When I woke up early Saturday morning I could
hear the rain coming down, so I called Keli to see if we were still
on for boating. It looked like the weather was going to keep us
from a nice, calm day of paddling at Heyburn State Park. But, bad
weather or not, we decided to stick with our plans and Keli, Pam
and I met up at the Frameshop to get all the gear together. It
poured as we were gathering up our boats and during the drive to
the lake. Then, as soon as we pulled up to the boat launch, the
rain stopped! The clouds in the sky broke-up a little and we started
to see sun. We put our gear on, got our boats together, and headed
out for a relaxed adventure.
©Keli Keach |
A little information about Heyburn State Park; it’s
located about an hour north of Moscow, Idaho, the home of
NRS, or 45 minutes south of the city of Coeur d’Alene.
The park has three connecting lakes: Lake Chatcolet, Benewah
Lake, and Round Lake, all at the southern end of the much
larger Coeur d’Alene Lake. We chose to paddle on Lake
Chatcolet, the southern most of the three lakes. Lake Chatcolet
is unique for the fact that the St. Joe River, with its raised
banks, runs through the middle of it.
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When we first arrived, the water was rippling but nothing serious.
We headed across the lake to a channel, the St. Joe River, and
started to paddle up. We saw lots of birds and a hawk, which was
not very happy with how close we happened to be paddling to their
nest. The day turned out to be beautiful. The sun came out and
the wind died down. The only annoyance was the motor boats, flying
up and down the channel, disturbing our peace and shoving us into
the bank with their waves.
We paddled for about four hours up the St. Joe until we
saw an old broken down cabin on the shore, when we stopped
and wandered around in some really tall grass. After our
little break we headed up the channel hoping to find a way
out, but it just kept on going. We checked to see what time
it was and decided we should probably start heading back.
The wind and the light current of the submerged St. Joe were
on our side, helping us make great time back to the car.
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©Keli Keach |
The three of us work together at NRS, and it was wonderful to be
on the water with good friends, and to have one last trip with
Pam before she took off for the Peace Corps. We all were on the
same page the whole trip. No one was in a hurry; we just enjoyed
each other’s company and where we were. That is the reason
why I boat and the reason boating has been a part of my life for
many, many years.
©Keli Keach |
Growing up, my family and I would take two week long canoe
trips all over the Northwest; from pristine Canadian lakes
to the John Day River in Oregon. One of my favorite trips
I went on as a child was to Myrtle Lake in Canada. I think
I was 10 years old when I went on this trip. Restrictions,
from the permit we were required to have, only allowed 12
of us on this immaculate lake.
We portaged the canoes about two miles in from the trailhead.
After we got all the gear loaded-up we started our paddle
to the first spot we would camp. The scenery looked like
it was painted: lush green vegetation and beautiful mirror-like
water reflecting the shoreline. It was so spectacular to
see a place as if I were the first person to find it. On
this trip we saw moose and their calves, loon, deer, black
bear and a ton of birds. There were short hiking trails we
took that winded through the brush and trees. To get off
the lake and into the shade of the foliage surely made the
hot summer days more bearable.
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The newest addition of boating in my life is white-water kayaking,
and in the past year and a half I started actively participating
in it. It has been such a great thrill for me. There is never an
uninteresting moment for me in my whitewater kayak. I get so excited
when we strap the kayaks to the top of the car and drive to the
river for the weekend…the whole drive down, the group talks
about how eager we all are to get our boats in the water. Whitewater
kayaking has definitely amplified my passion for boating. There
is always something to work on. It is a constant challenge and
keeps me on my toes!
It is amazing, even as a kid, how I’ve always felt
so free when I am boating. No matter if I’m on a mellow
flat-water trip or play-boating on the river. Boating has
built lifelong friendships and is a way to escape from the
fast pace of society. If you have ever had the itch to try
any type of boating, I strongly encourage you to do so.
Happy Boating and Be Safe!
Ashley Niles
NRS Customer Service
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©Keli Keach |
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