OVER THE BOW: LAKE NATOMA

The world of life, of spontaneity, the world of dawn and sunset and starlight, the world of soil and sunshine, of meadow and woodland, of hickory and oak and maple and hemlock and pineland forests, of wildlife dwelling around us, of the river and its wellbeing--all of this [is] the integral community in which we live. --- Thomas Berry

I often tell people paddling with me that after we push off onto the water of Lake Natoma we will be experiencing a different world even though we are in the heart of a densely populated urban area. Kayaking through the sloughs never ceases to amaze them of how they can escape into a backyard of nature just minutes from the buzz of city traffic.

The narrow and popular 5-mile lake, part of the California State Parks' Folsom SRA located just east of Sacramento is a haven for wildlife viewing. On just about any day, paddlers can get a close-up view of black-tailed deer, river otters, egrets, herons, hawks, pelicans, beavers and pond turtles. A convocation of eagles just in the past couple of years has taken to nesting on the lake's high banks offering a treat to anyone just to see them soar.

It's no secret that kayaks are an amazing way to view wildlife in their natural habitat. Recently, paddling through the lake's sloughs across from the Negro Bar access it was easy to imagine I was on safari. The early spring season guaranteed me quiet solitude through the trails of slough channels and ponds. I moved along in stealth-like silent around each bend and cranny. Down low just inches off the water if I would see anything it would be almost eye to eye.

"Don’t just look for animals on the water," wrote photographer and paddler Galen Leeds in his blog in 2011, "Look on the immediate shore, but also a little distance onto land. Some of my best wildlife images of raccoons, deer, bobcat, elk, and coyotes all came about while I was kayaking. They don’t necessarily watch the water for dangers and might not notice you if you stay quiet and fairly still. If they do notice you, you are such a different creature from the person that is walking and stomping around, that they generally aren’t as frightened, and can be more curious as to what you may be."

It was late in the afternoon. The warm sunlight had just broken through a thin layer of clouds as I paddled through the narrow ponds and dredge pilings of the lake. I rounded a bend into a large lagoon surrounded by tall horsetail, blackberry bushes with a lone grassy rise overlooking the water when I saw the top of its head and ears. I couldn't believe my luck. It was a bobcat.

Bobcats are one of the four native wildcats to North America. About twice the size of the average house cat, they can be distinguished based on its long legs, large paws and a distinctive black-tipped tail that appears to be “bobbed” or cut off. A stealthy and solitary crepuscular hunter, they primarily prey on rabbits, birds, small game and rodents during dawn and dusk hours.

Although bobcats prefer to inhabit environments with a dense vegetative cover or steep rocky terrain, they are highly adaptable to both wild and urban landscapes. Due to the ever-expanding human population and the destruction of their habitat, their numbers are steadily decreasing each year as reported by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

I pulled my camera out of my PFD while I silently glided closer to where the cat is sitting. It was partially hidden by the knoll and I couldn’t get a clear shot. Quietly and slowly I paddled one stroke. The momentum of the stroke pushed me carefully toward the animal.

As I moved ever closer, the sunbathing wildcat awoke from its solar nap and sat up in a proud posture focusing its attention on me and my moving kayak. Its distinguished jowl-like ruffs on its cheeks and black spotted coat glistened in the sunlight, while its large ears with slight tufts of hair at the tips stood upright giving the wildcat a magnificent regal appearance. Its eyes were gleaming without blinking as it stared back at me with such a powerful look as if the creature was looking deep into my soul.

My 12th paddle day of the year must be my lucky day. You can read about last year's Paddle Day 12 encounter with a bobcat at Lake Clementine in Outside Adventure to the Max.

In Native American mythology, the bobcat is an important character in many of their legends. Rarely seen, these cats took on a mystical quality and possessing great spiritual energy. Because of their elusiveness bobcat alongside the coyote, in their stories are symbolized as the fog and the wind. Mysterious creatures difficult to both see and catch.

I held my breath and my body tighten with pumping adrenaline as gazed upon the big cat through my viewfinder and over my camera willing the moment to last a bit longer. But I was getting too close, the bobcat whole body was now attuned to my presence. As I'm stalking it, it soon was stalking me with its body is low to the ground and hind legs coiled and ready to pounce.

The faceoff ended as quickly as it began. The big cats' predatory gaze at me and my orange kayak faded as it decides, I'm more of a potential threat than I am prey. It quickly vanishes into the safety of the underbrush, while I turn my kayak around and paddle away happily in absolute gratitude for experiencing this lasting wilderness effect in my own backyard.

Over the Bow is a feature from Outside Adventure to the Max, telling the story behind the image. If you have a great picture with a great story, we would love to see it. Submit it to us at nickayak@gmail.com

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