BOATHOUSE DAYS, MY FIFTH SUMMER ON LAKE JENKINSON PART I

May the light that reflects on water be this wild prayer. May water lift us with its unexpected strength. May we find comfort in the "repeated refrains of nature," the softly sheltering snow, the changing seasons, the return of blackbirds to the marsh. May we find strength in light that pours in under snow and laughter that breaks through tears. May we go out into the light-filled snow, among meadows in bloom, with gratitude for life that is deep and alive. May Earth's fire burn in our hearts, and may we know ourselves part of this flame--one thing, never alone, never weary of life. ---Kathleen Dean Moore

It's been 5 years since I started working lakeside at the boathouse on Lake Jenkinson, renting out kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards to anyone who wanted to come out and paddle the lake. I have weathered a few storms, seen a lifetime of sunny days, and had way too many smokey days. I've seen enough water in the lake to paddle almost right up to the park's waterfall, and I have grimaced after seeing the lake level drop and drop and drop during these last few years of drought.

 

This year, I was happy to be back on the water at Sly Park Recreation Area's picturesque upper part of Lake Jenkinson near Pollock Pines, California, to start the season again at Sly Park Paddle Rentals. We had been unceremoniously closed in August of 2021 when the Caldor Fire raged nearby, forced evacuations, and closed the park for the rest of our summer.
When I opened the boathouse last May, I had high hopes for the season. And why not? The lake was sitting at 81% percent, Sly Park Falls was flowing strong, and I even had to bail out four nearly sunk canoes filled with rainwater after several inches of rainfall. Let's just say canoes make great rain gages.
Cool and cloudy mornings might not have been great for kayak rentals, but they allowed me to get everything for the upcoming season, while late evening paddles around the lake gave me a chance to get reacquainted with favorite spots at the lake.

Sunday, May 22...We are back on the lake today, open for business! It was a slow start with only a few reservations, but I took advantage of my time in the morning to clean up the boathouse and put everything in order. Also, later on, I bought down a boat from the parking lot along with a bunch of kids' PFDs. We will be needing more PFDs for adults, however.
The lake looks great to start the season. It is sitting at 81%. I also hear the waterfall is back, which is great for our paddling guests. I'll have to go up there and check it out next weekend when I'm here again.  

Friday, May 27...Well, we're kicking off summer and the Memorial Day weekend. It's a cool morning with a haze of clouds overhead. I brought up some adult PFDs and another boat today. The Ride Pescadores are very popular with my renting customers because they are so stable.
Last Sunday, I took a paddle up to the waterfall, or at least I tried to get there. The lake is 81% percent. While that's nice, it's not nearly full as it should be. A red bathtub ring borders the water and trees. I paddled past the buoys holding back fire debris but couldn't get much further. Sly Park Creek was a rocky rushing stream of water. So, I had to hike up the trail the rest of the way. Winding through the trees, I got a good view of Sly Park Creek as I walked to the waterfall. Past the bridge, I could hear the rumbling along with a group of men laughing and talking while standing under the fall. Knowing how cold it was, I wondered how anyone could stand to submerge themselves in the falls. Yikes! It's cold.
The water poured over the falls in white coursing foam. It thundered down, making the ground rumble. It's always very cool to see. The last time I was here, it was barely a trickle. But now, the jewel of the park glitters again. At least for now.

 

Sunday, May 29...At least the sun is shining today. I didn't see it much yesterday. The wind blew and blew so much. I was surprised anyone would want to go out on the lake. It was also really cold.
Today is a bit warmer and spotty with cloud cover, and the wind has already picked up from the west. The boats are rocking back and forth, and the dock is being pushed around.

Monday, May 30...Memorial Day. Quiet morning on the lake. Got up here early from my new house to get on the water for some canoe time. The lake was a glassy plane. It was like a mirror. No other boats, no loud noises, only stillness, and silence.
Took my breakfast out with me and coffee out in the middle of the lake, just floating along before we opened up. A pretty good way to start my day on the water.

The rains kept coming in June for two Sundays in a row. At first, the rains came down gently on the boathouse roof, before turning into a steady drumbeating downpour. As the deluge continued, water poured into the lake from all sides. Water flushed down the hill behind the boathouse. The soothing sound of millions of raindrops splashing into the lake filled the air. 

"How much good the rain would do, how fresh the water in every stream, how flowers would pop with the sun, the Linnaea, the anemones, the dogwood and everything else along the trails," wrote Sigurd Olson, while witnessing a similar spring rain. "The ferns on the rocks would begin to grow again, and the silvery caribou moss would be soft and resilient with just a tinge of green."
While the rain certainly took away any fire threat. But dampened the kayak rentals for the day. Only the hardiest of paddlers show up to paddle in the rain. So, after shutting down, I went out to kayak in the storm. The rain beat down on my face. The wind created swells across the water lake. An adventure for sure. Why not? Paddling in the rain can be a rejuvenating experience.

Friday, June 3...Very still and quiet morning. Bully the Bullfrog is making the only racket with croak, croak, croak.
Saturday, June 4...Rain on the windshield and sprinkles on the lake to start off the morning here at Sly. The weather hasn't been too kind to us starting this season. Calm winds, mostly, out of the east, which is a nice change.
  

Sunday, June 5...The day started with light sprinkles and turned into a real soaker at the boathouse. No idea if anyone will show up. It's pretty soggy out there. Even the fishermen are heading back in. On the bright side, there is no fire threat today, and the lake needs as much water as it can get.
By midday, it rained and rained and continued to rain. I had to dump out the canoes because they make for giant rain gauges.

June 10...I got a lot of minnows under the dock today. They swim less than a foot below the surface of the water. I don't remember ever seeing this many before. They swim underneath as the one bigger bass lurks even further below. It's not Roger, he much bigger. I have seen him a couple of times so far this year.
My other company this year is like always, the Candian Geese that don't migrate, and of course, there are plenty of ducks with their little brews swimming behind in a line. I haven't seen the eagles much this season. One did zoom by last week in the rainstorm, but so far, they haven't been hanging around this side of the lake much this year. I would love to see them up here on this side of the lake.

Saturday, June 11...I paddled out to the narrows and back down to Sly Park Creek just to hear its rumble. Then, I went back to the boathouse, where I watched a guy fishing roll his kayak. The fish, I'm sure, were laughing.

