The Great Dismal Swamp

Finally, after 3 days in Elizabeth City, we got to continue our journey and start the Great Dismal Swamp route. As it was cold and misty/rainy today the name seemed very appropriate. There's alot of history about this manmade cut between North Carolina and Virginia. George Washington, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson and some other investors decided to form a company to have the cut made in order to harvest the abundant timber from this unique primeval forest and be able to easily transport it. It was started in 1793 and finished in 1805, an arduous task done by hand, with heat, humidity, mosquitoes and snakes adding to the difficulty. This work was done by slaves - the few freemen were paid, otherwise the slaves were on loan from the investors. This historic canal is now recognized as part of the National Underground Railroad and noted as a former sanctuary for runaway slaves seeking freedom.

We got through the first of over 140 locks we will traverse during this trip. The pictures show the depth when we entered, the lock filling with water, and the height when we left. for those of you who don't know about locks, they are like a water lift to get you from one place to another, either higher or lower depending on which way you're going.