RETURN TO ANGEL ISLAND

 
The struggle for spirit has replaced the physical, and in his evolution psychologically man’s greatest minds have become aware of the emptiness of material striving. The struggle has become a positive drive toward perfection, all in keeping with his final hope: realization of the kingdom of God within him. – Sigurd Olsen

The day started much like all my other trips. An early morning two-vehicle caravan from Sacramento, along Interstate-80, to Highway 101 and then unloading our kayaks in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge at Horseshoe Bay. Hazy skies and calm seas greeted us along dozens of Marin County Firefighters taking part in a training exercise at the Coast Guard station there. It was a  reminder that some of the wildest sea conditions on the entire West Coast can be found just past that sea wall. The bay is known for steep waves, fast and swirling currents and howling winds blowing through that Golden Gate. On the eastern horizon emerged Angel Island.

In August 1775, across the continent, the American revolution was just beginning. George Washington had just taken command of the Continental Army.  In England, legendary sea Captain Cook had just completed his second voyage around the world and looking out from where we currently were,   Lt. Juan Manuel de Ayala had brought his ship, the San Carlos, into San Francisco Bay for the first time.  Every other sea captain like Francis Drake had sailed on past the fog encased bay entrance by the time Ayala stumbled upon the now world-famous bay.
His purpose for the trip along the California coast was to give a detailed account of the area that future Spanish ship captains. Ayala’s pilot, Don Jose’ de Canizares, explored and mapped the bay, while Ayala stayed aboard the San Carlos anchored in a little cove island that now bares his name.  Following a custom then common among Catholic explorers of naming sites for the religious feast days nearest to the time of discovery, he christened Isla de Los Angeles, (Spanish for Island of the Angels).

"This is certainly a fine harbour," Ayala reported "It presents on sight a beautiful fitness, and it has no lack of good drinking water and plenty of firewood and ballast. Its climate, though cold, is altogether healthful and it is free from such troublesome daily fogs as there are at Monterey since these scarcely come to its mouth and inside there are very clear days"
Ayala and his crew stayed for 45 days along the island exploring, mapping and trading with Indians, only to sail out the bay and NEVER return.

It would be his loss. I mean who hasn't left their heart in San Francisco. Angel Island now part of the California State Parks system is just one of the many gems the Bay Area. This is my second kayaking-camping trip to Angel Island with members of Bayside Adventure Sports, an active Sacramento based outdoors church group. Transformation through recreation in God's creation is the guiding ideal for participants. The group organizes weekly biking, hiking, skiing, and kayaking outings, along with camping and ski trips throughout the year.

"Starting a good tradition," said Brian Hughes, one of the paddlers on the trip,  "Each year is different because of different weather conditions and exploring different parts of the island and the Bay. It's a challenging experience with awesome buddies. It has made me appreciate God's creation and the value of friends."

We caught the "Flood" tide for a free tide directly to the island. Our hearts seemed to pound a little harder as we exited Horseshoe Bay and feel the surge of the ocean. My longtime paddling partner Erik Allen and I traded off taking the lead across the 3-mile stretch as Angel Island loomed ahead of us, getting larger with each stroke.

Last year, Hughes paddled a sit on top kayak and towed a paddle board. This year he has a sleek sky blue touring kayak he is paddling for the second time since he bought it. Ron Bischel missed last year's trip us and is kayaking the bay for the first time. It's an easy paddle till we catch the swell of the rapid waters of Raccoon Straights. It pushes us past Stuart Point and towards the shore of the island. Up the hill through the trees is our campsite.

In an article titled Catching the Late Show in this year's spring issue of Adventure Kayak, writer Charlotte Jacklein says it's a fundamental fact that one of the greatest things you can do with your kayak is to go back-country camping. She wrote, "Day trips are certainly fun and beneficial, but camping out of your kayak exponentially magnifies all the joys of paddling and spending time in nature with friends."

Angel Island is within view of 4.8 million people around the Bay Area and has countless visitors on daily basis hiking Mount Livermore and touring the historic features of the island. But, when the last ferry left and the sunset, the island was pretty much its own world. It became an extraordinary backcountry adventure, offering the solace of any wilderness camp except it had stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the twinkling lights of San Francisco. That night tired after paddling in the wind around the island we reflected and philosophized about the day's paddle, life and God in tranquility.