 

Sunday, June 12...Another rainy day at the boathouse. It looks like another soaker. It's welcome. But not good for the kayaking business. We need timely rains Monday through Thursday and bright skies all week.
I watched it fall from inside the boathouse. Only one reservation showed up, and I don't know why, but they paddled out into the storm on the lake and came back thrilled to be part of it.
When it was my turn out on the lake, it was still stormy and breezy. The rain pelted my face and waves broke over my bow, and the wind pushed me around. But I loved it. It was an exciting feeling to take on the storm. I was dressed for it, which always makes the biggest difference. I laughed at the rain.

From Father's Day to the Fourth of July brought in the summertime weather I was used to having on the lake. It brought a steady stream of paddlers to the boathouse. With an increase in business, I even got a few helpers from The River Store to help me on the dock. 

Safety is always our biggest concern. Yet every year, we have a few mishaps on the water. Some untimely dunking due to some paddling errors. What do you call people who stand up in a canoe? Why swimmers, of course. It doesn't happen very often. The crazy thing about it is they come back to the dock wet, sunburned, exhausted, and all smiles. No doubt about paddling is a fun way to spend the day.
I liked coming in early and leaving late to get my own time on the water. Because any time in a canoe is a good time. The morning might start with a swim and then some coffee on the dock.
My evenings would end with a kayak paddle around the lake. I would go to the far west end to see the mountains over the trees. I always wish I had that view. Then back to the quiet of the upper part of the lake. Most would consider paddling the lake after spending the day renting kayaks a little exhausting, but I can think of any other way to end my day.

Sunday, June 19...Father's Day. It's a bright beautiful day on the water. It's the first time in two weeks that it has not been raining or storming.

 

Saturday, June 24...Clear skies mean a busy day at the boathouse. Catherine came again up from The River Store today to help me out. She is a nice older gal who is set on helping out.
We had an exciting Friday yesterday when a bunch of guys spilled their canoe right in front of the dock. I had to jump in and pull it to shore, along with telling the guys to swim to our ladder. They were all laughing and were in good spirits about the whole ordeal. But I think, they were pretty bummed about losing a computer and camera to water damage. Who brings those things on a canoe? I felt a bit sorry for them and tossed in a free kayak rental because they were such good sports about it all.
The rest of that day was pretty relaxing. I took Catherine on a canoe ride up to Sly Park Creek and the falls, which is a favorite of mine. She had never been there before, so it was a nice treat for her and a good way to end the day.

Sunday, June 25...The lake is very swimmable now. The water feels good and refreshing. The lake traffic picked up today because with being so hot. The most popular craft on the water is the SUP at least that is what my reservations are made up of.

 

Friday, July 1...A nice and very hot day. Perfect for a day at the lake. It was such a good day. We welcomed two River Store and Catherine for the day. It's a training day. We will be opening up a boathouse on Lake Natoma soon. I'm sure these guys might be a part of that.
They were all good workers today. We had a steady line of business. Tomorrow will be very busy.
Another issue was our dock kept blowing out of place. The Ranger's patrol boat had to help put it back in place the first time. Next time I had to jump in and push it back in place. It is going to be an ongoing struggle all season for me and the rangers to keep the darn thing in place.

Monday, July 4...Independence Day. The lake is dropping on this holiday weekend. That is how it seems to be in Californian in these times of drought. The bathtub ring of the lake between the trees, and the water is getting larger by the week. The rangers say they hope it stays around 80% all season which certainly would be better than last year. It was a bit of a slow afternoon. It seemed everyone wanted to go home and see fireworks.

There was still plenty of summertime left after the Fourth of July. In the summer heat, Lake Jenkinson was a perfect escape for those looking for some good clean fun with or without reservations.

If you want to go on a canoe or kayak trip at Sly Park contact:
Current Adventures Kayak School and Trips
PHONE: 530-333-9115 or Toll-Free: 888-452-9254
FAX: 530-333-1291
USPS: Current Adventures, P.O. Box 828, Lotus, CA 95651
info@currentadventures.com
owner Dan Crandall dan@kayaking.com
 

Keep up with Outside Adventure to the Max, on our Facebook page and Instagram and now on Youtube.

OVER THE BOW: THE OTTER TAIL RIVER

The first river you paddle runs through the rest of your life. It bubbles up in pools and eddies to remind you who you are. -- Lynn Noel

It has been a long time since I've got to paddle the Otter Tail River in Minnesota. I started thinking about that while packing up and getting ready to move. Something about moving makes us feel nostalgic about the place we're leaving behind. We think about the things we'll miss. A neighbor, a restaurant or bar, and if you're like me, a favorite paddling place.

The Otter Tail River was the first river where I got a taste of whitewater. It's Minnesota's eighth-longest river running through the western part of the state before dumping into the Red River. It starts out as a narrow crystal-clear stream as it meanders downhill through the countryside's lakes and marshes. It doesn't move particularly fast but offers canoeists plenty of opportunities for wildlife views along the tranquil river trail. However, east of Fergus Falls, the Otter Tail River picks up speed after making an abrupt turn toward the west, running through a valley filled with Class I and II rapids.
Whitewater is uncommon in western Minnesota. The gradient of the land just doesn't drop that fast. In California, the gradient for popular whitewater sections is measured in feet per mile; but in northwest Minnesota, the gradient is gauged in inches per mile. So don't look for big drops. It has been said that a second-hand pool table has more of a slant to it than a northwestern Minnesota river.

That said, the Broken Down Dam site on the river just east of Fergus Falls has been offering thrills and spills for canoeists and kayakers wanting to take a small bite of whitewater. The crumbling dam has been mostly forgotten since its collapse over a century ago. Busting through its center, the river tumbles, swirls, and drops between two massive concrete walls. During the spring runoff or after a good summer rain, the stream can rage into a fast-moving Class III rapid. Combined with a boulder garden stretch of class II waves before reaching the dam's remnants, it's a perfect place for a whitewater kayak in a place where rapids are hard to find.

