George Washington first proposed draining the swamp in 1763 and the Dismal Swamp Canal was started to provide an important commercial route linking Virginia with the relatively isolated North-eastern North Carolina.Opened to traffic in 1805, it is the oldest hand-dug waterway in the United States still in use today and is part of the ICW. It is subject to frequent closings if there is insufficient rainfall to maintain the depth of the canal and was closed when we travelled south in the fall.We left Elizabeth City 
and travelled through the narrow Upper Pasquotank River 
to the South Mills Lock which raised us 8 feet. The Corps of Engineers 
clears the canal of downed trees and stumps but we still had to keep a sharp lookout for branches and stumps in the water.
Either the Corps of Engineers hadn’t gotten to the Dismal Swamp or else they had skipped many stumps. The worse ones were those that looked like there was only a little branch on top of the water but just under the water, there was a large stump.
As we drifted through the canal it seemed timeless,
as if we were in an ancient primeval forest comprised mainly of tall cypress and cedar trees. Unfortunately the area was logged extensively from 1760’s to the 1950’s with cypress cut for shipbuilding and cedar for shingles. In many areas there was extensive vegetation near the canal itself but you could see flat fields behind the trees.
It is a real shame that humans take so little care of the environment!
and travelled through the narrow Upper Pasquotank River 
to the South Mills Lock which raised us 8 feet. The Corps of Engineers 
clears the canal of downed trees and stumps but we still had to keep a sharp lookout for branches and stumps in the water.
Either the Corps of Engineers hadn’t gotten to the Dismal Swamp or else they had skipped many stumps. The worse ones were those that looked like there was only a little branch on top of the water but just under the water, there was a large stump.
As we drifted through the canal it seemed timeless,
as if we were in an ancient primeval forest comprised mainly of tall cypress and cedar trees. Unfortunately the area was logged extensively from 1760’s to the 1950’s with cypress cut for shipbuilding and cedar for shingles. In many areas there was extensive vegetation near the canal itself but you could see flat fields behind the trees.
It is a real shame that humans take so little care of the environment!In 1973 the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge was created and thankfully it is being preserved for future generations.
Surprisingly, we saw few indications of wildlife aside from the occasional bird or turtle. 
There was Papa Turtle, Mama Turtle and several little turtles following Mama.Perhaps the animal know better than to show themselves to humans. Just before we entered the Wildlife Refuge, we came across what looked to be a target for shooting.
If I was a wild animal, I would hide too. We did see a snake slithering through the water. Corning later identified it as a moccasin.
We reached the Visitor Welcome Centre mid afternoon and rafted with Blessed Spirit. 
A large Visitor Centre has been newly built across the canal from the Welcome Centre. Both sides of the canal are connected by a unique pedestrian swing bridge. 
There is an operator on duty and the bridge is swung open whenever one wants to cross. The Visitor Centre features, among other things, displays and exhibits about the history of the Dismal Swamp and the wildlife within the area. It is interactive and we correctly identified deer tracks, bear droppings etc. We were just going to walk on the large boardwalk to the nature trail when the park attendant told us that the Centre was closing due to severe weather and a tornado warning.We hurried back across the bridge and checked Noah, the National Weather Service we receive via the VHF radio, and yes there was a tornado alert. It had been overcast all day but now the winds increased and it started to rain hard. The four of us tied many lines to secure the boats.
Corning checked out the restroom building; we decided that we would be safer on our boat than in the restroom. We unplugged all electronics and determined that our boat, being steel, would be safer in case of a lightning strike. Corning subscribes to XM weather on his Garmin and we huddled, on our boat, around the Garmin watching the line of the storm. We could see what we thought were five tornados and we feared that one was heading straight for us. As the dark clouds raced towards us, it became deadly calm. The wind died down and the rain became much lighter. We thought this reflected the expression “the calm before the storm” as we waited and waited and waited and nothing happened. The storm had past by us. We later heard that the tornado struck less than 15 miles from where we were. Two hundred people were injured, three died and there were still several people unaccounted for two days after the storm when we watched the devastation on TV in Norfolk, Virginia. We realized that if the tornado had indeed touched down where we were, all the preparations would have been for nought. Nothing can withstand that force. Certainly not some boat lines!
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