[Paddlewise] Surprises while Paddling

To balance the emotionally charged Subaru thread, I thought I'd add
something light hearted to the forum.

I'd be interested in hearing about some sudden surprises you may have
gotten while paddling.  Here's three that I've had in the last couple of
years.  They aren't great, but what the heck....

First, I was paddling along in the marshes of a NWR, minding my own
business, feeling entirely alone and safe, having a wonderful time
watching the ducks and so forth. Suddenly, all hell broke loose with
shot guns going off from about 3 different locations, forming a triangle
of which I was in the middle.  I usually watch out for hunters during
duck season, but this area was posted for no hunting, so I assumed (oh
boy - trouble right there) that there were no hunters around.  These
guys were close, too.  I almost capsized just from the startle.  I
thought about fussing at them about hunting in a posted area, but I
figured that there were three of them, armed, and obviously didn't care
where they hunted, so I just turned around and left.

Second, in the same NWR, I entered a creek, and just past the mouth, the
creek turned abruptly to the left. I made the turn and as I gently glid
(glided?) by not more than about 15 feet from land, I accidentally
(HONEST!) interrupted a young (mid 20's maybe) couple that appeared out
of nowhere on a 20'x40' patch of beach in the middle of the marsh, ahhh,
lets just say "doing the wild thing" on a beach blanket.  They were
kayakers in a double.  As I went past them, the woman freaked out, and
the guy just gave a shrug that basically said "so what".  To break the
ice, I simply smiled and said "Nice double".  I spent as much time down
that creek as I could, hoping that they'd be gone when I left, and sure
enough they were.  

Unfortunately, a couple hours later, we arrived at the ramp at about the
same time.  The guy seemed to not give a hoot.  The woman went and hid
until I left.  Can't blame her - I'm sure she was totally embarrassed.
And for those who want to ask but won't - yes, I marked the spot on my
GPS. :-)

Finally, this is about me surprising a few delinquent kids.  I had
pulled ashore at a Point on the Back River near the mouth of the Bay
where I live.  There were very few areas to pull out, so you took the
opportunity when it presented itself.   I pulled the boat up to keep it
from floating away, but in doing so, it was somewhat hidden by the tall
grasses and scrub.  I stretched my legs, did my business, and noticed a
worn path leading into a copse of trees.  

I investigated, and found an area that had basically been "hollowed out"
with makeshift benches, a table, rope swings, and various and a sundry
other stuff.  Clearly, it was a kids hangout.  One of the trees had
steps hammered into the trunk, and there was somewhat of an observation
deck about 15-20 feet up above.  So, I retrieved my binoculars and
camera, and went up to take a look around, and maybe get some good pics
of the water.

Now, let me set this up properly.  I'm wearing my NPS Volunteer hat, so
it looks a little "official" although it's not.  I'm wearing a grayish
greenish shirt with my Black and Yellow PFD over it.  On the PFD is a
whistle, a VHS radio, a knife, and so forth.  To climb the steps, I used
the Velcro loop through a spot on my greenish shorts to hold the small
black binocular case.  To get to the point, I basically could have
looked like a Game Warden or an "on the water" cop, or something like
that - at least to a kid who didn't get a chance to get a good look.

So, while I was up in the tree, a group of three middle school age kids
(two males and one female) came down the path from the inland side.  It
was a Friday about noon, during the school year, so they were obviously
skipping school.  They broke thru the brush into the copse of trees, and
at this point were almost directly under me, but hadn't seen me, and I
hadn't made myself known to them.  Almost instantly, one of the guys and
the girl both pulled out marijuana paraphernalia, in preparation for
lighting up.  Not wanting to be "hidden" too long, I then spoke up by
saying, "Hey, whatcha got there?" or something to that affect.

All three looked up onto the platform, saw what probably appeared to be
some sort of water based law enforcement officer, and immediately ran
like the wind. And I mean RAN!  And RAN, and RAN, and RAN... cussing
almost the whole way until they started running out of breath.

I climbed down as best I could, what with all the laughter and all.
When I got down, I destroyed the few items they dropped when they took
off running, and left myself.  I could barely paddle the rest of the
day. I kept busting out in laughter.

So, what about you folks?  Any interesting (not that these were
particularly interesting) stories about sudden surprises while paddling?

Rick
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************