About ten years ago, I was just getting into paddling, and of course, just as I do today, I wanted the thrill and challenge of paddling rapids. With Sigurd Olson's words echoing in my head, "I know this: as long as there are young men with the light of adventure in their eyes and a touch of wildness in their souls, rapids will be run."
My son Cole and I dove in headfirst. We bought two used whitewater boats at a Twin Cities kayak auction. Probably, not the best fit, but it got us on the water. We took turns running that foam-laced section of the river one afternoon, feeling a sense of triumph after bounding through the crashing waves.

This move will be shorter than my move to California from the Midwest and the Otter Tail River. My wife Debbie and I are leaving Fair Oaks and moving up into the foothills of the Sierra Mountains, where we all know the rivers do rush, tumble, and fall. I will miss the closeness of some of my favorite paddling spots in the valley, but, unlike Minnesota rivers, I'll still be able to visit them from time to time.

 

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, submit it to us at nickayak@gmail.com

Keep up with Outside Adventure to the Max, on our Facebook page and Instagram and now on Youtube.

WIND & WAVES

When the winds from the North don't venture forth.

Back in the Midwest, I never really got used to the wind. It was somewhere between an icy blast from the North. It's a tornadic rage from the west or a fiery blow torch from the South. Cool breezes were rare, calm days even more. The wind always seemed to be blowing. I can still remember those white-capped Minnesota lakes pushing the boats around.
As a kayaker, the wind is always advantageous. I can tolerate snow. Paddle through the rain on any day.
But it's always those stiff gusty winds that will prove to be the most troublesome. The wind is arguably the biggest environmental factor that can turn my otherwise beautiful kayaking day into a major struggle.

The America Canoe Association, Outdoor Adventures Kayaking book, published in 2009, says that the wind, particularly in touring and sea kayaking, where the paddler is exposed to large expanses of open water is usually the biggest factor to be concerned with. The instructional resource book says, "Wind causes two problems for the kayaker. First, a wind coming from any direction, except head-on, tends to weathervane the boat, sweeping it sideways toward the destination. This not only throws the boater off course but also makes the kayak feel less stable since it is being pushed sideways across the water."
The book went on to say what every experienced paddler already knows. Headwinds can quickly tire you out and make that destination you are heading for seem to take forever to get to. While a good tailwind can be a paddler's friend as long as the winds continue to blow in the direction you are traveling.
The wind is what makes waves. The unobstructed length of water over which wind can blow is called "Wind Fetch." The strength of the wind and the time it blows over the open water will determine the height of waves. The highest energy waves will form where there is a long expanse of unblocked water and sustaining high winds. So yes, kayaking can certainly be a wonderful experience on a lake like Lake Tahoe, but with some 22 miles of "Fetch" it can also be a tiger when the afternoon winds come up pushing large waves.
So, while the not the ocean, big lakes can have winds over 10-mph be dramatically change paddling conditions and change your relaxing experience into a Peloton workout in no time. Our Sierra foothills lakes can often be accompanied by a stiff westerly afternoon wind requiring some intermediate boating skills to take on the rough and choppy lake swells. Over the years, I've learned many of my favorite paddling lakes consistence bad habits of strong gust beginning in the late morning and continuing throughout the day but eventually dying down towards evening.

Plan your kayak routes and canoes around the expected wind patterns in your area. Mornings and evenings are best for excursions to avoid those breezy gusts of the afternoon that will make your paddling day and anyone you like to paddle with much easier.
But while nobody wants to paddle into a headwind, it can be an exhilarating exercise.

"If the waves are rolling and you are forced to make your way against them, there is the joy of battle," writes canoe guru Sigurd Olson, "Each comber an enemy to be thwarted, a problem in approach and defense."
I can share a bit of Olson's glee. But only for a little while. I prefer dodging the gust and waves and seeking protection along the calmer shore and around islands blocking the strong gusts and fighting the wind for shorter periods of short distances. At least, that is always my plan when the wind comes up.

 
 

Lake Comanche 

California's Camanche Reservoir, located east of Lodi, was named after the gold-mining town of Camanche built-in 1849, referring to the fierce southern plains' native American tribe by the same name. The town, now long gone at the bottom of the lake, is only a memory. But on breezy days, the waterway can live up to its fierce namesake when the northern winds toss whitecaps over the lake.
John Taylor and I have battled strong winds before. Both on the Sierra high Loon Lake and even on those blustery days on Lake Natoma. We've struggled to keep our group together on foothills finger Lake Clementine when the afternoon wind picked up. I have had to help a couple of tired paddlers back to the access by towing them along.
It was choppy when we started out on Lake Comanche. We headed out across the broad expanse of the lake from one of the many accesses of the Camanche Recreation Company campground and day-use area. We paddled to the east and found protection in the narrows of the lake. The high cliffs along the lake's east shores resemble a mini–Grand Canyon experience with tall multicolored rock formations on each side of us. After the narrows, we paddled into an area of grassy beaches called China Gulch, where we enjoyed wildlife views of eagles and otters.

Knowing the winds were picking up, we did not dare go further. Turning back into the wind, we knew it would be a battle to return to an even further access point where our truck was parked. When average wind speeds begin to climb into the 15 to 20 mile per hour range, that is when it’s time to get off the water. Anything above 20 miles per hour starts to become downright dangerous. We didn't know if it was blowing 10, 15, or even, 20 mph. All we knew was it was time for plan B. We needed to get off the lake as soon as possible.

Most lake paddlers start and finish at the same location. But wind can derail that plan. So, if you even have the slightest inkling that heavy winds could hamper your return, make sure you identify one or two other shoreline locations where you can land your craft if you can’t make it back to your starting location. There is no reason to tough it out, out there. Always think safety first.

I set my sights on a point on the other side of the lake. It was an island in high water, A peninsula when the lake is low. Either way, it would be our alternate landing.
The wind and waves seemed to push us backward as we slowly paddled toward the peninsula. John in canoe trailed behind became a tiny yellow speck slipping over the tops of the whitecaps. As we all know, canoes sit a bit higher in the water and are a little more wind prone than kayaks. John was in a real battle against nature.

"The beast's claws scraped at the sky from the water below," wrote Natalie Warren in her book Hudson Bay Bound about the lashing waves of Lake Winnipeg," The large swells grew taller and sharper, threatening to crest and crash with each peak. If we swamped here, we would be trouble."

