First Things
The Voyage of Discovery Begins!
By
Tamia Nelson
What's that, you say? You want to paddle your own canoe or kayak? Your
friends keep showing you snaps from their latest paddling holidays? You
find slick catalogs in your mailbox, each page loaded with color photos
of gorgeous guys and gals in kayaks, all having an insanely great time
slicing through towering waves? Or maybe you can't take your eyes off the
calendar picture over your desk? You know the one I mean. A green canoe
on a glassy lake. Mom in the bow. Dad in the stern. Junior, Sis, and Spot
in the middle. And everyone's smiling.
Wherever your fancy takes you, chances are good that sooner or later
you'll start day-dreaming, sort of putting yourself in the picture, as it
were. Then you'll see yourself gliding across calm lakes on warm summer
days. Kayaking through lush rain forests. Paddling down a remote mountain
river, its icy water milky with glacial silt. Or maybe just hanging out
on a nearby beaver pond with a fishing rod.
You think it really doesn't get any better than this, don't you?
And you're right! Canoes and kayaks are magical craft. They embody
designs that are older than the written word. And they can take you
almost anywhere you might want to go. Long before the Interstate Highway
System, long before the transcontinental railroad, people were
criss-crossing the North American continent in canoes. Still further back
in time, centuries before John Cabot first sighted the rocky headland now
called Cape Dégrat, Inuit hunters and fishermen plied Arctic waters
in kayaks, living on the bounty of the icy seas. Descendents of their
skin-and-frame craft have even crossed oceans.
Is that all? No. There's more. Much more. Water, sun, and wind. The
cry of the curlew and the bark of the seal. Even in busy, big-city
harbors, canoeists and kayakers are never far from the natural world. And
you don't need to paddle across the continent to enjoy the thrill of
discovery. Every farm pond is a universe waiting to be explored.
Is this too good to be true? Maybe. A little. It's easy to be led
astray by a pretty picture. And it's easy to let others paint you into
their dreams. After all, there are weeks when the sun never shines and
the rain never stops. There are mosquitos in the world, too—to say
nothing of blackflies and ticks. Not every waterway is Golden Pond.
Right. But don't be discouraged. When I write about the joy of
paddling, you don't have to take my word for it. In fact, I don't want
you to.
Instead, why not embark on your own voyage of discovery? If you
haven't already done so, talk with folks you know who canoe and kayak.
Get some elementary instruction and rent or borrow a boat for a couple of
hours. Then take the boat out onto a quiet pond, on a nice warm, sunny
day. Wear a life jacket. Go with a friend or three. Bring a picnic lunch
and a pair of waterproof binoculars. Have fun, in short. Discover the
pleasures of canoeing and kayaking for yourself, at your own pace. Paint
your own picture. Dream your own dreams. That's always the best way.
Once you've tried it, you'll be surprised how easy it is. Before you
know it, your voyage of discovery will begin. It'll be yours and yours
alone, of course, but we'll be right there with you when you need
us—every stroke of the way, if you want. We're all in the same boat,
aren't we? 'Nuff said.
Copyright © 2001 by Verloren Hoop Productions. All rights
reserved.