 "Fellowship and strenuous fun, " said Hughes, "It is a major part of my social and faith connection.  Without it, I wouldn't have much going on that gets me revved up. We had one less person this year, but was still good"

Paddling guru Sigurd Olson knew about paddling and camping together and how it can lead to deeper understanding of our relationships with each other, nature and ourselves when he wrote "There have been countless campfires, each one different, but some so blended into their backgrounds that it is hard for them to emerge. But I have found that when I catch even a glimmer of their almost forgotten light in the eyes of some friend who has shared them with me, they begin to flame once more. Those old fires have strange and wonderful powers. Even their memories make life the adventure it was meant to be."

We hiked to the top of the 788-foot Mount Livermore the island tallest point on the island the next day before paddling back to Horseshoe Bay. It was a few days away on land and sea that recharged our lives and souls till we all can paddle and camp together again. Ayala may have never returned, but I'm looking forward to more paddling trips with the guys to the little bay island for many years to come.

 Click on the following links for past stories about kayaking in San Francisco Bay and visiting Angel Island in Outside Adventure to the Max.

 PADDLING SAN FRANCISCO BAY: VIDEO BLOG
Angel Island
Under the Golden Gate

OVER THE BOW: PADDELFEST SANTA CRUZ

PHOTO BY TOM GOMES

When asking Dan Crandall about 30th Annual Santa Cruz Paddlefest, this past March his eyes lit and a big smiled came across his face. "I had a great time at Santa Cruz when there was big water like that." said Crandall, "It was a beautiful wave." Santa Cruz Paddlefest is the largest and oldest continuously held surf kayak competition. Paddle surfers from around the world gather one weekend every year at Santa Cruz, California's famous Steamer Lane surf break.

Current Adventures Kayak School & Trips owner and founder, Dan Crandall is no stranger to Paddlefest and surfing the epic big waves with fellow US and International kayak, wave ski and SUP surfers. "It's been 28-years straight for me." said Crandall, "I have five or six times between that. The waves are world class stuff."

And just like the paddle surfer, the waves and waves and waves showed up providing a heart-pumping overhead-plus-sized surf that moved around from middle peak to the slot, and back again, depending on the tides and swell. “We could not have asked for better conditions for our event,” told event organizer Mathew Hoff to KION-TV “It was amazing.”

“Number one, I’d rather be patient and take a Middle Peak wave than anything else,” said Crandall before his run to Canoe & Kayak Magazine writer Paul McHugh, “I’ll look for a medium-size wave, one with shoulder that will hold up so I can run it down the line. Much as I love big drops, the biggest ones are folding over and dying off quicker today. Long run-outs, that’s what I want.”

Crandall, won the Open international Class final against a strong field of great kayak surfers, including the current World Champion Jack Barker from England, the former World Champion Darren Mastervibe Bason from Australia and local star Zack Boyd from Aptos, California. Here is how McHugh described Crandall's winning rides in Canoe & Kayak Magazine Online.

Crandall positioned himself outside of Middle Peak on surfer’s left, and when a big ‘un came along, he committed to a slashing right cut across beneath the pitching crest. It was a distinctive Crandall move, quite familiar from contests past, demanding equal parts of boldness and the fast hull speed of an old-school boat. However, it also was the exact opposite of his announced strategy. His big wave did hold up, though, and he was able to sashay back and forth with mild cutbacks in the pocket all the way to the judges’ stand. That bagged him a score of 22.

Crandall went for his second wave. It was a mirror of his first. Big, bold, and starting off with a cut across under the lip. He made his section, then let the pocket catch up to him, whereupon he performed his customary side-to-side wallowing until he passed the judges’ stand. Score: 23. His heat plan might’ve been in tatters, but maybe that was a good thing.  

Sea kayaker and photographer Tom Gomes was able to capture Crandall's run to glory offering us a taste of the event.  Check out Gomes on Facebook for more stunning kayaking and outdoor images.

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

TEXTING SAGE: AN INTERVIEW WITH SAGE DONNELLY

"This is a moment I’ve been dreaming of since before I can remember,” Sage Donnelly told the crowd on the Ottawa River after winning the 2015 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships. The 15-year-old kayaking phenom has a knack of dreaming big and creating remarkable memories. Along with winning the ICF title, she has won the 2013 GoPro Mountain Games, her hometown Reno River Festival and placed at the GoPro Games’ Steep Creek Championship the past two years and was voted in as Canoe & Kayak’s 2014 Female Paddler of the Year. She has been picking up steam ever since. The Carson City, Nevada paddler, competes in both freestyle and slalom kayaking events and is now vying for a spot on the US Olympic Team all while living with type 1 diabetes. 

