I can't believe that it is
November and we are still kayaking! Tim took the afternoon off on Friday and kayaked at Exit 18 with his friend Doug.
After I worked Saturday morning, Tim & I packed up and headed to Sherman Island. It's one of our favorite places to paddle. We took a picnic lunch to have before we started paddling. Nothing like a Subway sandwich!
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| Tim unpacks our lunch |
After we ate our lunch we headed towards the Sherman Island Dam. The water was smooth as glass. I have never paddled on water so still! The reflections of the mountains were so pretty. We were amazed by the stillness all around us. There wasn't any one else on the river. We have decided that this is the best time of year to paddle. From the smooth, calm water to the quiet in the air; it was awesome. If you can keep your toes warm after stepping into the kayak, the rest is easy. We could even hear squirrels rustling in the woods. With the leaves off the trees you are able to see more of the terrain. Normally you can't see very far into the woods.
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The water is so smooth it is hard to distinguish between the mountain and the surface of the water.
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As we approached the dam we headed around a few of our favorite islands, The sun was on our faces and felt so nice. We could hear a loud scraping noise, but could not see what was making the noise. The bright sun was blinding us. As we approached one of the shores we could see a canoe that had been pulled up on the shore. I spotted a man with a bright orange hunter type hat. He seemed to be hiding from us. Hint: if you're trying not to be seen... remove the hat! We never would have seen him if it wasn't for the hat. I could hear the Deliverance theme playing as the man ducked from our view. We left him behind and headed back towards the launch. I still am curious about what he was doing.
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| So beautiful! |
We paddled towards the Spier Falls Dam. Our beautiful quiet was ruined by some hooligans on motorcycles on the road. They were doing wheelies over and over again. It was a shame to lose the serenity we had up until then. The paddle back seemed easier than normal. It almost felt like the dam had been turned off. We passed a log that was floating by. It had to be at least 21 feet long! I wonder if it came over the dam!
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Nance looks for wildlife
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We paddled almost to the Spier Falls Dam when we turned back. It was getting late. We wanted to make sure we were out of the water before dark. We saw a culvert that had been packed solid with sticks by some beavers. You could hear the water trickling over the top of the dam - that's what made us look that way. We had never noticed it before.
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| Beaver dam in the culvert |
We had paddled for about 2 hours. It was a very nice afternoon. We were a little chilled on the way home. The air temperature was in the mid 50's, but not sure what the water temperature was. Wet feet
chilled me right through but all in all; a great day!
