I had gone up one of the streams before on one of my first kayaking trips to the lake but, i didn't end up going very far. the water looked really nasty, and it also looked like it was a dead end. but after looking at some google maps i was surprised by how many different nooks, crannies and streams there were once you got past the park on peninsula drive. ever since then i have wanted to get back in there and see how far you could actually go up some of those streams. but by that time the water had begun to fill with algae and weeds. i tried going a few times, but never even made it to the park. i was probably just being a wimp, but i really didn't want to get into all that nasty water.
in the last few weeks the water seems to have gotten better. maybe its all the rain we have been getting, maybe it is something else. whatever the reason, the water this morning was probably as good as i can expect it to get, so i gave it a try... and it was great.
as i passed the dock at the park something ahead of me in the middle of my path caught my eye. at first i thought it was just part of a log sticking out of the water. but, after doing a double-take, i realized that it was moving... and it had eyes. so naturally i freaked out a little bit. it saw me at about the same time i saw it and it dove below the surface. my first guess as to what it was, was a beaver. i grew up around beaver ponds and the brief glimpse i got of this fella looked a lot like a beaver. i didn't think there were any beavers in the area, but i decided it was possible that there was a dam around that i just wasn't aware of. i wish i could have taken a picture. anyway, after my heart stopped racing i continued up the stream. i made it almost 7/8 of a mile before i came to a log blocking the way. i probably could have squeezed around the left hand side but, it was time to turn around anyway. it had taken me about 30 minutes to get there and i only had about 30 minutes to get back and load up or else i would be late for work.
the trip back was pretty uneventful. very pretty, but uneventful. as i neared the dock at the park i went on "beaver patrol." but i didn't see it again. and on the long trip back across the lake to the car i decided that maybe what i had seen was a muskrat. i wasn't exactly sure what one looked like, but it made more sense than a beaver. and ,after googleing muskrat after i got to work, i'm pretty sure that that is what i saw. although, saying that i saw a muskrat doesn't have the same ring to it as saying that i saw some beaver out on the lake this morning.i can't wait to go back there again. maybe next time i'll start from the dock at the park. that way i can have a lot more time to explore and i don't have to worry about the 30 minute round trip across the lake. what a great day to kayak.
Today's Trip Stats and Map
No comments:
Post a Comment