I felt the same as bounded over the waves. Using shorter and more frequent strokes into the headwind, was considerably more tiring. Paddle, paddle. Maneuvered some more big waves, and I tried to look behind me to check on John's process.
It was to my relief that I finally made it across the lake to a safely protected cove. First, I could rest. And second, I could check on John. He and his canoe had been pushed off track, but he was making steady progress across the lake. But we were not done yet.
The peninsula is connected to the mainland by a strand of hardpack mud covered with an overgrowth of weeds. My paddling guidebook said it was about 80 feet portage. It proved to be much further.

Still, it was much faster and less exhausting than paddling all the way around against the wind. After our portage, we had to paddle another short distance in the wind, before coming to our alternate landing. And it was just our luck that a friendly camping couple was there and offered us a ride to our truck.
Nobody likes to paddle into a headwind. It’s always best to have that wind to your advantage as you paddle back toward your starting location. There is satisfaction in reaching any point on the lake map despite the wind and waves. Because, at the end of the day, when the wind finally dies. Though my muscles were sore, I still reveled in my day on the water.

Keep up with Outside Adventure to the Max, on our Facebook page and Instagram, and now on Youtube.

SOUTH SILVER THE FIRST DESCENT

Elements of chance and danger are wonderful and frightening to experience and, though I bemoan the recklessness of youth, I wonder what the world would be like without it. I know this is wrong, but I am for the spirit that makes young men do the things they do. I am for the glory that they know. ---Sigurd Olson

When Northern California extreme kayakers talk about the South Silver there eyes light up. It's a classic 2-mile run over smooth granite with steep drops, teacup pools, and a water slide like ride down a giant flume that boaters like to sprint it over and over again. Technically challenging at Class V, this remote creek section went unnoticed until the late 1990s. Back then, as whitewater kayaking was on the rise, paddling river cowboys roamed the California rivers and creeks with only one desire: to paddle their plastic kayaks down their torrents and rapids and grab the mythical glory of being the first one to do it. For a group of paddling pioneers, the South Fork of Silver Creek would be that prize. 

Photos courtesy of Duncan Mine

 "You know doing a first descent is basically the crème de la crème for a kayaker," Mikey Juarez, says in South Silver the First Descent, the new film from Duncan Mine, a Northern California Production Company, "To do something of the stature that, that we look back now and look at this creek, South Silver, it being one the most popular rivers in the state of California and bringing people from all over the world to run, you know we're very for fortunate."

The film was inspired after Duncan Mine's Scott Blankenfeld heard about the creek's first descent from local paddler Andrew Boucher. For the past couple of years, Duncan Mine has been showcasing athletes doing their thing on their home turf. 

Scott Blankenfeld

"This now-classic whitewater run was one of the last to be pioneered in California, and it signifies an end to an era of exploration of California whitewater," said Blankenfeld, "I instantly thought it would make a great short documentary film."

All the paddlers featured in the film were thrilled to recall their shared unique story in California whitewater history and the tale of their first descent down the South Silver.
"They opened their doors," said Blankenfeld, "Gave us their time, shared footage, and trusted us to do a good job telling their story." 

Produced on a limited budget, the film interweaves old footage of the then younger kayakers and their old-school boats with contemporary shots with today's newer creek boats and helmet camera video of kayaking. 

"We acquired two sets of archival footage for this project," said Blankenfeld, "Jared Noceti lent us his Hi-8 camera and tapes for us to digitize, log, and use. This footage was used for the "kayaking in the 90's" opening montage, and more importantly, for the first running of the teacups segments."
With the original Hi-8 footage from the first full descent was lost over time, the production crew had to rely on an edited VHS video from 2001.
"Initially, we thought the tape was unusable as the play-heads on the VCR were dirty," said Blankenfeld, "Months later in the editing process, My co-director, Robby Hogg convinced me to take a second look on a different player and viola, the static was almost gone. This footage was then digitized and added really at the last minute. I'm so happy we did this because the film would not be the same without it."

Shot beautifully against the gorgeous backdrop of the high Sierra Nevada Mountains and edited with outstanding fluid pacing by Nick Warren, the film is more than just a kayaking highlight reel. But, rather an adventure story that captures the spirit of California's not-so-old whitewater history when as Jared Noceti tells us in the opening scenes, there was no internet or social media and paddlers could only rely on each other to tell their story.
"You got your input from not off Y-tube," said Noceti, "You input from your buddy. From his story. What he told about his experiences. And if you could figure it out on your own, you'll probably have that same experience."

An accomplished paddler himself, Blankenfeld hopes this film is only the beginning of sharing similar boaters narratives and will lead the video company to even larger projects in telling even more stories about California whitewater history.
"We want this film to be seen by as many people as possible," said Blankenfeld, "This was an opportunity to spend time with old friends and share a unique story of California whitewater."

 

You can learn about Ducan Mine at www.duncanmine.com.  To follow Blankenfled and to check out more of his images go to www.scottblankenfeld.com. 

 

Keep up with Outside Adventure to the Max, on our Facebook page and Instagram and now on Youtube.

 

PADDLE BACK

There is something about paddling. The quiet rhythm of the blade sliding in and out of the water. The feel of my body's movement and tempo as I lean into the stroke and pull the paddle toward me. Relaxed, glide, I stroke again. Needing each other to cross the lake, my body and my kayak have become one. My feet, knees, and thighs are unseen under the bow swaying back and forth and holding steady to the course while my arms and torso, operating as a turbine, charge us forward. In each motion of the paddle, the horizon inches forward, and the rest of the world slips further behind.

The world is at peace except for hurried ripples made by the bow slicing through the stillness of the lake. Behind me, the water surface is now scratched and broken into millions of tiny undulations drifting into the calm of the lake. Ahead of me lies the illusion of a priceless mirror lying flat against the earth and reflecting images of the trees and hills cradling this canyon lake. The sky is jet blue, the shore is dark, and the water is an upside-down copy sharper than any photograph could ever produce.

Environmentalist and wilderness guide Sigurd Olson was more poetic in his description while paddling the lakes and forest of Northern Minnesota and Ontario, Canada. "If it is calm," he wrote in Open Horizons, "The canoes drifting through reflections with nothing to break the vast silence but the hypnotic swish of paddles, there are moments when one seems suspended between heaven and earth."

