It has been a relatively mild winter in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Most of the snow is gone, only icy patches cling to the low and dark places in the forest. Easter cross country skiing is definitely out of the question. But, the sun is shining and the temperature is in the upper fifties. The thin layer of ice that covered the lake this morning is all but gone. Time for the first kayak of the season.
I retrieve my paddle from the cabin and drag my bright green kayak from its winter storage spot in the garage down to the lake. I’m so excited to be out on the lake again, I’m like a kid in a candy store. I laugh at those icy patches of snow. The lake is beautiful in the afternoon sunshine. A pair of trumpeter swans swim gracefully on the far side of the lake. They won’t mind sharing.
The winter has not been kind to the dock. The water level is high. The dock is leaning and partially underwater. I slide my kayak into the lake next to the crooked dock. With unconcerned confidence, I place one pink hiking boot in my kayak. The other boot is still on the dock. A moment of doubt crosses my mind as I lift my foot off the dock. But it’s too late, my kayak has already started to roll. SPLASH!!!!
And for a split second, I’m sitting on the bottom of the lake. Up to my neck in a very cold, ice just melted off it, lake. My heart is pounding. I jump up. The lake, surprised at my sudden, unexpected arrival, spits me back on shore. The swans, also surprised at my splash and subsequent rant lift off the lake and honk at me as I dash, dripping, squishing and swearing, back to the cabin. I’m surprised at how very wet I am. I was only in the lake for half a second – how can I be soaked to the skin.
My heart doesn’t stop pounding until I’ve stripped off my soaked and muddy clothes and I’m standing in a very hot shower. I’m proud to say, I don’t think about my iPhone, which is in my jacket pocket and went into the lake with me, until I’m out of the shower, warm and dressed. At least my self-preservation is stronger than my iPhone attachment. Thankfully, all that is hurt is my pride and my expectations (my phone is okay too). I cure my hurt pride by deciding to blame the dock for my clumsiness, I cure my lost expectations by heading stubbornly back out to the lake, climbing, with a little help this time, into the red kayak, because the seat on mine is soaked, and I go for my paddle in the sunshine.
I love kayaking and we have included it in many of our vacations. We enjoy flat water kayaking – which means no rapids and, expect were crocked docks are concerned, no going in the water. We kayak on lakes and slow moving rivers. We’ve kayaked in Grand Teton National Park, putting in at String Lake and kayaking to the western edge of Leigh Lake. It was probably one of the most remote places we’ve kayaked. In the Canadian Rockies, we took a spectacular morning paddle on Lake Louise. Starting at the historic Fairmont Château Lake Louise and kayaking to the far side of the lake just as the sun crested the peaks of the surrounding mountains. Also in the Canadian Rockies, we took an adventuresome paddle on Bow Lake where a mother grizzle and her cubs watched us from the shore. “Um, how fast can bears swim?” I ask Andy. Another beautiful mountain lake was in Maligne Lake near Jasper, Alberta, Canada. But I don’t need surrounding mountains and bears, any quiet lake is a great place for a paddle. A beautiful place for a paddle in the UP is at Widewaters off highway H13. Start at the campground and paddle up the Indian River, past Fish Lake and into Bar Lake. Exploring Fish Lake is a nice add-on to this adventure.
A little about kayaking gear…
We purchased out first kayaks, 2 Perception tandems, over 25 years ago. We used them to kayak with our kids. Over the years we’ve added to our kayak collection. The tandems were too long and difficult to paddle independently so we bought two single kayaks. My little green kayak is a 10’ Perception kayak designed for smaller paddlers. The red kayak is a 12’ Current Designs kayak from LL Bean. We originally purchased a heavier, less expensive kayak, but quickly replaced it with the Current Design one.
Last year, tired of taking the kayaks on and off the roof of the car, we purchased two Oru kayaks. One Beach LT for Andy, and one Bay ST for me. Andy likes the bigger open cockpit of the Beach and I prefer the closed, more protective cockpit of the Bay. Unfolding and refolding these kayaks is an adventure in and of itself and takes a little practice.
Most of our paddles are the basic aluminum and plastic versions. Except for mine. It is a beautiful Bending Branches brand with a carbon shaft and basswood and red alder blades. One of the best Christmas presents I ever got. I love the feel of the carbon shaft on my hands and watching the wood blades as they dip in and out of the water.
We have basic inflatable life jackets that are slim to kayak in but inflate if they get wet. I have to admit, I wasn’t wearing my life jacket when I fell in the lake – our lake is shallow and so I usually paddle without it. Might be a good idea to start wearing it.
I also have a handy waterproof pouch for my phone, which I didn’t have my phone in because it was at home with my summer gear as I had planned on skiing, not kayaking.
If you get a chance to get out and do some kayaking – I highly recommend it. Just watch your footing on crooked docks.
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