A Work in Progress

The cooler weather, the fact that the mini is currently out of service, an I have to take the truck to work has gotten me back on the kayaking bandwagon.  It had been far too long since my last sojurn to the lake.  I can measure how long it's been by how easily I can get the rack and kayak on the truck.  It's also been the first time I've regularly taken the new fancy cam on the water, and I'm pretty pleased with the results.  I don't really know why this deserves it's own post.  I think I just feel bad for september. 

Cov kayak time!

Today we saw a bald eagle while kayaking. Well, basically, awesome.

On Friday I took ACLS refresher. It was unrelated to the rest of the weekend. When I got home in the afternoon I rode the bike about 14 miles and up two of my greatest nemesis hills. On Saturday I slept in and in the afternoon C and I kayaked about 10 miles. It doesn't seem like much, but it is a long way in a kayak. In fact, I hadn't done that much in one session in probably two years. It was a beautiful day for it. We had been following a canoe of three people and a little trolling motor. They headed back to the put in about 10 minutes before we did and we arrived back right before they did. This was a great source of consternation and amusement for all of us. It felt awesome, and afterward we had a very nice and unexpected dinner with some old friends. On Sunday we got up early and drove to Shenandoah National Park. We hiked the 8.8 mile loop to the summit of Old Rag (3291 feet) which includes a "strenuous rock scramble" to get to the top. Of course, he f...

Kayak time.

The outdoor season is now in full swing. C and I have been kayaking and biking and are having a contest to see who can kill who first with our favorite hobbies. I think he's winning as on our last bike trip I had my first proper, slow-mo, nearly over the handlebars crash. I survived with bruises, but was thrilled to wreck, as I feel it's a rite of passage to real mountain biking. We've gone kayaking a few times as well, and yesterday I found a few bottles floating in the lake, and then a recycle bin to put them in! Here are some more pics.

1st paddle of the season!

Wind chilled wet hands steady the paddle against the wind, rhythmically slicing it into the choppy waters. The swell pushes me forward clumsily, as the spray leaps into my face. I am exhilarated, nervous, excited. The everyday produces a hard shell. Too many interactions with lifeless people. But here out on the water, I am freed. I shout it to the trees, to the heron in flight above me, to the sandy shoreline. I can still feel. My fears are put aside for one more day.

And there it was, the huge osprey that I had seen earlier exiting the water clutching a fish. I had been scanning the trees in the hopes of finding the bird and found it to be as awesome as I had imagined. It has been a good day for wildlife. I stalked about eight wood ducks for half an hour, without real photographic success. I saw a couple of blue herons, a kingfisher, and a green heron which I had never seen before (and is actually not very green at all). I also spotted a female hooded merganser; a fish eating small duck with a fro. Early morning kayak trips are paying off. The world is waking up and I am there to witness it. The mountains are green again, and the weather is perfect. Every few minutes I get a waft of fresh blooms. All around me I hear different bird calls. I wish I could distinguish them. I'll have to work on that but I have now learned the noise that wood ducks make, a very distinctive low whistle. I'm also working on the pictures. I have to learn not to ge...

Caution: theology ahead. I was finally kayaking again. With the truck back, and the weather cooperating, I was back on the water, and it felt great. I went to a lake that is relatively new to me. It’s pretty big, with plenty to explore, and tons of great flora and fauna. My trip took an oddly philosophical turn. I was in the middle of the lake, paddling along, and I was suddenly struck with emotion. I felt so full of sorrow, and unexpectedly, I found myself asking God for help. Help for everything; to be unafraid, to move on, to be the person I want to be, to trust again. I poured out my fears to Him. I asked for forgiveness for the first time in my life. Forgiveness for being such a fool, forgiveness for all the mistakes I’ve made, for not fulfilling my potential. I was paddling, and crying, and praying. Frankly, activities I rarely combine. Even though most of what I was feeling was remorse and sadness, there was hope too. I could feel it. What is odd, is that I don’...

My last weekend in New Hampshire was a rainy one. Not quite as much rain as last spring in southern NH, but enough rain to destroy roads, flood houses, and generally make a mess. I drove around on the second day of rain trying to get pictures of a nearby river, but all the roads around it were closed due to its flooding. The next day, I went to work and probably had the coolest call ever. Wait, time for a little more set up. There is a river in our town that is considered “running” at 6,000cfs (cubic feet per second) and “very high” at 11,000cfs. While I was at work that day, it was running about 25-30,000cfs. Needless to say, that’s ridiculously high and fast. We were still at the hospital after a call when our next one came in for a river rescue. Not only a river rescue, but one involving three kayakers. I must admit I was pretty excited. So excited, I drove to the staging area in about 3 minutes. The details were limited, but apparently some kind citizen had seen two ove...

I’ve come to terms with the fact that the flatwater kayaking season is basically over. Although it’s warmish during the days, all of the lakes are currently sporting a nice layer of ice. Also, I don’t yet own a proper dry top, or wet suit. In celebration of the kayak season ending, I bought a new Werner paddle. It is awesome, made of carbon, 210cm long, two pieces, beautiful, and weighs about a pound and a half. I don’t want to wait until spring to use it, oh well. Until then, I’ll just admire it, and pet it, and air-paddle with it. I should mount it on the wall, or above the fireplace like a prized rifle. By the way, a new paddle is not the most exciting thing to go on as of late, just the simpler entry to write. Ooh, according to my counter, the ole blog has received more than 10,000 hits, sweet! That's also not the most exciting thing to go on as of late, but a close second! Tomorrow is my one year anniversary with the truck! I think I'll take it out to dinner, o...