Not far ahead, a turkey vulture soars overhead with its wings tilted upward. With its ugly red-head and diet of the dead, it's not as majestic as the eagle or hawk. The bird is looked at with disdain to most. It circles and spirals on prevailing wind currents with little change to its large outstretched wings. It looms over the lake and canyon, holding me in a trance while I paddle below.

It has been a bad week. The vulture knows it. There are problems at work, troubles at home, and doctors with test results. Life is not as tranquil as this peaceful lake. Tribulations dwell outside these canyon walls, and that vulture wants to devour us.
I pass the outcropping of the tower rock formations that the vultures call home and whisper to myself.
"Not today, my friend. I maybe trampled, but I'm far from extinguished." I paddle on as the vulture slips out of sight.
"The first thing you must learn about canoeing is that the canoe is not a lifeless, inanimate object; it feels very much alive, alive with the life of the river," said filmmaker and canoeist Bill Mason in Path of the Paddle, "Life is transmitted to the canoe by the currents of the air and the water upon which it rides." 

There is energy and healing in the water. It has a power that Mason said instilled life into my kayak and now transfuses into me. Water has been revered throughout the ages for inspiring the human spirit with hope and tranquility.
In Psalm 23, one of the most quoted Bible verses of all time, David is led down beside quiet water, and his soul is restored.

This trip to the lake has rejuvenated my vitality in the same way as it has done countless times before. A friend once told when kayaking, she hardly can remember what day it is. The lake was her portal of escape and a place to rekindle her mind.
The sun is falling behind the ridge. Along the highest points, the sun still hits the glimmering peaks while the valley is turning shadow. It is time to turn around and paddle back to the access. It is a drug. A temporary high that always leaves me wanting more and more. This why I return to the lake every chance I can, so I can feel the paddle, its rhythm, and the sensation of the water. My consciousness is cleared and refocused.
"Penetrations into the unknown, " wrote Olson in Open Horizons, "All give meaning to what has gone before, and courage for what is to come. More than physical features, they are horizons of mind and spirit. When one looks backward, we find they have blended into the whole panorama of our lives."

In a few short hours on the lake, I have undergone a recharge. My mind is at ease, and my burdens have lifted. I paddle back restored.

This article was originally published Outside Adventure to the Max on June 27, 2015. 

Keep up with Outside Adventure to the Max, on our Facebook page and Instagram and now on Youtube.

THE LAST JOURNEY HOME

Salmon are incredibly driven to spawn. They will not give up. This gives me hope. --- Kathleen Dean Moore

In the opening scenes of the 1992 film Last of the Mohicans, three hunters are on a frenzied chase through the forest. They are pursuing a bull elk that comes breaking through the trees, just as Hawkeye, played by Daniel Day-Lewis raises his rifle. With true aim, he brings down the creature with a startling crash. The breathless hunters are silent. There no cheers or accolades. Then in mournful sorrow, the Indian father pays tribute to the fallen elk by saying, "We're sorry to kill you, Brother. We do honor to your courage and speed, your strength."
That scene crosses my mind as I was paddling on the Lower American River and encountered the migrating Chinook or King Salmon. They were traveling up upriver from the Pacific Ocean to spawn.

As they had done for untold centuries, these creatures were completing their life cycle by spawning, laying eggs, and dying in their natal water, "Where they themselves had first known the quickening of life."
"It was the climax of existence," wrote naturalist Sigurd Olson after witnessing the eelpout spawn in Northern Minnesota, "The ultimate biological experience toward which everything previous was merely a preparation."  
Obeying their urges that were implanted in their genetic structure long ago, the salmons' entire life had led them to this supreme event. For eons, the salmon had spawning grounds of over 100 miles in the American River and its tributaries. But with Nimbus Dam just upstream, it is the end of the journey for these “wild salmon,” that avoid the fish ladder of the Nimbus Hatchery. Instead, they will lay and seminate eggs in gravel nests in shallows of the river beds.
At Sailor Bar, they find clean, cool, oxygenated, sediment-free fresh water for their eggs to develop. 

 The river was alive as it moves over the rocks with a quiet whisper. From my kayak, I watched the dazzling show of nature. The salmon were swimming against the flow of the current. I could see their single dorsal fins above the waterline. They were contorting their bodies and swishing their tail fins to clean any sediment in their nest area. It was like watching something prehistoric. This ritual to reproduce been has been practiced since the dawn of time.
"I have seen salmon swimming upstream to spawn even with their eyes pecked out, " wrote author and environmentalist Kathleen Dean Moore, " Even as they are dying, as their flesh is falling away from their spines, I have seen salmon fighting to protect their nests. I have seen them push up creeks so small that they rammed themselves across the gravel. I have seen them swim upstream with huge chunks bitten out of their bodies by bears. Salmon are incredibly driven to spawn. They will not give up. This gives me hope."

While spawning time celebrates the sheer primeval laws of procreation. It also marks the end of their life cycle. The salmon aging process has been accelerated as they migrate to the spawning sights like the American River's Sailor Bar. Scientists say it would be like if we as humans, aged forty years in two weeks. Most of them stop eating after they return to freshwater. Their bodies change. The male develops a hooked snout and a humped back. And in using every bit of energy they have for the return trip, they are simply exhausted, and they die.

As paddle back toward the lagoon of Sailor Bar, I came across one noble salmon lying motionless on the shallows more dead than alive. It was in the final moments of its epic life.
Like the hunters in The Last of Mohicans, I felt a certain melancholy as I witness the death of this river brother. I thought about its life of traveling in the distant ocean. How twice it swam twice under the Golden Gate Bridge. How it navigated the ocean dodging whales, seals, sea lions, and fisherman's hooks, and how it found its way back home to spawn.
Seagulls and turkey vultures were pecking and feasting on the numerous dead carcasses littering the riverway. No doubt this one would be soon included with those others. Its journey was now complete, as its body would provide vast amounts of nutrients back to the habitat. But not before I would say a prayer, to honor its courage, speed, and strength.
 

Keep up with Outside Adventure to the Max, on our Facebook page and Instagram and now on Youtube.

