A New Window on the Water
Although we’re all boaters, the types of craft we command vary a great deal, and our personal choice of boat gives each of us a different perspective. I’ve been rafting most of my life and am quite comfortable on all types of water, as long as I have two oars in my hands and a hundred pounds or so of rubber under me. But change the method of propulsion or type of boat and I become the proverbial fish out of water. A few weeks ago I got the opportunity to do some sea kayaking on Wallowa Lake, in northeast Oregon. Talk about a different world! You mean you actually need some balance? You can’t stand up? You could tip over in calm water? These are all rather foreign concepts to a person who comes from such a limited focus. It was quite an eye-opening experience to go outside my comfort zone, even for a morning. I had a great time moving silently in the foggy mist, sneaking up on gaggles of geese and testing just how far I could lean before executing a rather ugly brace. It rekindled that exciting, sometimes frightening feeling of being a “newbie” on the water.
|