“It makes it harder," Sage told Canoe and Kayak Magazine, "But, I take it as it comes and just kind of work with it.” Sage is connected to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, an organization seeking a cure for type 1 diabetes and providing support for those living with the condition.

“I do try to show that I don’t let things stop me, and I hope that inspires others to not let things stop them from achieving their goals,” Sage told Canoe & Kayak Magazine,  “My big motto is ‘Never give up on your dreams. You can become anything you want to.’”

An Outside Adventure to the Max favorite, we had a chance to get in a few questions with Sage about her busy year. 

OAM: It has been a big year for you. Trying to make the Olympic Team and getting a driver's license. What is next?

SAGE: I still have a super busy year ahead of me! I'm currently flying back to Oklahoma City, from LA where I was doing a diabetes commercial. Next up, I have the second Olympic Trials in Oklahoma City. I then drive to Colorado where I have three Freestyle and Creek Racing Competitions. Right after I'm finished in Colorado, I head to Poland for Jr./U23 Slalom World Championships in July. I will probably stay in Europe through August competing in slalom across the continent. 

OAM: You have had a young start. Do your remember your first time in kayak? 

SAGE: I don't remember exactly my first time in a kayak because my parents pretty much raised me on a river. I was put into the front of a two person boat with my dad in the back when I was two-years-old and started running rivers in my own boat when I was 4-years-old.  So, all of my early memories are of me in a boat or around the water. 

OAM: Young people seem to have little fear Are you fearless?

SAGE: I'm definitely not fearless. Since I've been doing this for 10 years I have developed a very good sense of my ability. However, I still do get scared, but when I do, I always try to work through it. I always break whatever I'm doing down into smaller steps and take into consideration what the consequences are.

OAM: How have you overcome your health issues thyroid disease and celiac disease and why doesn't it hold you back? 

SAGE: Well, along with Celiac and Thyroid Disease, I also have Type One Diabetes, which I would say is the hardest to manage. It's always a constant struggle of trying to keep my blood sugar levels balanced while training. I was diagnosed when I was 3-years-old, so honestly, it's just part of my life. Yes, it is a pain to have to do extra stuff to take care of myself, but I just take it as it comes and no matter what, never let it stop me from achieving my dreams.

OAM: Is it hard to be normal teenager doing what you do? 

SAGE:  I have no sense of what being a normal teenager is. Haha! I've been home schooled all my life and I travel around in a van competing over 9 months out of the year.  But I do still hang out with my friends and am super lucky to be able to do what I love with my friends all the time! 

OAM: How do you go to school?  

SAGE: My mom and dad are teachers, but I do all the work myself with them checking and helping when needed. I do all normal subjects that any kid my age would do and I'm currently doing college books for a curriculum. I'm also going to test out of high school when I get home from my summer travels and start online college classes.

OAM: Who are your influences? 

SAGE: I have so many amazing role models to look up to in the kayaking community, but I would have to say my biggest are Claire O'Hara, Adriene Levknecht, Jessica Fox, Rush Sturges, Nouria Abou-Newman.

OAM: Your home is Carson City. But where do you like to kayak most? 

SAGE: I would have to say my favorite places to kayak are the North Fork of the Payette River (Upper, Middle, and Lower 5 sections), the Ottawa River, and the US National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NC! 

OAM: In whitewater kayaking you are an up and coming star, but do your get a little star struck paddling with some of the greats?  How does that feel? 

 SAGE: I get star struck quite often actually. It just incredible to be able to boat and compete against all of the people that I used to watch when I was younger and think "I want to do what they're doing someday" and to be coming up to that level and be around them and talking to them is just really awesome and inspiring! 

THE SECOND BEST

I bought my second kayak and after that my third one and so on. With each new kayak, I learned new skills and pushed my boundaries.--Gnarlydog News

 

 It was a great boat. It really it was. My 12-foot Perception Prodigy 12.0  with a large and roomy cockpit, open bow and stern bulkhead. The roto-molded polyethylene kayak streamlined by design, it tracked straight and true upstream on the Otter Tail River. At the time, I didn't really know anything about kayaks except I wanted one and it had to be a sit inside.