BOATHOUSE DAYS, MY THIRD SUMMER ON LAKE JENKINSON

“I live in nature where everything is connected, circular. The seasons are circular. The planet is circular, and so is the planet around the sun. The course of water over the earth is circular coming down from the sky and circulating through the world to spread life and then evaporating up again. --- Elizabeth Gilbert

For the third straight summer, I worked the weekend paddle rentals at the small boathouse on the upper part of Lake Jenkinson at Sly Park Recreation Area in the Sierra foothills near Pollock Pines, California. The picturesque upper part of the lake could be a backdrop for any summer camp movie as It's lined with a border of ponderosa pines, Douglas firs, and oaks, and placid cool, and clear waters. A waterfall and babbling creek only add to the lake's already lyrical appeal.
Divided by a narrow channel, the lake's larger rounded half is where you will find the swimming beach and campgrounds along with a good share of speedboats, while the upper half of the lake being smaller and narrower has more of a timeless rustic feel where canoes are still paddled with reverence.

"To know once more the joy of a paddle in my hands and a canoe slipping along the shores," wrote naturalist Sigurd Olson.
There is a certain old-fashion charm to the upper part of Lake Jenkinson. Offering a no-wake zone and a five-mph speed limit, this part of the lake a bit quieter than the larger sister lake. In other words, it's a perfect spot to paddle at any time of the day.
It's also the home of Sly Park Paddle Rental's boathouse where over the summer weekends and holidays I rented out kayaks, canoes, and standup paddleboards. And like I have done over the past couple of seasons, I collected a series of notes recounting occurrences of my daily routine along with my observations of my days on the lake.

June 20...The first day of summer at Sly Park on Lake Jenkinson. It's been a long time coming. We usually would have opened the boathouse weeks ago in mid-May, but the Covid-19 pandemic has kept us way till now. Pulling through the gate and seeing Lake Jenkinson through the trees, still full in this early part of the season. Cobalt blue the lake looks big and bold.

June 21...Father's Day at Sly Park. Tandem kayaks are the vehicles of choice today on the lake. Being a family day no one wanted to paddle alone.
June 26...A lot of people want to get on the water after being cooped up due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We are taking precautions however as I have to sterilize all the equipment after each use. The lake is amazingly quiet this morning as kayaks and SUP paddlers go about its waters. They look pretty carefree as they should be.

June 28...Today the wind blew straight through the narrows sending an endless parade of hissing waves with foaming caps right my way. The dock rocked and buckled underneath the unstoppable lake water as it took the full brunt of the wind. Paddlers faced a tough challenge. One couple even rolled their kayak right in front of my dock. I was helping another kayaker out of the boat when I heard them go over.
"Leave the boat and swim to the dock," I told them. Everything turned out alright but they did get all wet.

“A lake carries you into recesses of feeling otherwise impenetrable,” wrote William Wordsworth. In this Covid-19 era, we certainly all need to stay physically active to keep your minds and bodies healthy. This summer, the lake, and park offered that after opening up, as folks found a way to relieve stress, get some fresh air, and paddle around the water, all while practicing social distancing. For the most part, staying at least 6-feet apart was pretty easy once leaving the dock and getting on the water.
For me, it was also energizing, to see families enjoy the perks and pleasures of their time on the water and all while inspiring new generations to appreciate the natural world around us.

July 2...Off at the start of my five-day holiday week. The lake looks ready even though California, rightly so, is running scared again with new Covid-19 closings. I look forward to when the threat of Covid-19 is just a memory.

July 4...The lake is fair and mild this morning as I wait for folks to arrive. No wind and clear skies. We couldn't have asked for a better forth. the fireworks around the region are canceled this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but last night's full moon made up for it all. It was a glorious sight to behold.
I did have the time to paddle up to the waterfall finally, the night before last. I got there near dusk as the moon was rising over the trees. I had beached my kayak under the babble of the creek from where I heard the rushing sound of the falls. It's always a popular spot and a must-see for the people visiting the park, but that night to my surprise no one else was there except me to experience its wonder.

July 6...No forceful stroke needed. Just be at ease. it's the same for my customers. I tell them once on the lake, try to forget about time. Only worry about safety and don't think about the rest. Enjoy the moments on the water. Relax and paddle to the waterfall. Hike to its sound and enjoy watching the water tumble down.

July 18...My busy day starts right at 9 AM followed by another active crossover at noon. Another big-time is at 2 PM, and then when everyone returns their rented boats at the end of the day. My dock is empty and when they all return the boats float everywhere waiting to be put away for the evening.

“A lot of us are working harder than we want, at things we don’t like to do," wrote author Bradford Angier, "Why? In order to afford the sort of existence we don’t care to live.”
Arriving at the boathouse before 8 AM and staying late into the evening, I'm usually busy throughout the day helping folks safely get in and out of the boats. For those who haven't heard my speech, it goes something like this when exiting the kayak.
Don't stand in the boat. Kick your feet over the side of the kayak and on to the ladder. Now hold the ladder rails with both hands and pull yourself up. Remember the ladder is stable the boat is not.
It can be a busy day at times, however, the fringe benefits to my solitude-seeking adventuresome soul is always a paddle grab away when the day is through.

July 24...The light was fading fast. I was the only out on the lake. the half-moon was glimmers off the water. as paddled up the creek toward the waterfall in the twilight. It's quiet and dark. I kayaked up toward the creeks rocky channel. It's July now and the lake is down considerably since Spring and the hike to the falls is much longer now.

July 31...I saw a woman struggling with one of our canoes that she was out of. She yells for help. I quickly clear my dock and swim to her and the canoe. When I reach her I tell her to not worry about the canoe and swim to shore. She doesn't. So I tell her to hang on to the canoe as I swim them both to shore only 15 feet away. When I get her to shore, I realize she had been drinking.

August 1...The thing about moonlight paddles is waiting for the moon.

August 2...It's always a treat to send out a family on their first canoe adventure. It and age-old experience. Dad will take the stern and Mom will man the bow. The kids and dog fill the gunnels. They are all nervous and a little excited sitting in the boat for the first time. For some its a whole new experience for others, it brings back all their memories of summer camp.

