I loaded a previous track into my GPS to show the circuitous route through Rubis Creek into the lush hidden valley I love to visit. The little creek heading up the valley looks like any other branch off the main channel, so following a previous track prevents embarrassments when you’re leading a group, in this case a BASK paddle on our annual January Monterey Weekend.

As we headed up the slough past Seal Bight, there was only one problem. Where was the marsh? Where was Rubis Creek?

What lay before us was not a marsh with creeks winding through pickleweed, but an expansive glassy lake. The marsh and creeks were completely submerged by the highest tide of 2019. The scene below on the return paddle is more what we’re used to seeing.

As you can see in the GPS track, below, of our paddle, we were able to trace the edges of the hills on our way up the slough. On our return that afternoon at a lower tide level, we kept to the channels.

The Elkhorn Slough Foundation made a time-lapse video that very day of the extreme drop in tide level. They also publish a State of the Estuary Report with some interesting data. It appears that the population of sea otters upstream of the route 1 bridge has been stable in recent years at about 100 individuals, indicating they may have reached their carrying capacity since arriving in the 1990s. Perhaps not such good news is that the elevation of the marsh surface is not keeping pace with local sea level rise.

We took advantage of the high tide and good access to the furthest reaches of shoreline to clean up accumulated trash, mostly plastic. Also recovered was an auto tire and an old buoy.

We stopped for lunch at Kirby Park, partially flooded by the tide. By the time we departed, the ebb current had cranked up to speed us back. A detour through Rubis Creek was a completely different experience as the marshes had reappeared to confine us to the creek channels. All in all, a particularly fine day on the slough. More photos in my Lightroom album.