I had kayaked a few summers before on Lake Michigan and always like canoeing on school trips and with the Boy Scouts. I have always been summoned by the call of water, its raging rivers and quiet lakes. Canadian Canoe Museum founder Kirk Wipper said that the canoe and kayak have become a medium to experience peace, beauty, freedom and adventure. "To travel the paths in natural places," he said, "Makes all the differences and in this, the canoe and kayak are essential partners."

For someone who has never paddled a lot before my Perception Prodigy 12.0  was very easy to maneuver. It tracked straight, and I found that with a slight lean could easily adjust course.  In that first summer kayaking, I took it everywhere I could find a place to paddle. Countless trips on the Red River and into Minnesota lake country. I really loved that boat. It got me into kayaking. It got me into the game. However, it wasn't long before I can say, I outgrew it. The kayak, just wasn't enough boat for me to do the things I wanted to do. My skill levels had advanced past the boat specs. If I was going to become a better kayaker, I had to upgrade my kayak. I'm was not alone.

"I have seen so many people buy their first boat and have their mind filled delusions of grandeur," wrote Paddler Magazine's Scott Edwards, in article Buy Your Second Kayak First, posted in December of 2015. "Only to have them dashed because the boat of their dreams has in short order become inadequate to match their rapidly growing skill set." Edwards states that getting the ‘right’ kayak is going to cost you more, but, much less than buying the ‘wrong’ kayak, only to get the ‘right’ one a year or so later.

"The biggest reason we see people experiencing this is because they didn't get a boat specific to the activities they wanted to do," said a representative from Austin Kayak, "They just went out there and got the first thing that looked good and that wasn't too expensive. For example, if you're a fly fisherman, something like a Diablo kayak is a fantastic fit because of its open deck and stability so you can stand and cast from pretty much anywhere. You're not likely to appreciate and notice these details until you've done it from another boat that isn't as well suited for fly fishing."

Edwards agrees, in his article, he warns new kayakers to avoid "big box stores" in their kayak purchase,  unless they just plan on floating around the lake. "The first things you have to decide is what kind of kayaking you are going to do the most." recommended  Edwards, "If you are going to try your hand at whitewater kayaking, your needs are going to be different than someone going sea kayaking. It is very hard to have one kayak do everything well, which is why kayakers who paddle diverse types of water have more than one kayak."

They both suggest a test drive to make sure you and the kayak are a good fit. Many paddle shops like Austin Kayak hold demo days for paddlers searching for the right boat. "People have the opportunity to try before they buy which makes a huge difference in finding the right fit," said a spokesman from Austin Kayak, "It'll either help confirm the boat you've been lusting for is the right choice or introduce you to something new you didn't realize was an option. Renting a boat from a local outfitter is another great way to get your feet wet before committing."

AUSTIN KAYAK'S DEMO DAYS

Experts suggest at demo day, you explore all the aspects of the kayak's fit and feel, along with having a specialist assist you in making sure the kayak is set up for you. There are many kayaks that have myriad adjustments for comfort. Is it equipped with thigh braces? Do you make contact with them in the correct spots and are they adjustable? What is your preference? A seat back or back band and how do the foot braces feel? These questions can be answered just by sitting in the boat.

"My first boat was a yellow Prijon sea kayak," said Sacramento paddler Mike Rumsey, "I paddle a Prijon a couple time on Folsom Lake when I first started kayaking. I paddled it in Paddle to the Sea 2012  when we paddled from Chili Bar to the Golden Gate. It was my first time under the Gate. I'm sure the bridge was a spectacular sight, but  I didn't see it. I was in survival mode.  Now I can't stand to paddle it.  So I replaced it with two boats."

My path on the water was much the same. The next year I purchased a Wilderness Systems Tsunami. I liked it so much I got another a year later and after that never paddled my Prodigy 12.0 much more ever again. I only took it out when I needed an extra boat to take family and friends kayaking. When I moved to California, I only had room for five boats and sold several others including the Prodigy 12.0. Looking back, initial expense played a part in my decision to buy the Prodigy. Over the year I quickly outgrew my kayak and the second purchase added to be substantially more than if I made that investment in the first place.

