What I thought the Dismal Swamp was going to be like and what I saw are polar opposites. First off, the water is brown and very still. The canal (the section we traveled) is very narrow, but most alarming is that the average depth is only six feet (we draw 4.2ft). It is surrounded by gorgeous trees, the occasional otter, bird and even a cow!
This swamp was once a popular spot to harvest lumber for ship building. The canal was dug by hand some 200 years ago, to transport the removal of the lumber out of the swamp. Hundreds years later the swamp became the property of the United States Government and now is a state park.
The way we decided to travel through the canal was to stay a good 1/4 mile behind our buddy boat. They draw less than we do so we sent them through first. There are a lot of trees that are submerged in these waters and the risk of hitting them is high. We chose to stay overnight to enjoy the experience and hoped to spot the mysterious lady in a canoe ghost (Sad to report we did not see any ghostes)! We arrived at the visitor center, where there is a free dock, early afternoon and enjoyed lunch and dinner on the boat. Ben and I took Crocket for a nice walk on the boardwalk and spotted a shrew, well it was dead but still we saw one!
I did not want to travel this way, as there is another option heading north, all I could think about is running into a tree stump and hitting a prop. We already went through this and the cost and time it caused us was not something we wanted to repeat. But, the adventurous side of us was saying "Do it!" Many others have and some with a deeper drafts than us...so we did it! We did experience 3 bumps on our way through mostly something hitting the hull or keel...I never like to hear that sound! We made it without any damages!
Many people travel by boat through the swamp canal every year, traveling approximately 24 miles through two locks and two bridges to experience the beauty and serenity the swamp provides. It even smells amazing...weird, I know! I believe it is a combination of the flowers and the smell from the trees seeping in the water. It is something special.
We are very happy we did this and can now say, We survived the Dismal Swamp!
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| Waiting with four other boats to go through the lock |
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| A little music while waiting! |
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| The gorgeous stillness of the water was very calming |
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| Chicken and salad for lunch |
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| Docked, actually rafted off another boat, at the Dismal Swamp Visitor Center |
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| Our walk along the boardwalk |
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| Dinner in the swamp! |
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| I was shocked to see cattle along the way |
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| The superintendents house from years ago. |
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| Going through our last lock the lock master had to borrow our conch!! |
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