[Paddlewise] Routine After-Work Paddle

Sure was a nice afternoon, today. Temperatures were over 70, blue sky, but
a light southeast breeze and mare's tails promised deteriorating weather
later. Still, when I got out of work, I knew that this was the day that I'd
been waiting for since the end of October.

Until Daylight Savings Time commenced last weekend, there really hasn't
been enough time between when I get out of work and sunset for the routine
after-work paddles that I've come to enjoy. While I've been out in the
kayak every month over the winter, it's been on the weekends. I drove home,
and asked my daughter if she'd like to go out kayaking with me. Whine, no,
I'm tired, whine, I don't want to, whine, I wanna stay on-line. Kid, you
snooze, you lose, on a day like today. 

There were other places besides Lake Hudson that I could have gone to for
the routine after-work paddle -- I'll see a lot of it's no-wake surface
this summer, once the jet skis are out on the other lakes -- but it had
been ten days since I'd been there. This time of year, ten days means a lot.

Fortunately, it doesn't take much to get ready to go on these after work
paddles, and after it warms up a bit more it will take even less. In only a
couple minutes, I was backing the van up to the garage door where the Heron
sat waiting on the trailer, ready to go; fifteen minutes later, I was
dropping it in the water. It was close to a dead calm; just a hint of a
breeze. 

Out on the water, it's peaceful. The little point across from the put in is
one of the more favored nesting sites for Canada geese, and they were
squawking. There probably were half a dozen nesters there, but I didn't go
around the far side of the point to check.

As I said, a lot can happen in ten days this time of year. Lake Hudson is
an artificial lake, and since there are no pike in it, it's managed by the
DNR for trophy muskie fishing. Every year about this time the DNR fish
hatchery comes out and nets muskies to strip them of milt and roe for the
fish hatchery, and I've seen them net fish close to five feet -- and a
five-foot muskie is sneaking up on being a fishy torpedo. They don't do
this until the water temperature is in the mid forties, but it must be that
warm, since the DNR has their nets out this week. Even though the air temp
is in the seventies and the water is severly flat, since I'm alone I'm
pretty much going to sneak along the shoreline.

Still, it's surprising that the water is that warm, considering that the
last time I was out on this lake, ten days ago, there was still ice in some
of the bays, and there were huge rafts of migrating geese and ducks. The
migration seems to have moved on, now; those huge rafts of birds that we
usually only see during migration are gone. There are still plenty of birds
left, though -- the nonmigratory geese that will be around all summer, some
mallards, some laggard migratory birds. Leaf-out is still a month off, but
there are buds on a few of the trees, and the grass has greened up a little
since the last time I've been out. Still, the woods are stark and
transparent; it's a good time to see what's back in them.

It doesn't take much to decide to head down to the west end of the lake, to
check out another place popular with geese for nesting that I know of. It's
about a half hour paddle out there, and I take my time, just enjoying the
warmth of the afternoon, and the hint of "lake smell". I'm not making real
good time -- I'll go faster later in the year -- but I don't have to keep
up with anyone for once, and can go my own speed.

The little, nearly enclosed bay I'm heading for has no name on the map, but
I call it "Goose Bay", and it's one of my favorite places to just be. I cut
through the narrow entrance to the bay as quietly as I can, since I can see
geese nesting to either side of the channel. Past the narrows at the head
of the bay, I look around. I don't think the bay is as big as ten acres,
but I count fifteen nesting geese around the shore and could have missed
some in the rush. The last time I was out here, nesting really hadn't
begun, although the geese were getting, well, goosy about it, so it must
have started not long afterward. It won't be long before there'll be lots
of fuzzy little goslings around the lake.

Normally, I'd explore around the shoreline a bit, but I don't want to
bother the mama geese, so just stay content to float around in the middle
of the bay. There are about a half a dozen bass that are persistantly
jumping, feeding on bugs or something, I guess, or just enjoying the warm
spring weather, and it's hardly ever a few seconds between splashes. Twice,
I feel a little "thump" and a swirling up around the bow; as I've been
drifting along, I've rammed carp that are sunning themselves. Several times
the shadow of the boat scares up swirls in the water -- more carp.

I can't stay out on the bay long; the wife will be wanting to deal with
supper. All too soon I'm heading back down the lake toward the boat ramp.
Back out in the main lake, I count a flock of eight turkey vultures working
a small thermal. The familiar angular bent-neck shape of a blue heron
glides across the shoreline, then extends legs for a touchdown -- the first
I've seen this year.

Not far from the boat launch, I see a small boat up along the shore. I get
a bit closer, and can see two boats -- and they're both kayaks. A little
closer, and suspicions are confirmed -- it's the only other two sea kayaks
in the county, that I know of, besides mine. Though I paddle with the
couple that owns them on occasion, we haven't seen each other since last
fall sometime, and that was at a restaurant, so we have to stop, shoot the
bull for a moment, catch up on the gossip. I tell them that the DNR will be
out Saturday morning, stripping muskies, and they might be interested in
checking that out. I've seen it before, and while the weather forecast for
Saturday morning isn't as promising, I may be there too.

They're just getting going, and I have to be getting home, so we soon part.
It's been a good trip, for a "routine after-work paddle". For the next
several months, I'll try to be out at least a couple weeknights each week,
weather and schedule permitting. A lot of those trips will be right here,
on the old familiar lake -- but there's almost always something new to see
each trip, something new to look forward to. 

-- Wes


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