a three day kayaking trip last week that connected the Roanoke and Cashie Rivers and Broad and Cut Cypress Creeks. I didn't get photos of the most memorable moment of the trip. On the second evening, I came across a gathering of hundreds vultures on an electrical tower shortly after encountering the snakes. The massive birds responded to my presence and rearranged themselves. Their wings flapped loudly and their talons rapped the steal. Further down the river, an extremely tall and beautiful cloud was lit gold and pink by the setting sun but I knew that it was bringing thunderstorms. Half an hour later the vertical column of the cloud seemed to have turned sideways, stretching west and revealing a train of dark grey clouds pouring rain. Suddenly, it was dark even though there were two more hours of sun left in the day. As I turned a bend to paddle up Broad creek to my campsite for the night, I saw white wings flapping against a grey backdrop that looked like light reflecting off waves. It was hard to believe but it was a flock of egrets flying Northwest as if to avoid the impending storm. As I paddled closer they just kept coming. They numbered well into the hundreds. I had no idea they flew in such large flocks. As I paddled under them, I heard an increasingly loud wooshing sound. Having spent time listening to the vultures I thought perhaps I was hearing the flap of their wings even though they have always flown silently in my experience. I looked ahead and realized it was not them. I was paddling into what I can only describe as a wall of rain. While the water around me was perfectly still, before me it was pouring. As I paddled into it, the back of my boat was dry while the front was getting pounded. So I began counting Mississippis between thunder and lightning and paddled like mad against the current, along the bank, ripping up lily pads for the last mile of the day. I don't like paddling in thunderstorms but it really wakes you up, clears your head out and puts you in your place and the relief when you make it to land afterwards is all the more satisfying.