunrise is at 5:05 a.m... So in planning I knew the timing MAY not be perfect to get the shipwreck in the photo but... I wanted to have the water in the Spurwink to be high enough to carry me to Higgins Beach... So.. Ideally I get there before the sun comes up... get my kayak off the water and onto the beach... and find a place to get situated... then as the sun comes up walk around take lots of pics... then relax on the beach, eat something special for breakfast ( I mean a sunrise on a beach to which I kayak deserves a good breakfast, right?)   Then relax for a few hours and after the tide shifts paddle back up the river and enjoy the rest of the day!  Sounds pretty perfect! 

I was excited to have found a day that would work... and was excited to do something new... yet a little intimidated to paddle in the dark BEFORE sunrise.. I mean... If I want to be on the beach for a 5:05 sunrise... that means I want to launch at about 4:15.. just to make sure!  (It is a pretty quick trip down if I don't stop along the way!)  So.. I planned to get up around 3:15 a.m. (I loaded the kayak last night...and prepared/packed my food.)  I thought I would feel more at ease about the trip if I had someone with me...even though this is a great intro to saltwater paddling spot, I am still timid to do saltwater trips solo... especially if there will be darkness involved!  

I thought about that for a moment and immediately dismissed it - NOBODY would want to get up THAT early to kayak to a sunrise... would they? 

Turns out.. sometimes members of 'your tribe' are just as crazy as you are!  (I didn't ask many people... as I kind of wanted this to feel intimate/private in a way... I wanted it to be special.)  One of the people I invited, Cyndi, said yes, AND she got one of her friends to come too!  LOVE this!

I am not religious... but to me, the idea of a trip like this...and doing this feels very spiritual... THIS is my church!   

Add to all of that anticipation the fact that I used my RED KAYAK, my MOM's red kayak, for the first time in a couple of years... and this trip was destined to be... incredible!  

(Click here to read more about the story of the Red Kayak!)

We met in the parking area around 4:15 a.m. it was not pitch black out as I expected... so despite wearing my headlamp, we did not need it!  (The mosquitoes were pretty bad as we paddled in the river!)

(OH... on my way to the launch I almost hit a possum! My tired straddled that poor thing... thankfully that would have creeped me out!)


I misjudged where the sun would come up.  I envisioned it coming up ahead of us as we paddled out to Higgins beach... but turns out east is not straight out from Higgins beach... (You know how not researching my last trip, the Fryeburg one, resulted in a great surprise? Well.. this time, not researching meant my plan to watch the sunrise over the shipwreck wouldn't happen!  But... even with the sun rising in a different spot than I expected... this was still an amazing paddle!

We took out and pulled our kayaks up pretty far, well away from the water.  (I had forgotten my anchor so... wanted to make sure that the kayaks were safe as the tide came back in!)

 

The sun was coming up from behind us... 

We decided to walk the beach.. 

I love the texture in the sand! 

The sun started peeking up over this hill...

 This was the only piping plover I saw.  I was hoping to get a pic of a baby, but did not see any. 

Look at that!!  So pretty! 

This blue heron decided it was a great day to be out fishing...

 It caught a fish!

 We walked back to our kayaks and had a sweet treat...
Strawberry shortcake!  I was so happy to bring this to share with people... I had also bought whip cream to have on it... but managed to leave it on my sideboard... which was still there when I got home!

 (Me, Cindy, & Pat)

 (Strawberry shortcake... minus the whipped cream!)

We sat and talked a while...covering topics ranging from death to yoga!
I am fortunate to know Cindy... she is such a KIND spirit... I was very happy to meet Pat too!  (A funny story I hope she would be okay with me sharing... Pat was looking forward to this adventure... so much so that she got up FRIDAY morning, at 3 something...  and was waiting for Cindy to pick her up... ha!  She somehow figured it out and got up again today!  That's dedication!!  Oh.. but today when Cindy went to pick her up... Cindy went to the wrong house!  Ha!  Carried the neighbor's newspaper to their door and knocked before realizing it was not Pat's house!  The neighbors did not answer their door... and hopefully appreciated the paper being brought up!! ha ha!)
So glad these ladies were up for this adventure! 

After chatting for a while I decided to see if I could get any pics of the birds who were feeding at the mouth of the river... especially the snowy egrets. 

As I walked I walked through craters.. and decided this is what the surface of the moon is like!

These birds, these egrets,  are so cute...and when they are being aggressive they puff themselves all up.. I love it! 

Vegas showgirl? Nope.. snowy egret! 

We decided to walk the beach again before heading back... it was so pretty and was filling up...

After waiting for a while we decided to head back up the river.

We got on the river around 10...thinking the tide had shifted... it was weird... at first it seemed it had, but in other places we were definitely paddling against the current... I still have a lot to learn about tides! 

We got stuck in some shallow areas and had to get out and walk the kayaks... but still worth it!!

We enjoyed the paddle back...

(Remember when returning stay to the far shore across from the pier due to rocks!)


There are few things I would get up at 3:20 in the morning to do... this was well worth it!

 Same place... looks a bit different between sunrise and midday!  

After this paddle I definitely felt like summer!  I was hot... granted it was 90 degrees by the time we were getting off the river... but I had that beachy feel too... salty/sandy combined with a little dehydration!!

This was a great morning! (I think the red kayak enjoyed it... Mom would have loved it!) 


 I think I will now try to find another place to go where I could watch the sunrise...
anyone know of any lakes or rivers where the sunrise is amazing??  (I will bring the strawberry shortcake!!) 

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Sometimes our souls need things that aren't always clear... but I say when you crave something... or get an idea of an experience you want to have... no matter how crazy it sounds or how early you have to get up...  do it!  

For me... when the rest of my life feels chaotic... I REQUIRE being outside in nature... it used to be always kayaking... and this time of year it still is... but I have also been learning to embrace winter activities... which also feed my soul.  I need time to unplug from technology... from work... from other people.. (Even some of MY people who are amazing...)  Sometimes I just need to BE... 

This is the kind of trip where I felt that... being able to breathe... 

I am grateful! 

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