First Paddles and CV19 Reality Check

Snyder Lake

My first paddles this year are late.  Usually, I'd be out breaking ice, drysuit on, hands freezing, but on the water.  Late ice, the job, anxiety over CV....all of it seems to have kept be away.  The refurbished Pack canoe was first-all new paint and repaired and so excited to put it to the test.  My work turned out fine, but paddling a short little boat like that made me realize I have to really perfect paddling solo.   With Snyder Lake just down the road, it's easy to put in there and journey upstream.  My second outing was with the Fusion, a small 10' whitewater/cross boat.  It has a retractable skeg, so I can paddle that pretty efficiently and get where I'm going.  Snyders is part of Wedges Creek and heading upstream 1/2 mile gets you to a shallow stretch not allowing further progress.  It's nice though, with a 100' wall and giant rock tumbled into the sharp corner.  I usually linger there, coast, make a couple pictures, then head back to the lake.

Paddle 3 was at Potters Flowage in the Jackson Co forest.  It's my go to body of water for I can paddle as far or as short as I want.  It's lined with tall white pine and reminds me of Canada in a lot of ways.  Usually I have it all to myself, especially the tributary end (Hawkins Creek, Morrison Creek) on the south where it's narrow. My 18' CD Caribou is the boat of choice for me here-slim, fast and comfortable to paddle in.  I had the water to myself except for one kayaker who pulled up as I slipped into the water.  A few strokes out and I was halfway across the channel-felt so good to be gliding along again.  There is some freedom in that.  Sun was high, slight wind in my face and I headed down to explore the narrow end.

Potters, Heading South

I always make pictures here-it's like I have to.  I shoot more than I'll ever use, but it is such a beautiful place.  Sometimes I don't make a lot of progress as I'm stopping and looking a lot-which isn't a bad thing either.  Some mallards kicked up, then a pair of hooded Mergansers.  A few woodies here and there tucked into tiny back bays.  Turtles slid off logs and mossy humps and a large garder snake did his best to get on board as he swam across the lake.  I'm not a snake guy, so I encourage him to continue.

I'd reached the end and just soaked in the sun a little.  The wind nudged me back the way I came, so the return was pretty effortless.  I poked the nose of the kayak into backwaters here and there and bumped into the other paddler, who, at a distance, crossed to the opposite side of the channel.  Things are different like that now.  I'd asked a couple friends to join me, Mark, my paddling mentor, but he was out of town.  Dave, who I'd asked to maybe connect someplace 1/2 way up north, decided we should probably stay closer to home. #paddlelocal I guess and probably smart.

I dwelled in one back bay at the end.  I have a geocache back there and it's a favorite place where a tiny feeder creek enters. Mossy and green and always some kind of wildlife to see.  This day it was just ducks, but that was fine. Little things.  I shot a couple pictures and then swung around to head to the truck.

The other kayaker was already back, the short plastic boat pulled up to shore.  She was sitting at the base of the tree having a snack.  I landed, and started loading and securing my gear and boat.  Sun was still warming everything and grabbing a beer, sat down next to the waters edge.  The reality of the CV times we are in right now struck me in that moment.  2 fellow paddlers on the same water, staying at extraordinary distances apart.  No words exchanged, which in normal times would have.  Neither of really acknowledged the other, even sitting on shore. I thought how sad we have to be like this.  The small joy I had from being out here was tempered by the day in and day out times we now live in.  Social distancing really sucks, but it has to be done or it'll never be done.

Easter is today as I write this.  Hope for optimism? I'm working on it.  Cold snowy storm moving in later.  That will shut down any first paddles for a while I'm afraid, but it's something I can't control, so I'll just leave that behind. For now.