Edwards finished his article offering this great advice "I have encountered far too many who gave up on kayaking because they quickly became frustrated by the limitations of their equipment. It bears repeating, if you just want to float around the lake at your summer home (or things of that nature), well, you’re probably not even reading this. However, if you want to grow in your kayaking and explore the wonders and beauty that are only accessible by kayak, do your homework. Talk to people, pick a real paddle shop and take their advice. It will be money and time well spent!"

WATERCOLORS

Kayaking is my intimate relationship with water. I feel vulnerable and at the water's mercy. Sitting in a boat, only millimeters of carbon and fiberglass keeping me dry and protected, I am connected to the forces at play. I feel every ripple, every current and the slightest breezes. I am exposed to all elements and my inferiority is constantly being thrown at me. Whether I am paddling the fjords, exploring the surf, following the river, or just riding the ocean swells, I am nothing but a tiny speck riding on the back of a giant. A giant that can’t be conquered. A giant that forces me to adapt and prepare for the unexpected. A giant that reminds me of the control I don't posses. For me, kayaking is a meditation of humility...Daniel Fox

I introduced myself at the Bayside Adventure Sports paddle and SUP outing last weekend. How much did you paddle last year, one asked. "Ninety-one days last year," I said, "Not as much as I did the year before. I did 131 paddling days that year. But, every year I make a goal to paddle one hundred days during the year."

I have thought about that a lot this week. That equals a few hundred times of loading, unloading and loading my kayak. Millions upon millions of paddling strokes, and mostly, rushing home from my jobs to get on to the water. We all know the cycle... Sleep, work paddle. I pulled it off this past week, getting five days of paddling in the last ten days with plans of going again tomorrow.

"I go to sleep thinking about this river and I wake up excited to paddle it," posted on Facebook whitewater kayaker and filmmaker Rush Sturges, "People ask me if I ever get bored and I never do at these levels."

I feel the same way, like many of us, do. I spend my time trying to balance work and paddling. I like to work but I can't wait to go paddle again and again. It's where I want to be,  seeing the light and the water reflecting an image of my Nirvana. To spend time with my friends and family in amazing places and seeing those places from a perspective that you wouldn't get to otherwise.

Paddling philosopher Sigurd Olson once said, "Water reflects not only clouds and trees and cliffs, but all the infinite variations of mind and spirit we bring to it."

Don’t Ever Allow Yourself to Think That Your Adventures Are Not “Real”

                           “Adventure is worthwhile in itself.” - Amelia Earhart

By Pete Delosa

I recently posted an article that was a re post of something a good friend of mine had written about why we seek out challenges on the river and what it means to manage our fear on the water. If you follow me on Facebook you may have seen that I posted a link to an article about just the opposite a few days ago. It talks about how we get caught up in the hype from our sport and how that can cause us to feel inadequate if we are just having a mellow day on an easy river. (There is a link to this article at the end of this post. It is well worth a read.) It is this idea I want to expand upon in today’s post.
If you know me or are familiar with my writing, then you know that I am a native of the South Fork of the American River (SFA) in California. This river is the state’s quintessential class II – III play run. It is home to two kayaking schools and about 50 rafting companies. The river offers three sections. The upper class III, the middle class II (C to G), and the lower class III.
</>Your’s truly enjoying a run on the SFA. During the heart of the season here I'm at The River Store at some point almost everyday and at the CCK outpost a couple times a week. I run into other paddlers at these stores as well as at the access points along the river and at the restaurants and other hang outs. One of the things I love about this sport is meeting other paddlers and sharing our stories and experiences. I love to chat with other boaters, and an easy opener for a conversation is to ask someone, “where are you (or were you) paddling today?” Nearly all of the time people answer me with “just C to G” or “just the gorge.” Why the “just?”

When answering this question do people feel like they are inadequate? Do they think that they are being judged or looked down upon because they didn’t run the hardest run in California today? Am I causing them to feel this way? I hope not. If I’m asking you the question of where you went boating today at a hang out near the SFA, odds are I was “just” on the South Fork too. I very well may have “just” paddled c to g. Only I didn’t “just” paddle it. I paddled the shit out of it. No matter what stretch I was on or which boat I was in, you can rest assured that I enjoyed my day on the river. I had exactly the kind of river day that I was looking for today, and I hope you did too.

From here on let’s agree to drop the “just.” Let’s be proud that we packed up our gear, and we got out there today and that we had exactly the type of day we were looking for. Let’s celebrate that we had our own adventure, or that we had our own mellow day with our friends. If you went on the water and had fun then you won today and that is worth celebrating. Other people might have been looking for a different kind of day today than we were and that is OK. I hope they found what they were after, but that doesn’t take anything away from our success. Enjoying an early summer day on the river with my friends.

The bottom line is, get out there and have fun and stop comparing your day to other people’s. Stop thinking that you have to do the most epic thing ever to have a day worth sharing with others. Don’t ever let anyone, including yourself, make you think that your adventures are any less real than anyone else’s.

Read the article from Rapid Media here:

http://www.rapidmedia.com/rapid/categories/departments/5380-why-going-bigger-makes-our-world-smaller.html

Pete Delosa is a California professional kayaker with Team Pyranha and offers great insight into the world of whitewater kayaking for Outside Adventure to the Max. You can catch up with Pete on his blog River-Bum.com and his videos on You-Tube. 
Outside Adventure to the Max is always looking for guest bloggers. Contact us at Nickayak@gmail.com

SLOUGH MAGIC

We need the tonic of wildness, to wade sometimes in marshes where the bittern and the meadow-hen lurk, and hear the booming of the snipe; to smell the whispering sedge where only some wilder and more solitary fowl builds her nest, and the mink crawls with its belly close to the ground. – Henry David Thoreau

"Stay back," she whispered, "I want to take a picture." My wife Debbie likes all creatures great and small. It's like being married to a fairy tale princess the way all animals are drawn to her and her to them. Often while kayaking, she used her quiet voice reassuring the ducks, geese, and deer that they are safe and they need not be afraid while she passes by, while at the time warning me to give them a little more space as I draw near in my boat.

She paddles quietly ahead through the narrow section of water, while I stay back quietly watching. She inches forward, barely using her paddle and hoping not to scare off the duck sitting transfixed on a log coming out of the water. It doesn't move.

"You're alright.'' she says assures the waterfowl as she brings her camera phone to her eyes, "You're alright." It is the same for me. Everything is perfect.

"The shore is an ancient world, for as long as there has been an earth and sea there has been this place of the meeting of land and water," wrote Rachel Carson environmental activist who alerted the world to the impact of fertilizers and pesticides in the environment, best know for her book the Silent Spring, it is easy to picture her out gathering water samples in the old wooden canoe as she illustrates her passion for waterways when she said, "Yet it is a world that keeps alive the sense of continuing creation and of the relentless drive of life. Each time that I enter it, I gain some new awareness of its beauty and its deeper meanings, sensing that intricate fabric of life by which one creature is linked with another, and each with its surroundings."

Like for Carson, these waters are my sanctuary. I don't get much time to reflect, except out here.  These are quiet waters of tranquility that have been filtered through my life. On a fast-moving river or the ocean, I'm looking for eddy lines, currents, and tides, but in the calm of the backwater, I do some of my best thinking out there as I float along. These are the places that inspired Thoreau, Emerson, and Muir. Sometimes, I conjure up deep thoughts about God and the universe but mostly inner thoughts are simple ones as I paddle around the marsh. How are my children doing? Could I have handled that better at work? Should I buy another kayak?

"There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature," observed, Carson,  "The assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. The lasting pleasures of contact with the natural world are not reserved for scientists but are available to anyone who will place himself under the influence of earth, sea, and sky and their amazing life."

I lose track of the time, I lose track of Debbie. She has gone out of sight into another cove. The water on Lake Natoma's depth is always fluctuating. Today, we caught it at a high level offering more slough coves to explore. The water imbibes a feeling of magic. It takes on an art form of textured richness that no photograph could convey.  The sky and pond flow in a collision of reflection. Time seems to slow and stand as still as the glassy water surface. In the sunlight, turtles lounge on rotting tree branches, while fish make sudden boils below my bow and the waterfowl stand like statues. Across the bow comes the fragrance spring flowers intertwined with the earthy scent of the lake's aquatic garden. Before long I find Debbie again in the watery maze. Our bows break the stillness of the water sending small ripples carrying dancing flecks of light back toward the shore and ahead of us the lake glistens.

"When I would recreate myself, " penned writer Henry David Thoreau "I seek the darkest wood, the thickest and the most interminable, and to the citizen, most dismal swamp. I enter the swamp as a sacred place–a sanctum sanctorum. There is the strength, the marrow of nature."