A quiet paddle through the shallow waters of Bowmanville Creek certainly was challenging. What seemingly felt like a thousand geese refused to move from there standing position in the creek as the sound of the paddle swished by them. The water was so low that the kayak just gently glided over the tall weedy bottom. The paddles were even scraping the bottom. The bottom growth looked disgusting. The avoidance of rocks, and tree stumps meant always looking forward to passing any so-called obstacles.
I was paddling a little further ahead of Ken navigating the shallow, rocky terrain. I took my eyes off from forward facing and suddenly an extremely large, unexpected salmon jumped over the front end of the kayak causing me to scream rather loudly. It is a wonder that I didn’t tip the kayak as I jumped (yes in the kayak)!
I learned today that one never should let one’s guard down. I learned that keeping one’s eyes facing forward when facing shallow rocky terrain with debris and tree roots is a must to avoid having a mishap. I am reminded once again that the journey of life takes me to experience the unexpected and that I must journey through it to conquer anything that might be placed in my path.
I will keep paddling realizing that the unexpected may be just a salmon jump away. Who knows next time it could be a snapping turtle!
PS…I have learned to keep my feet in the kayak too!
