by
Phil Rowe
So all right, I spelled camping wrong. Call it literary license, but it gets me to the point of this piece. What I'd like to tell you about are the joys of combining these two activities.
My kayaking pleasure is touring, not running white-water hoping to avoid crashes into rocks. That's for those many years younger than I. This writer is strictly a flat water sailor and now in my mid-60's. I relish the leisurely paddling of my stable and comfortable sea kayak in quiet waters. That's where you can see nature's wonders "up close and personal".
There are few ways to see wildlife as delightfully as in a smoothly gliding silent kayak. Ease your craft through shallow waters, in and among the cat tails, reeds and shoreline grasses. There you'll see waterfowl, turtles, frogs and fish undisturbed in their natural settings. Focus your camera on those beautiful creatures and get photos others seldom can.
A nesting duck sits motionless, hoping you will not see or disturb her. You pass by, pausing only for a glimpse of chicks or hatchlings emerging from eggs in the tall grasses. If you avoid sudden moves and stay silent, she will not be startled or take flight.
Up ahead a pair of herons perch on a fallen tree, its trunk dipping into the water. Nervously they eye your approach, but somehow sense that you mean no harm. Only the click of your camera shutter finally causes them to leave. You are disappointed, for a good look and a few photos is all you wanted. How could they know that? Yet you marvel at their graceful flight.
You notice a bit of lighter colored lake bottom in the shallow waters beneath your craft. On closer inspection you discover two rainbow trout moving back and forth over the area. Could they bepreparing a place to lay eggs? Your silent presence and slowly gliding kayak does not cause them to flee. How beautiful they are.
Closer to the shore, amongst the reeds you see a cluster of frog's eggs, many appearing to flutter as baby tadpoles struggle to escape the sticky mass. Some are more mature than others. A few are free of their incubator gel and circle through the adjacent reeds. Only the very shallow water protects them from predator fish lurking in the depths farther out.
You pause to wonder at and experience the beauty of creatures and scenes others usually miss. Those who zip across a lake or river in noisy power boats seldom realize what they've passed. Too bad, because there is so much to marvel at in those special places.
As the sun begins to set and shadows lengthen across the lake, you ease your craft upon the beach. You've chosen a camping site near the water's edge and close enough to hear the waves lapping on the shore. Tonight that will soothe your soul and make you realize how precious is your bond with nature and the world around you.
How lucky you are to combine the pleasures of camping and kayak exploration of these backwaters others miss. Beside a crackling campfire you reflect on the things you have seen. And later, when your pictures are developed, you will re-live the joy and adventure of this day.