Foggy River Mornings

Sunrise on the North Landing River

The weather had been warmer than usual for a few weeks—at least, warm for the month of March in Virginia. With more minutes of sunlight each day, the black waters of the North Landing River were warming up quickly. On this particular morning, however, there was a hard chill in the air. Because the air was cold and the water warm, I had set my alarm for 04:30; I had to be on the water at least an hour before sunrise.

Of all the seasons and moods of the river, fog is my absolute favorite. There is something about the intense quiet, absolute stillness, and hushed beauty that makes me long for it. When it happens—as it often does when there is a large temperature difference between the air and the water—I rush to it if I can.

On this day, I had the river, the fog, and the magic to myself. There was only one pickup truck in the boat ramp parking lot - mine. Before twilight, I was heading north on the river, giddy with expectation for the beauty I knew would arrive in less than an hour. A thick fog enveloped the river from bank to bank, spilling over and creeping onto the surrounding marsh and pocosins. With each passing minute, the light changed and painted the sky as a new masterpiece and reflected off the dark water as the fog danced and flowed. It was a perfect, foggy morning on a blackwater river in the South.

Schedule your ecotour with Moore To See Photo Expeditions to explore this environmental wonderland.