Along with the pandemic, as we all know California is dealing with devastating wildfires again this year. It's not uncommon in these last weeks to have a heavy shadow of smoke to fill the lake valley producing an eerie orange glow both at dawn and dusk.
The peaceful silence of the lake has also been rudely interrupted as masticator thins excess growth that can fuel wildfires across the lake kicking up a cloud of dust that hovers in the trees and over the water's surface.
Rain is uncommon this time of year, but the lake did welcome a shower between the smoke and the dust of the hot summer.

August 7...People have dropped three cellphones so far this season when getting out of the kayak. They have them on their lap and forget them when they climb out of the boat. To their horror and disbelief, they watch as their phone plops into the water and sinks to the bottom. Today I was able to jump and retrieve it for them.

August 8...The big excitement of the day was when the Cal-Fire helicopter dropped in over the lake. There was a fire nearby and the fire crews deployed from the beach.

August 14...The tranquility of the lake was suspended today as crews were using a masticator across the lake. It's very loud and obtrusive. In the late afternoon, the wind blew the dock out of place.

August 16...Wacky weather indeed. Today we were soaked with a mid-morning rain shower as boaters were caught out in the rain. They loved it. It was a cool refreshing treat, away from the oppressive heat we have been subjected to. The paddlers laughed it off as they found joy in the rain.

August 22...A smokey day at Sly Park. I lost sight of the trees across the lake from the boathouse. While at the end of the day the sun appeared to be a red ball looming over the lake.

"Autumn comes with warning," wrote Sigrud Olson, "At a time when lush fruitful days of midsummer are beginning to wane." It's the same at Lake Jenkinson. There is little fanfare to the apprehension of autumn. Some will close out the summer with Labor Day, this year just hoping to go back to some sort of normal routine. While others, like me, hope to linger in the Indian summer just a bit longer.

August 28...There is a touch of fall in the air as a morning mist hangs over the lake. Unlike the smoke and dust, it's more of a welcome sight.

September 4...It's my last Friday of the season. From now I'll only be open on Saturdays and Sundays. Yep, the summer season is coming to an end.

We're not quite ready to call it a season. As long as people keep coming and the weather stays nice, we'll be keeping Sly Park Paddle Rentals open Saturday and Sundays into September.

If you want to go on a canoe or kayak trip at Sly Park contact:
Current Adventures Kayak School and Trips 
PHONE: 530-333-9115 or Toll-Free: 888-452-9254
FAX: 530-333-1291
USPS: Current Adventures, P.O. Box 828, Lotus, CA 95651
info@currentadventures.com
owner Dan Crandall dan@kayaking.com

Keep up with Outside Adventure to the Max, on our Facebook page and Instagram and now on Youtube.

CANOE MORNING

Thus the Birch Canoe was builded

In the valley, by the river,

In the bosom of the forest;

And the forest's life was in it,

All its mystery and its magic,

All the lightness of the birch-tree,

All the toughness of the cedar,

All the larch's supple sinews;

And it floated on the river

Like a yellow leaf in Autumn,

Like a yellow water-lily.

  Paddles none had Hiawatha,

Paddles none he had or needed,

For his thoughts as paddles served him,

And his wishes served to guide him;

Swift or slow at will he glided.

---  from the Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It was another quiet early weekend morning on the lake that I have come to look forward too. Just turning my truck into the park and driving with the windows down along the lake's conifer wooded shoreline as giving me a feeling of jubilation as the earthy scent of pine delights my scent of smell. It's the perfume of the forest. So sharp, so sweet, and ever so refreshing as anyone who has taken a therapeutic walk in the woods will tell you.

Arriving at the boathouse and to access I gazed down the path to the water below. The lake glistened a golden glow in the bright morning sun silhouetted by the rising row of pines. Where there were ripples on its surface there are brief flashes of diamonds. I inhale the view of tranquility taking in both its sight and sound. It's time to reset my body, mind, and soul because my rush to the lake is over.

I'm not the first, nor will I be last to find that elation about the beauty of water the forest. A nineteen century Wesleyan Missionary in Northern Canada Egerton Ryerson Young called it one of those sights that seldom comes to us in a life, where everything is in perfect unison.

"I was entranced by the loveliness of the sight," Young wrote in his book By Canoe and Dog-Train Among the Cree and Saulteaux Indians, "The reflections of the canoe and men and of the island and rocks were vivid as the actual realities. So clear and transparent was the water that where it met the air, there seemed to be only a narrow thread between the two elements. Not a breath of air stirred, not a ripple move."


The upper lake part of Lake Jenkinson is much narrower and quieter than its larger sister lake nestled in the picturesque setting of Sly Park near Pollock Pines, California. Divided by a narrow channel, the larger the rounded lower lake is home to the speedboats, picnic, and campgrounds and swimming beach while the upper part features a path to a waterfall, two nesting eagles and in the morning when the lake is still, a place to canoe.

Where do we come from and where are we going?" wrote filmmaker and canoe guru Bill Mason, "There is no better place and no better way to follow this quest into the realm of spirit than along the lakes and rivers of the North American wilderness in a canoe.”

Pushing away from the dock at the boathouse, the Old Town canoe is transformed into a time machine with each quiet stroke of my wooden paddle as it takes me back to the way it used to be.  My morning solo paddles are a reflective time as I ponder the water, the trees, and the sky. In a way, it's sad that so many sleepy campers just up the way, miss this time on the water.

The calming emerald green waters design what looks like a moving painting as it ripples and shimmers and reflects on its fluid canvas. The gentle sound of my paddle dips and singing birds create soothing magic of serenity. But then again, I have had a few mornings when a hurried fishing boat passes by with its droning engine desecrating the morning's tranquility and sanctuary. At this time of the morning, the only way to honor the lake and its transparent placid flat waters is by canoe with only a paddle.

“The movement of a canoe is like a reed in the wind," wrote canoeist and naturalist, Sigurd Olson, "Silence is part of it, and the sounds of lapping water, bird songs, and wind in the trees. It is part of the medium through which it floats, the sky, the water, the shores."

Sweeping my paddle, I glide among the ducks and geese at the little bay across from the boathouse. Below, I can look down into its crystal depths and see a few fish darting away from the movement of the canoe. If I'm lucky, one of the neighboring eagles will fly over while fishing the lake from above. I can't really go much further, nor do I really want too.

