The Importance of Being Earnest

   Mary loaned me a book to read,  "Rowing to Latitude" by Jill Fredston.  I can't put the book down!  A journal of the trips the author and her husband took together along the coast of Alaska, and elsewhere, are compelling with detail on a grander scale than we may experience on our short trips.  Thrown in are generous dashes of the philosophical, and quotes that give the reader a sidebar of the thought process of the long distance paddler.  From the first paragraph in the preface, I found quotes to make a quote book of my own.
   So, the title, the 'Importance of Being Earnest' came from my reading so far, and laying to rest one  'silly me' thought and raising another thought about camping far from home with certain considerations.  The 'silly me' refers to my habit of packing a day bag everywhere I go paddling with friends.  On the scale, it weighs a hefty 8.4 pounds and includes items such as spare food and water for 24 hours, a limb saw, a duct tape repair kit, first aid kit, emergency blanket, rope, a flashlight, personal care bag, microfiber towel, and other items that would carry me  through 24 hours of being stuck to wait for help.  Two years, and paddling, and I've only dipped into my bag to cycle things that would age out.  Even beef jerky has its limits!  My personal satisfaction is that I would be ready, just in case things didn't go well, and that I could not only help myself, but someone else, too.  I'm glad it's been a long wait, but I like the joy of being prepared.
   Preparing for a long trip, or a 'self-sufficient' short trip without tables, showers, or an outhouse requires more thought.  In the book, Jill tells the process they go through preparing for their trip.  Clothes take a good scale down, and layering is emphasized over choice garments.  Food is dehydrated to reduce space and weight.  Showers may just have to be a fresh water splash when available.  Okay, now the 'shhh!!' part:  the potty bag.  In some places, it must be packed out!  A book, "How to Shit In the Woods by Kathleen Meyer addresses this topic with candor, and humor.  Knowing where to safely squat is a good thing, and wondering how that porta potty on the Walmart shelf would pack in a kayak is a minor mystery and consideration.
   Ahh....sometimes I think of all the fun stuff to go camping with, and picture the opposite in the determined face of a dirty little boy running away from home with his stuff in a bundle tied to the end of a stick!  Camping teaches us how to be where we are with what we've got, sometimes wishing we had more, seldom less, but leaving us to think about 'next time'.  The balance and fun of the experience is just being there, a part of what it is, planned for, prepared fir, or not, and just breathe the air.  Preparation is being earnest with what we've gained from experience.

River Hazards

Click on the link below to read a great article on river hazards.

http://www.paddling.net/guidelines/showArticle.html?566

The Life of Water

Sunday afternoon I set out for a short paddle on Upper Klamath Lake, noting the wind at my house, which is  in the same vicinity, appeared to be light.  When I arrived at the boat launch a short while later, I could plainly see that the winds were elsewhere and sending choppy waves to shore.  The short paddle turned into an intense study of wave action while pulling through troughs and splashes and cutting through waves in a sideways direction,  staying parallel to the shoreline at a safe distance.  The winds were still not heavy at this end of the lake.
 Yesterday morning I took a walk on the hill overlooking the lake, and made note of the smooth lake surface in the morning sun and thinking of other times that I've noticed this phenomenon.  Camping at Waldo Lake, of course, and taking the canoe out in the dawn as the rising sun filtered through the tree tops.
  Morning paddles on the lake offer quiet waters, sometimes with rising mists that appear 'sprite'- like.  In the  afternoon, winds pick up across the water.  What seems interesting is that the winds have a familiar pattern based on the surrounding hills and how the air seems to flow based on where they are situated.  The wind and air flow seem to follow a fairly predictable  pattern from one side of the lake to the other.  Not very scientific, just a comparison that may be useful.  For instance, I think, "Do I want to work more going out or coming in?"  I choose going out against the waves and  the wind  at my back for a swift ride back, though with the waves at an angle to the shoreline, concentration is still needed for what I can't see behind me.  Waves, for example, that are a little larger for no good reason, and some action that wants to send me out into the lake instead of towards the shore.

Upper Klamath Lake



Shore Acres SP, Oregon Coast



Benham Falls, Deschutes River

  When we talk about paddling rivers, we talk about volume and flow; rapids and obstacles like rocks, holes, strainers, and more.  When we talk about the ocean, we talk about tides, waves and surf.  We talk about about eddies, wind conditions, and water temperature.  All to get to know the character and the life of water, and perhaps ourselves as well.