Of moonlight, swells, and leaves

[EEL]

Due to unexpected horse issues, our camping trip to Muscongus was cancelled and the only options were short trips close to home. Sat. we launched well afrter 4PM at a local lake and ended up doing a 12NM trip. Nice and easy with a gentle breeze. Almost 2 hours in the moonlight and fun navigating by using lights on shore and shapes.

Sunday Gail wanted to see how a boat described by some as twitchy and squirrely did in waves so it seemed going around Gerrish would fit the bill. Before getting out of the twisty part of Chauncey we encountered dying swells. Hmmmm. Going past the railroad bridge we heard swells breaking behind us. Hmmm. So it appeared there would be sufficient action to discover the boat's handling. And so there was. I do not know if it was the rocks,water, and noise or my occasional admonition to "Go now, and paddle fast.", but eventually Gail commented that she wanted to get home by the quickest and most direct way. She was not pleased when I said we were. Finding a spot protected by a ledge, we landed and in an extraordinary moment of candor Gail said she not only had enough of handling this stuff, but she was scared. "Really, you look very much is control.", did not mollify her. I tried trite aphorisms about embracing and not avoiding fear. She was not receptive. So we ate a bit, watched the breakers, and talked about how to watch and read the cycles. We selected a route around and through the ledges in front and off we went. We got around without incident, but not without confronting the demons that keep one from expanding the comfort zone and obtaining the joy of accomplshing more than seemed possible. In retrospect, Gail decided it was a great adventure and learning experience. I was relieved at getting back on speaking terms.

Monday was a gentle afternoon on Squam cruising along looking at colorful mountains, chatting with other kayakers, and playing in the boats to find edging limits and other nonsense.

Ed Lawson