I find solace in the just floating idly in the little bay watching and listening to the creation about me. As writer John Graves pointed out, "Canoes, too, are unobtrusive; they don't storm the natural world or ride over it, but drift in upon it as a part of its own silence. As you either care about what the land is or not, so do you like or dislike quiet things. . . . Chances for being quiet nowadays are limited.”

Of course, the time is fleeting on the water. As the sun comes up, the park wakes up, as folks seek the relief of the lake's cool waters to escape the summer's blistering heat. I take a few more sips of my coffee before I make one big giant turning stroke back to the dock.


If you want to go on a canoe or kayak trip at Sly Park contact:
Current Adventures Kayak School and Trips 
PHONE: 530-333-9115 or Toll-Free: 888-452-9254
FAX: 530-333-1291
USPS: Current Adventures, P.O. Box 828, Lotus, CA 95651
info@currentadventures.com
owner Dan Crandall dan@kayaking.com
Or book online at currentadventures.com

Keep up with Outside Adventure to the Max, on our Facebook page and Instagram and now on Youtube.

This article was originally published in Outside Adventure to the Max on July 26, 2019.

 

 

OVER THE BOW: THE KETTLE RIVER

Only fools run rapids, say the Indians, but I know this: as long as there are young men with the light of adventure in their eyes and a touch of wildness in their souls, rapids will be run... I know it is wrong, but I am for the spirit that makes young men do the things they do. I am for the glory that they know. --- Sigurd Olson

The fast-moving reddish-brown root beer colored rushes over the rocks past rugged cliffs and a heavy forest of black spruce, pine and aspen making Minnesota's Kettle River one of the state's most scenic and wild rivers. Offering an array of complex rapids along a stretch at Banning State Park filled with waves, holes and many play spots, it's a place I just had to paddle.

My son Cole and I had traveled all the way across the state just to get there during a father-son kayak camping trip in the fall of 2011. It was a chance to practice our developing paddling skills and play with our whitewater kayaks.

Just past the park's boat access, we paddled the river's Blueberry Slide (a Class II in low water rapid; Class IV in high water).  This rapid is considered to be one of the most challenging in the park as the water tumbles over sandstone ledges and rocks, forming the rapids. In the springtime, this spot can offer some pretty tall waves, but in that fall the water was very low giving us chance to surf and practice running the bumpy water. We found the slide mostly dry with the deepest water in a channel along the left side brushing up against the rocky ledges for about 100 or more yards.

Like kids in an amusement park, we ran down those dancing waves and over the ledges over and over again.

The next day we packed up our kayaks and headed toward the North Shore of Lake Superior, but that's another story.

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

Want to see more about Outside Adventure to the Max. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram

OVER THE BOW: HOT SPRINGS CREEK FALLS

Water is the most perfect traveller because when it travels it becomes the path itself! ---  Mehmet Murat ildan

I've always loved the sound the sight and sound of rushing water. The raw power of churning and boiling water through a constricted channel, pouring downward and beating away at anything in its path. Its foamy spray of fresh and rejuvenating cool mist and of course, its thunderous crescendo of rumbling and reverberation. As naturalist John Craighead maintained that the sound of distance rapids is a "primeval summons to primordial values." While Sigurd Olson suggests that running rapids will touch the wildness in your soul.

Yes, from the babble of the brook to the earthshaking crashing of whitewater the sight and sound fast-moving water has always called for me. Even back in the Midwest, where the sight of a quick-moving water gradient was a bit of novelty to me outside of Minnesota's North Shore. To see anything that even resembled a waterfall, I had to visit a dam site or wait for a thunderstorm to pour water through a culvert.

Photos by Deborah Ann Klenzman

So walking the Grover Hot Springs State Park Waterfall Trail with my wife Debbie, I was brimming with that same excitement with every step along the way. Located near Markleeville, California in the eastern Sierra, Hot Spring Falls is just one the highlights for the park known for its vista views of towering peaks, scenic meadow and a mineral pool fed by six hot springs.

It's roughly mile and a half hike to the falls over a trail that outside of few places where we had to do some minor rock climbing is not that difficult and good for hikers of all skills levels. The Burnside Lake Trail starts near the campground across portions of a newly created boardwalk with resting and viewing platforms through the sensitive meadow area. In other sections, the trail is reinforced with pack soil over crushed rock. We followed it all the way out of the park on to U.S. Forest Service land leading along Hot Springs Creek where the trail branched off to the falls.

Before long we heard the rumble of the first set of falls. Climbing over the rocks and boulders we climbed down from the trail to the first set of falls along the way to enjoy the spray of the cold icy waters after our hike on a hot summer day by kicking off our shoes and dipping our toes in the pools below the chilly shower.

The stream cascaded down through a series of rocky outcrops, giving the effect of it's many waterfalls rather than just one, We continued to follow the creek up to the next fall and tranquil pool before finding another, which proved to be by far the most awe-inspiring view of cascade of the the trail. It certainly made the hike's scratches and sore feet all seem worth it as we admired its sight.
Dropping vertically from its cradle of rock and trees, the falls poured over the ledge in a magnificent fashion. I tossed off my shoes once again to relish in the falls, to feel its cold damp rock, be deafen by its thunder and bathe in its spray.

As contemporary Turkish playwright, novelist and thinker Mehmet Murat Ildan wrote, "Waterfalls are exciting because they have power, they have rainbows, they have songs, and they have boldness and craziness!” I can only agree. They are truly one of creation most magical and breathtaking sceneries. Their power, roar, and brilliance in nature's tranquility will always beckon me to travel their waterfall trails.

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

#JustAddWater

Wow! What a great way to end a trip to Loon Lake. Came home to have my fabulous prize from @nrsweb and @kleankanteen waiting at the door for being a lucky winner in the #JustAddWater contest. Thanks, guys!

How can you #JustAddWater to your summer adventures? Tell them in a post on Facebook or Instagram, include #JustAddWater and tag (@nrsweb) and you’re entered! They are awarding weekly winners all summer, plus one amazing grand prize including a full SUP package from us, and gear from Chaco, ENO, Klean Kanteen, Ruffwear, and Yakima Racks. Learn more at nrs.com/justaddwater

Want to see more about Outside Adventure to the Max. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram