THE JOY OF PADDLING IN AUTUMN

"The perfect weather of Indian summer lengthened and lingered, warm sunny days were followed by brisk nights with Halloween a presentiment in the air." --- Wallace Stegner 

Autumn is a perfect time to paddle. Okay, Okay. For me, any season is the right time to get into my kayak and paddle the river or lake. However, in the fall, I do enjoy certain paddling benefits that do not accompany the other season as well.

Journeying down the Lower American River last weekend, I traveled quietly along on the downstream stretch under brilliant skies and heard the ripples and rush of the river. While summer had come and gone, the water temperature was still warm enough to wade into while getting in my kayak. It has been a warm start to our fall season so far this year in California. Wildfires and red flag warnings have been in the mix since Labor Day in this year's historic fire season.
 

The American River is running at an easy flow. Water levels are always a consideration this time of year. For area lakes and reservoirs, water levels are down, unlike during the springtime when they are brimming. For nearby Folsom Lake, even if the water level low, there is still plenty of water for paddling. The speed boats and jet skis have left for the season, leaving behind fewer waves and an uncrowded lake. Late into the fall, the lakeshore can look like the surface of Mars. While neighborhood favorite Lake Natoma water levels are always fluctuating, when it's when water is high, it offers some hideaway sloughs to explore. In the lake's backwaters, with fewer leaves to contend with, I'm able to spot the deer easily through the trees along the shore. While in the air, I was thrilled to see the lake's bald eagle couple make a soaring flyover. And towards sunset, I came across a beaver moving through the water. He slapped his tail to give me a warning that I was too close, I suppose. It went on its way of preparing for winter, while I paddled by.
 

Back on the American River, the day was already a success with seeing a bald eagle, several snow-white egrets, and a playful river otter who greeted me with few grunts as I paddled by.
It's time for the salmon run and the area fishermen were out this past weekend. While some line the shore side by side, others are hip-deep in the stream. I'm not a fisherman of any sort, but I can't help by marvel at their artistry of the flyfishermen as they cast their lines with precision and flair.
“Until a man is redeemed he will always take a fly rod too far back," wrote “A River Runs Through It” author Norman Maclean, "Just as natural man always overswings with an ax or golf club and loses all his power somewhere in the air.”
The experts have made their casting poetry in motion, even if they come home without a fish. As writer Roderick Haig-Brown said, "There will be days when the fishing is better than one's most optimistic forecast, others when it is far worse. Either is a gain over just staying home."

It's like that for me with paddling, I suppose. In the solitude and sanctuary of the water, I've never had a bad day of paddling. Going down the river, my mind reflects on my autumn paddling memories from the past.
“There is something incredibly nostalgic and significant about the annual cascade of autumn leaves,” wrote, Joe. L. Wheeler. Maybe so? Floating along, it's easy for me to drift off and think about those The cool and crisp mornings of my Minnesota canoe and kayak days. The bugs were long gone after the frost came and the placid lakes rendered stunning reflections of reds, yellows, and oranges across the waters at Maplewood State Park against the clear blue fall sky. But I often forget fall doesn't' last long in the northern tier. There when an unexpected cold snap and early snow would ice my paddling season.
 

The weather and colors did not have dramatic along the American River as paddle over the rushing slide of water above the Fair Oaks Bridge. Only a few pale yellow leaves on few trees scattered along the shore. The sloughs of Lake Natoma offer a bit more, along with the lakes in the Sierra and the foothills.
Canoe guru Bill Mason said, “Anyone who says they like portaging is either a liar or crazy.” I'm sure the dozen or so fisherman lining the back across from me must be thinking as I carried my kayak back over the rocks of the slid to paddle upstream back to Sailor Bar.

It was not a solitary paddling experience. I chased a few migrating salmon before they disappeared under the water. Ducks and geese, a common sight along the shoreline, pay little attention to me as I trek past them. During the summer, of course, the river is crowded with other boaters and rafters. But this time of year, the interest in floating along the river has faded for most.
Even for fishermen, time is limited. Fishing season end on this section of the river on October 31st.
Going upstream, I have two more portages to go before getting back to Sailor Bar, so I take my time to enjoy the peace and the solitude. As I dip my paddle, a rustling of fall leaves swirls through the air and landed ever so softly in the water beside me. I take another forward stroke while the leaves are being gentling are carried off by the current of the river going the other way.

 

The appearance of autumn does not call for the disappearance of kayaks or standup paddleboards. Fall and wintertime waters offer a quieter and solitary experience. Who doesn't appreciate fewer bugs, crowds, and empty parking spots at the access? Just remember simple safety factors involving hypothermia. Even water temperatures as high as 75 and 80 degrees F (24 and 27 degrees C) can be dangerous, but generally the colder the water, the faster it happens.

Another tip for your cold-weather paddling adventures: The sun is starting to set earlier and earlier, and you will have to keep this in mind while you are out on an autumn tour. When the days are short, you’ll want to utilize as much sunlight as possible. Daylight savings times ends on November 1st.

FIVE simple tips for anyone looking to extend the length of their paddling season into the winter months.

 

1. Wear your PFD! 
2. Layering up against the cold. 
3. Familiarize yourself with rescue techniques 
4. Be well fed and hydrated when paddling.
5. Mind the light 

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LAKE NATOMA GLOW PADDLE WITH VIDEO

Paddlers taking part in the 4th annual Glow Paddle gleamed in the darkness on California State Park's Lake Natoma last weekend as they illuminated their canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards with colorful lights and decorations during the yearly paddle.
"It was a blast," said John Taylor, a paddler with Bayside Adventures Sports, an active Sacramento faith-based outdoor group, "All the boats were lit up so well. Hats off to all for making this happen."

For the past three years, the unofficial Glow Paddle has been held in conjunction with the Folsom Parks & Recreation Department's annual Glow Event. The walk/ run is a family-friendly, non-competitive run/walk for all ages where participants dressed up in costumes that glowed, blinked, sparked, and shined along the route. The neon shining walkers and runners decked out with glow sticks, glow glasses, glow necklaces lit up the trail from Folsom's Historic District, across the walk bridge over Lake Natoma, through the Negro Bar unit of the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, and back again.

Paddler Pearli Van used Facebook to ignited the first Glow Paddle event on Lake Natoma. That year, only a few paddlers were flickering under the walk bridge to cheer on the walkers when they passed by. The next two Glow Paddles glimmered even brighter as more paddling groups became involved.
But when the Covid-19 pandemic doused the official Glow Event, that did not stop paddlers like Tim Senechal from generating the power to keep it going.
"This year there was no Folsom glow run to accompany it, but that didn’t stop us!" wrote Senechal on Facebook.

Photo Courtesy of Kassie Lee

Over 100 paddlers took part in the event, many from area paddling groups while other paddlers just came out after hearing about the event on social media. During the Glow Paddle, organizers stressed social distancing at the access at the Negro Bar boat ramp, along with wearing a PFD and following all state recreation area rules.

"So I was one of the jealous folks on the old bridge who had no clue you all existed until now," wrote Kassie Lee in a Facebook post, "Next time my SUP and I will be ready. Thanks for the pleasant surprise to my family's night out. The kids loved the lights.
"This event," wrote Senechal on a Facebook post, "Which started out with about 12 kayaks a few years ago, grew to over 100 kayakers tonight. This was no organized event. Just word of mouth through a few Facebook groups. Pretty amazing!" 

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URBAN PADDLING: A TRIP DOWN THE LOWER AMERICAN RIVER

 

Most of us picture paddling out in the heart of nature. It is easy to see ourselves gliding along on a serene mountain lake or into the bays of a country lake. For the more adventuresome, maybe running a scenic wild river or out in the ocean against a rugged coastline is more your style. But as more and more people take up paddling, an urban kayaking trend is emerging. Paddlers from coast to coast say paddling along their urban waterway has changed their perspective of their neighborhood river and the city along its banks. Switching to panoramic views of skyscrapers, bridges, and other urban dwellings instead of mountains or forest scenes offer paddlers an alternate aspect of their town often not seen.

"We love urban kayaking and it was fun to see the Minneapolis skyline from the water," wrote Minnesota based blogger Jenna Kvidt in Wander The Map! while paddling through on the Mississippi through the heart of the Twin Cities, "It’s a perspective of the city we had yet to witness, plus getting out on the water is always a great time."
Once New York paddler Noriko Okaya got over her fears of paddling New York City's Hudson River, she wrote there was no better way to see the city.
"Just over the horizon the Hudson offers magnificent views of the Manhattan skyline and a unique view of some of the most iconic man-made landmarks of the world, including the Empire State, Chrysler, the Standard, Whitney Museum, and One World Trade Center," wrote Okaya in PaddleXaminer, " Not many people get to see the city the way we do from the water, and in my opinion, it’s the best way to see New York."
While Jennifer Koerner, who is with Up the Creek Expeditions based in Jacksonville, Fla., found beauty at every turn while touring the St. Mary's River.
"At first, I couldn't imagine why someone would want to paddle by buildings and bridges. But look at the railroad trestle up. It looks like art to me," Koerner told First Coast News.

After sliding my kayak into the Lower American River at the Rossmoor Bar Access in Rancho Cordova, Ca., just east of Sacramento, I said to my paddling partner John Taylor, "How lucky we are to have this river right in our own backyard just minutes from my home."
Taylor is a veteran of many voyages down the American says no trip has ever been the same.
"I'll see something different every time," John said.

The Lower American River meanders through a network of highways, suburban streets, and urban bustle for 23 miles immediately after leaving Lake Natoma and Nimbus Dam, all the way to the confluence with the Sacramento River. At least that is what the map says, but on the river, we are in a different world.
The American River Parkway is a looping green ribbon that shelters the river and its shore for most of the way to the Sacramento River. Often called "the jewel” of the Sacramento Region, the river is the central focus of the Parkway, which features a good-mix of fast-moving currents, along with some slow and lazy flows that are perfect for most beginning paddlers. Annually more than 5 million visitors use the Parkway, not for paddling, but hiking and biking also.

It was a late summer trip for us. Past the season when a large rafting crowd frequent the river in large yellow or blue rafts with full coolers and no paddles. Popular on the hottest days of the summer, the river turns into a jamboree of hijinks, loud music, and bad sunburns. During a mid-summer trip where I took two groups down the river on the same day, I told them that the morning group would see nature, while the afternoon group would see "wildlife."

We put in on the river below San Juan Rapids with two other paddlers, skipping the sometimes tricky rapid. We still have a long way to go with an estimated 17 miles to the confluence with the Sacramento River. There is a bright blue sky, a slight breeze, a relaxing flow, and no sign of anyone outside of a few fishermen.
Classified as a “Recreation” river within the State and Federal Wild and Scenic River Systems, it was a little hard to imagine we were surrounded by the city. Since being established, the American River Parkway has ensure the preservation of the river's naturalistic environment.
"With the American River at my feet," wrote David Dawson, in the American River Parkway Foundation newsletter Stories from the Parkway, "I saw nothing of the two million human beings who surrounded me in the Sacramento metropolitan area. I saw no streets, no cars, no buildings, and no lights."

 Varieties of animal wildlife such as wild turkey, deer, and hawks can be seen at every bend, while river otters and beaver wait till twilight. We saw a few deer passing over a few fast ripples near Ancil Hoffman Park. As the river turns to the south leading up River Bend Park, we paddle past a row of river homes and under the Harold Richey Bicycle Bridge, to signify that we are not that far from civilization. 

The river speeds up down to Harrington Access as we encountered Arden Rapids. It is not as challenging as the San Juan Rapids as the river pushes against gravel deposits creating some standing waves.
"Go right down the middle," John tells the others.
It's a rubber raft graveyard as we encounter sunken trees and shredded rafts along the way. On a summer trip, we watched the Fire Department rescue some rafters stuck in the snag of trees.

Islands and channels provide jungle-like exploring opportunities along the way, But now it was time to paddle because the current had slowed. We heard the roar of city traffic at the Watt and Howe Avenue bridges. While cruising past the monolithic-looking structure of Sacramento's' Water treatment plant, we saw the Guy West Bridge suspension bridge. Designed to resemble the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, it is used by bicyclists and pedestrians to get to the Sacramento State University campus. From now on, the closer we will come to the Sacramento River the more bridges we will encounter. 

Like most urban areas, Sacramento is plagued with a growing homeless population. We paddle past scores of tents, tarps, and encampments line the river shore along with shopping carts, abandoned bicycles, and piles of trash. It is illegal to camp along the American River Parkway, but efforts to rousted the homeless from the riverway have been limited since for most, there is nowhere else for them to go.
I told John, "As much as I love this river, this is a terrible existence for them. How stressful and dangerous their lives must be. My heart goes out to them.

A train horn bellowed from above on railroad trestle as we come up to Sutter's Landing. Like all river towns, Sacramento history intertwines with the river. Captain John A. Sutter established a permanent camp and later built his fort south of the river. There is not much evidence from the past here as the dirt used to construct levees were built to elevate the city to prevent flooding leaving behind open pits. It became the city landfill for number years. Now through restoration, it is a popular park along the Parkway.

As we continued downstream, the pace slows considerably. We might have been in a hurry to get to the Sacramento River and Discovery park but, the Lower American River was not. It's deep and wide now. The ripples are gone and the river appears idle. Our kayaks were tugged along lazily like Huck Finn on the Mississippi. We paddled by two railroad bridges, one with its supports spray-painted with graffiti and was a former railroad bridge now reserved for bikes and pedestrians.

We are in the heart of the city now, except it still seems wild. Here the river is cradled by trees, obscuring any urban buildings from view. Only the I-5 bridge and a few motorboats let us know our journey is almost finished.
In the distance, a jet ski and rider revs up and heads out on the Sacramento River just past the Jibboom Bridge, a historic metal truss dinosaur of a bridge built-in 1931. A swing bridge from days gone by, it now has only light traffic in its park setting. It is the last bridge we pass under during our paddle down the American River.
The Sacramento River was a dingy pale brown compared to the American River and its clear flows as we crossover into its murky water turned up by powerboats. We look to the south and finally see the city of Sacramento and its tall high-rise buildings and waterfront.
While we had to wait till the very end of our great urban adventure down the American River to see the skyscrapers of Sacramento, our trip still gave us all a new perspective of our city and its waterway. 

And no matter how many times I will paddle The Lower American River as John says, it will always be a new and different experience every time, especially when I see it over the bow of your kayak.

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KAYAK SUMMER 2020

Lake Clementine

Making storytelling photos has always been my mantra. Throughout my journalistic career to now, as I document my kayaking paddling days, on Instagram, and for my post in Outside Adventure to the Max, I want to tell you a story. Each day, I hope to capture in a photograph what the day was like and what did. Was it sunny and bright or a bit gloomy? Was I with or leading a group, or was I on a solo trek across the water?

Sunset Paddle on Lake Natoma

I love to shoot a lot of my photos in the so-called Golden Hour. I have a propensity to light and shadows and the mood it presents. I find it irresistible to let those magical moments pass without trying to catch just a part of it. I can not lie. It makes for beautiful pictures, especially when on the water. Those serene moments make my kayak tripping a bit romantic and picturesque.
Yet the storyteller in me also wants to share my so non-romantic things about my paddling days. The grittiness of the heavy kayak and steep portage to the sluggishness of sluffing boats at the end of the day at the boathouse, to the unplanned swims, Not all my paddling days are a memory of cool Kodak moments.

Summer 2020 was far from picture perfect and a bit more unalluring and unappealing than any photos can suggest. By most accounts, it was an unfocused and somewhat shaky ordeal that will be remembered more for what we didn't do rather than what we actually did.

Sly Park Paddle Rentals

For all of us, Summer 2020 certainly did not start all that well. The as the novel coronavirus know as the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly canceled and delay it from the start.
"Now we have something that turned out to be my worst nightmare," the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told CNN in June, "In the period of four months, it has devastated the world."

At the start of the summer season, self-quarantining recommendations and restrictions became the norm. Movie theaters, indoor restaurants, and churches were closed. Events and festivals were canceled, and stacks of guidelines were imposed, calling for "social distancing" by staying at least six-feet part from one another.
Across the country, popular national, state, and local parks and beaches were either closed or were limiting access as health officials raised health concerns about large, possibly maskless, groups of visitors arriving and potentially skirting social distancing guidelines.
But as we all know, going outside is good for us, especially in a pandemic. Being in nature and the fresh air can help us relax and feel less stressed, which is what we needed most both then and even now. 

South Fork of American River

So I took advantage of my free time to head to the Lower American River and even run the South Fork of the River with a couple of guys during the early days of the summer shutdown.

As the stay-in-place restrictions were relaxed, outdoor places like state parks suddenly become important in a new way. They were safe places, but only if people recreated reasonably. Masks for many became the fashion as we looked in either bandits or doctors when they arrived a the boat launch. At Sly Park Paddle Rentals, where I worked after the delayed start, I would give all the equipment a sanitizing bath in E-san 64 after each rental. As the pandemic lingered into the middle of summer, people continued to flock to places like Lake Jenkinson, giving me a busy and brisk business as folks tried to escape the routine of the pandemic by getting on the water. 

Loon Lake

But just the same, it was not all work and no play. The after-hours canoeing and kayaking sessions in the lake helped give me a sense of normalcy. An annual trip down the Lower American River and no-frills expedition to Loon Lake with Bayside Adventure Sports, a Christian based outreach group, gave me a chance to lead a great group of paddlers. Okay, okay! That week on the was close to picture-perfect as could be, for me and maybe all them. It was the highlight of my summer.

But with every high, there comes a low. And this seemly apocalyptic summer dished out a slew of record-breaking temperatures, devastating wildfires, and ghostly orange and Martian-red skies from the shadow of smoke blowing eastward during the ladder part of the summer. A mid-September camping trip to Sierra Mountains Silver Lake was called-off due to the threat of fire danger, and my days on Lake Jenkinson were plagued with smoke and haze. It led me to get some dramatic photos, but also a realization that with climate change being unchecked this could be a prelude of things annually. 

Lake Jenkinson

It's official. No matter how I regard it, this lost summer is over, and fall has begun. Time to start planning for next year. While for some, this ominous year of 2020 can not get over quickly enough as we all deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, racial unrest, and looming contentious election. As we start the Autumn season, we search for that silver lining.

“Our main job as artists is to make the art that only we can make, right now in the times in which we are living,” wrote California College of Arts Dean of Fine Arts Allison Smith to her students this past year. “The art you are about to make will be a source of survival, and it will change us all for the better,” she concluded. 

So in these crazy times, I look back on my summer 2020. I certainly will cherish all my photo moments, both good and bad, all the friendly faces, and all the memories of my time on the water. To help me and maybe even you cruise through to till next summer, I picked out some of my favorite images I created over the past few months to help recall the past season like no other.

Here is a look at some of my favorite images from this past summer.

Loon Lake with Bayside Adventure Sports

Lake Jenkinson

 

Sly Park Paddle Rentals

Donner Lake

Lake Jenkinson

Lake Valley Reservoir

North Fork of the American River

 

The American River Parkway

Lake Jenkinson

Lake Jenkinson

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OVER THE BOW: LAKE JENKINSON

“We come from a perspective, humbly, where we submit the science is in — and observed evidence is self-evident — that climate change is real and that is exacerbating this.”--California Gov. Gavin Newsom

I love to paddle in rain, fog, and snow. Weather for me is just a state of mind. As writer John Ruskin wrote, "Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating. There is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather."
But, with wildfire erupting throughout the western states causing a path of destruction as it burns across million acres. Meanwhile, a hazy, milky overcast of smoke is choking us all. The climate is changing.

The governors of California, Oregon, and Washington have all said global warming is priming forests for wildfires as they become hotter and drier.
“What we’ve been seeing in California are some of the clearest events where we can say this is climate change — that climate change has clearly made this worse,” Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at the Breakthrough Institute, an Oakland-based think tank, told the Los Angles Times, “People who have lived in California for 30, 40 years are saying this is unprecedented, it has never been this hot, it has never been this smoky in all the years I’ve lived here.”
Scientists say wildfires are all but inevitable has plants and trees drying out due to climate change. Forest officials hope that implementing efforts to thin trees and brush through prescribed burns and careful logging will help prevent forests from being threatened with fire.

That was the case earlier this summer on the south shore of Sly Park Recreation Area's Lake Jenkinson as crews with a masticator cut, chopped, and ground dead and dying trees and dry vegetation into particles to reduce and inhibit the spread of a potential fire.
It was a disrupted noise to a usually peaceful lake scene. And when the winds were light a dust bowl like cloud darkens the lake view and faded the treeline. Paddlers floated in and out of the haze above the lake. But, at least it wasn't smoke from nearby.
Funding for the vegetation management project was provided by Cal Fire as part of the California Climate Investments Program.

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

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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

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MOON & GLOOM

The moon will guide you through the night with her brightness, but she will always dwell in the darkness, in order to be seen. ---Shannon L. Alder

There was supposed to be a full moon. It was supposed to come over the trees and a glorious gleaming beam over the waters of Lake Natoma. At least that was my plan while leading a moonlight kayaking paddle for Bayside Adventures Sports, an active Sacramento faith-based outdoor group. I can think of no better time to be on the water, as the orb's ethereal light glistens off the water.
Accompanied the peaceful stillness of the lake it can create a very serene "zen-like" experience while kayaking. For many, including me, it's a favorite paddling activity.

But the devastating Californian wildfires that had burned up millions of acres and thousands of structures had blanketed the Sacramento area with a dense overcast of smoke and haze for the past weeks. A gloomy cloud covered the lake and surrounding area, while the setting sun was a burning red ball of ember in the sky. The closer it sank to the horizon the more obscure it became before it to would disappear into the murky clouds. For sure there would be no beaming moon, no big dipper, or the flickering planets of Jupiter and Saturn to gaze upon. Throw in the uncertainty of the never-ending Coronavirus pandemic, our country's unrest with racism, and a contentious looming election there seems no end to the dreariness of the evening. As Edgar Allan Poe wrote in his poem The Lake, "Whose solitary soul could make An Eden of that dim lake."

There are no bells and whistles on a moonlight paddle. No rush of adrenalin like whitewater. It's a tranquil experience and an escape from the commotion of the world, all while being lost in space between the stars in the heavens and the serene of the lake.
I experienced it just a few nights before as I watched the waxing moon appear over the pines at Sly Park Recreation Area near Pollock Pines, Ca. while leading a small kayaking group on Lake Jenkinson. As the sun sank into the horizon of tall trees, the powerboats sped away leaving behind a placid pool both calm and tranquil. The only sounds I heard were the gentle whisper of hushed voices and the whooshing of their paddles as the kayaks glided along. Like Linus said in It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, "Nothing but sincerity as far as the eye can see."

Author Luanne Rice wrote, "There's something enchanted about night. All those heavenly bodies, shooting stars, the crescent moon, celestial phenomenon."
Even on a gloomy night, I found that same magic that I have always had on every night paddle. As the light faded the world transformed into a silver a black panorama. Nature’s symphony of frogs and crickets singing from the unseen shore did even need the moon. My feelings of tension and worried thoughts seem to disappear into the night air.

But, even when you least expect it, the moon never fails to dazzle.
"I see it," called out a member of my party as we paddled back to the access, "There it is!"
Coming over the trees and glowing like a red sun the moon came through to end our night's paddle. Better late than never.

We are always looking for guest bloggers to share the stories and pictures of their adventure.

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