A new batch of photos for you today, mostly of, well, the new boat of course! The fun we had trying to kill ourselves on the ocean, and some other fun stuff! Kayak Spots New Hampshire The Truck

On Monday we went to the beach. We spent 4 hours hopping over waves and surfing (sometimes successfully, sometimes not so successfully). I learned that it’s great fun when the nose of the kayak is being forced underwater by the power of the wave, forcing you to accept your fate of being rolled up into the wave. But the new boat did well, and when I timed it right, the surfing was all it was cracked up to be and more! Although, it’s a lot harder than it looks. I killed my arms and abs trying to keep the boat straight as the waves pushed us forward surprisingly fast. Needless to say there was salt and sand everywhere, and we had to spend lots of time hosing everything down, and I still think I’ll find sand somewhere we didn’t think of in a few weeks. Tuesday we took the Pisgah and a borrowed 16 footer out on a huge lake in Manchester. The boat proved fast, straight, smooth, and generally fantastic.

14 feet long, 23.5 inches wide, 55 lbs, 9000+ cubic inches of storage, pro flex backband, adjustable foot braces, deck bungees, bow and stern hatches, recessed anodized aluminum deck hardware, all standard features on the new, royal blue rotomolded polyethylene kayak. Yes, an unexpected and yet welcome acquisition, to what you could now call, the fleet. Research was carried out covertly and an ingenious plan was hatched and set in motion just a few short days ago. First, it seemed worth the $150 shipping just to see how a 14 foot long 50lb box would be delivered. Then, through a series of unforeseen events, a friend from home (where ironically the boat was readily available) found out he was able to come visit. “Hmm, you’re coming up here?” “Yes.” “And you’re driving?” “Yes.” “And you have that kayak rack you bought a while back?” “Yes.” “And you love to go shop around at that nice outdoor store?” “Yes.” “I’m hatching an ingenious plan…” (drums fingertips together, and laughs m...

Lily pads dance on the surface of the wind blown water. A pair of loons dive for fish, and a heron flies over without a sound. The sun breaks through the clouds forming odd shapes on the trees and water. The silence is complete but for the wind blowing through the trees and the rhythmic splash of the paddle. A lone kayaker is able to find zen, completely in love with the world. To think, I almost didn’t go today because I forgot my paddle at home.

Let me start at the beginning for you. I used to live a posh life, in a penthouse apartment outside of Baltimore. Maybe once a week or so I got to go out and play in a great river, bay, or lake. Then, one day, everything in the apartment was gone, and I found myself being driven somewhere. I caught a last glimpse of the patapsco river on the way out of town. When we arrived, back at Ellie’s house, I realize, I’m left outside, to be subjected to the elements and unwanted inhabitants. Finally, I was carried down the driveway and into a huge truck, and subsequently forced to tolerate a bumpy and hot 10 hour drive. Since our arrival in New Hampshire, I think, I have been cooped up in a dank basement; for nearly three weeks now! I’ve watched sunny days come and go, watched downpours outside, knowing that back in Baltimore, this would be a good indication of an impending trip. But nothing! I’ve only seen Ellie and some other people come and go, leaving me, forgotten. Then, today I was feelin...

So, Ewing bought a new boat. Not like we really need an excuse to go out on the water but, new kayaks help. It was a bit of a brisk day, and the water was lower than usual making me wish that kopapa was equipped with a rock-crusher of some sort. Rocks on a shallow river not only get you stuck, sending you into a fit of rage, they also sometimes jump out in front of you. They should know that kayaks have the river right of way, but no. They’ll pop up when you least expect, causing you to be tossed one way or another, scraping the crap out of the hull, or in the case of Ewing and the new kayak, cause you to capsize. A particularly large rock jumped out of the water and grabbed the new kayak, forcing it underwater like a possessed marine animal, or something like that. After my initial shock, I grabbed his now rogue paddle and made my way to where he had finally emerged from the roughly 38 degree water. I had a towel so he could dry off a bit, and out of the kindness of my heart I...

On Friday, I had a clinical, it was boring. Seriously, nothing exciting happened. On Saturday it snowed, finally. We all went out to dinner and I volunteered to drive, as I’ve been waiting for a chance to test my 4x4. Have I mentioned lately that I love my truck? Let me say now that 4-wheel drive is the greatest advancement in winter travel since the ski. I’m blown away by the fact that I can accelerate and brake in snow, and brake! Awesome. The testing of the 4-wheel drive of also consisted of ahem uh, doing donuts in the school parking lots. cough! You haven’t lived until you’ve driven sideways, on purpose . On Sunday we did all kinds of snowy activities. Ewing, CJ, and I went hiking in a nearby state park, down to a broken dam on one of my favorite rivers. The snow was pretty deep in places, and made for an absolutely beautiful trek through the trees. Between the light snow and the flowing, yet tumultuous waters, I found my Zen spot; but was knocked out of it abruptly...

Last week I reported a fire, was disappointed by the real world, learned a little rain goes a long way, had the best time kayaking ever, decided to find and then pull the reins of time, and learned something in class. I guess some of that deserves an explanation. We went kayaking last week, this time over a little stretch of the patapsco river. Just as we pulled up to our usual launch spot, Ewing noticed an abandoned semi trailer near the river was on fire. About an hour later we were in the water after calling 911, escorting the engine to our remote location, watching them put out the fire, and giving our names to the police. The kayaking was certainly worth the wait. It had rained the night before raising the water level at least 7 inches. Awesomeness ensued. We didn’t hit any rocks, played in some fun whitewater, and finished a usually 2 hour trip in about an hour and 15 minutes. The only downfall was that it was, well, February, and when the water splashed up to my chi...