High Above the Water

The traffic report started with "spotty fog around local waterways" but no back ups at the tunnel I needed to use. The sun hadn't yet risen as I hopped into the car and started for Hampton Roads Executive airport, to meet Rolf and William. Rolf is a volunteer pilot with SouthWings who will be taking William and me up for a flight to see tidal flooding from the air. William works at Wetlands Watch who organized this flight, among several others, and organizes the Catch the King Tide (CTK) events. I've been participating in CTK since it 2017 and a local tide captain for the last several years. Last year I was offered the opportunity to witness the King Tide from the air. I had helped the Wetlands Watch coordinator pick some good spots on the Lower Peninsula to see the flooding. Unfortunately, last year we had a large storm when my flight was scheduled so we had to cancel it. I did appreciate my pilot's openness discussing it with me and consideration for our safety when deciding to cancel.

Fog bank as we depart the airport

Since the traffic wasn't backed up, I arrived about 20 minutes early to the airport. As I waited for Rolf's plane, I watched the fog settle on the runway hiding the trees across the runway. A couple of minutes after the planned meeting time, Rolf arrived. The fog had eased enough for him to land but taking off would be right into the fog. William had also arrived and brought pastries so, as we waited for the fog to dissipate a bit more, we three sat and chatted about the flight plan and what William and I wanted to see. After just 15 minutes of delay, visibility was improving so we loaded up Rolf's plane and took off. 

We weren't the only ones waiting for the fog to lift to take off

The fog was still heavy over Chesapeake and Suffolk so we couldn't see much as the flight started. Approaching the James River, the James River bridge and Newport News shipbuilding come into view. Rolf continues up the James River and I'm getting views of some of the spots I go to for tide mapping in Newport News. Just west of Ft Eustis we turn north and cross the Peninsula headed to Gloucester Point. 

The James River bridge poking out from under the fog.
The peninsula, our target, is largely fog-free

A small marsh along the Warwick river. 

The York River was totally fogged in so we couldn't see the Coleman Bridge, which we apparently flew right over, or VIMS, where all the mapping data goes. However, the fog is just along the river; as we fly out towards the Chesapeake Bay the sky is clear and we can see Guinea Marsh. 

Some of the houses in Guinea with water and marsh on all sides

I live on the edge of a marsh on the next peninsula over and frequently experience flooding near the house and on select local roads.  My experience with that really makes me wonder about living on Guinea marsh where the houses are completely surrounded, and no alternate route exists in the case of tidal flooding.

The tides across the region today are running just below minor flood level and we are flying just after the morning's high tide. We can clearly see the marshes are flooded as the sun glints off the water in amongst the grass outside the well-cut channels. It is hard to imagine what this looked like just a few days ago when the tides were a foot higher.

The broad expanse of marsh in Gloucester 

Flooded marsh; notice all the water outside the channel

Turning south we follow the Chesapeake Bay along more marsh, across the York River, and some serious coastal buildup through York County. As we leave York County and approach Poquoson, Rolf checks in again with air traffic control and finds out that Langley Air Force Base has planes flying so we need to climb up to be well above their approach path. It is a bit unfortunate as this is getting to my "home turf" and I'm hoping for really good views of where I normally map. But the higher altitude doesn't affect the view too much. William remarks on the stretch of homes reach out into marshes at Messick Point in Poquoson. Again, these people live right in the middle of the water. Back during Hurricane Isabel, almost the entire town of Poquoson flooded. Seeing the town from above demonstrates how surrounded by water and marsh they are.

The town of Poquoson and the few roads with houses extending through the marshes.
The Langley runway is in the upper right corner

The Back river separating Hampton (top) from Poquoson (bottom)

From here we turn across Hampton. I see several spots right in the middle of town that are flooded due to the snaking creeks leading inland. This gives me ideas of new places to see if I can get to to map. As we cross the James River heading back to the airport, we again encounter the fog which breaks up just before we get to the airport. Good visibility for the landing but no insight into what Chesapeake and Suffolk look like from above.  

Hampton along the bay including Buckroe Beach (former resort and amusement park) and Fort Monroe

Hampton Coliseum sits on a stretch of the Back river

A big thanks to everyone at Wetlands Watch and SouthWings for the opportunity and to Rolf for the safe, smooth, and insightful flight.

The end of the adventure

'Til next time, enjoy the outdoors wherever you are. If you like what you read here, consider subscribing to blog announcements over on the right and leave me a comment. Thanks for reading!