kayaking in Huntington Beach State Park

If you’re a fan of kayaking like I am, you probably enjoy the sensation of  of gliding across the water and feeling the gentle waves below you. Well I discovered a different sensation while kayaking  through Huntington Beach Sate Park, near Myrtle Beach.  I felt it shortly after I started paddling and felt something stuck  on my paddle. It was smelly, greenish brown  and it’s called pluff mud.

A pelican posing

Out guides explained that pluff mud was part of the unique joys of paddling through salt marshes.  This thick mud has been known to pull off boots, shoes and paddles that have been stuck in it. Suffice it to say, I really built up my biceps between the pluff mud and spartina cord grass during the two hour tour. Black River Outdoors Center guides kayakers through  the marshes and salt water creeks of Huntington State Park and it’s a really unique tour.  We paddled through Drunken Jack Island, which is supposed to harbor Black Beard’s treasures and I spotted pelicans, ospreys and herons, though not the alligators that are supposed to hang around the marsh. I highly recommend waterproof pants for the tour because all that splashing doesn’t just land on the kayak.   All that paddling works up an appetite so make your way to Bliss Restaurant and Lounge for a relaxed and elegant lunch. Try the pan-seared flounder with prosciutto hash.

Photos courtesy of Rosalind Cummings-Yeates