Paddle This!
kayaking 101, cool places to paddle, and adventures through the eye of kayakcam
A few years ago, a friend (one Nancy Springer (Connor) took me along to her friend's cabin in the Adirondacks. She waxed eloquent about the sea kayaks, available for exploration of Franklin Falls Pond (the "ponds" of New York being rather larger than most lakes in PA). I snorted something about taking my snorkeling gear; floatin' boats were to jump off of to look at the sunken boats. I took my mask and fins, and discovered the visibility was approximately to my elbow.
"Sooooo, what about those floatin' boats?"
I got in one, and didn't get out of it for the rest of the week. By the next spring I had aquired nearly eighteen feet of bright blue plastic I dubbed "Makenuk's Fin". "Makenuk" is a badly Anglicized version of the Kwakiutl word for orca (the character in the "swordwhale" logo is Kwakiutl, at least in this lifetime). Cultures with seals have legends of Sealfolk who take off their fins to walk on land in human form, a whale version of this legend is found on the northwest coast of North America; the Whale-folk take off their fins to walk on land... the fin becomes the boat.
A wetsuit and scuba gear is the "sealskin" of the explorer of Planet Water. The small, seaworthy, agile, fast, efficient kayak is the "fin" that reconnects us to the feel of the waves, the wonder of what's around the next bend, the sound of seabirds, the hidden nest, the sudden surprise of fins surfacing at paddle length (dolphins, cownosed rays). A kayak is much like the horses I grew up on: an extension of your own body, you feel the shape of the water, the direction of the wind, the way the bottom comes up under you in the shallows.
In every culture where there are seals, there are legends of the seal folk who take off their sealskins to walk on land in human form. In some places, the whale folk take off their fins to walk on land... the fin becomes the boat. Like the scuba divers "sealskin" of wetsuit and scuba gear, the small, agile, efficient kayak reconnects us with Planet Water. You feel the wind, hear the cries of waterfowl, find the hidden nest, stare in wonder as fins surface an inch from your paddle, feel the bottom come up under you in the shallows. Like Horse, on land, the Kayak carried us on the Journey. Here are a few of my favorite random shots over the bow of my sea kayak, Mak-eh-nuk's Fin. ("mak-eh-nuk" is the Kwakiutl word for "orca", or at least, how it sounds to English speaking ears, from Eric Hoyt's book: "Orca: the Whale Called Killer").
"Sooooo, what about those floatin' boats?"
I got in one, and didn't get out of it for the rest of the week. By the next spring I had aquired nearly eighteen feet of bright blue plastic I dubbed "Makenuk's Fin". "Makenuk" is a badly Anglicized version of the Kwakiutl word for orca (the character in the "swordwhale" logo is Kwakiutl, at least in this lifetime). Cultures with seals have legends of Sealfolk who take off their fins to walk on land in human form, a whale version of this legend is found on the northwest coast of North America; the Whale-folk take off their fins to walk on land... the fin becomes the boat.
A wetsuit and scuba gear is the "sealskin" of the explorer of Planet Water. The small, seaworthy, agile, fast, efficient kayak is the "fin" that reconnects us to the feel of the waves, the wonder of what's around the next bend, the sound of seabirds, the hidden nest, the sudden surprise of fins surfacing at paddle length (dolphins, cownosed rays). A kayak is much like the horses I grew up on: an extension of your own body, you feel the shape of the water, the direction of the wind, the way the bottom comes up under you in the shallows.
In every culture where there are seals, there are legends of the seal folk who take off their sealskins to walk on land in human form. In some places, the whale folk take off their fins to walk on land... the fin becomes the boat. Like the scuba divers "sealskin" of wetsuit and scuba gear, the small, agile, efficient kayak reconnects us with Planet Water. You feel the wind, hear the cries of waterfowl, find the hidden nest, stare in wonder as fins surface an inch from your paddle, feel the bottom come up under you in the shallows. Like Horse, on land, the Kayak carried us on the Journey. Here are a few of my favorite random shots over the bow of my sea kayak, Mak-eh-nuk's Fin. ("mak-eh-nuk" is the Kwakiutl word for "orca", or at least, how it sounds to English speaking ears, from Eric Hoyt's book: "Orca: the Whale Called Killer").
kayaking 101: click here
 Sassafras RiverNorth of Chestertown MD, south of Elk Neck State Park, on the Delmarva Penninsula. The Sassafras empties into the Chesapeake Bay north of the Chester River. It is tidal freshwater, with waves to leap mid-river, quiet coves full of American lotus and wildlife, moon-curves of sandy beach, wooded shores. From York County PA, a day trip.
 Eastern Neck
|  Uller's Kayak ShopThe best little shop in York County, you can get great new or used (great deals in great shape) kayaks, gear, and experienced advice. Or book a guided paddling trip (check out the pics and videos from kayakcam, bottom of this page). When the water freezes, you can buy some ski or snowboard gear too.
 Point LookoutPoint Lookout State Park lies at the mouth of the Potomac River. Good camping nearby, quiet backwaters full of wildife, the river's mouth, and the vast stretches of the Bay. And a haunted lighthouse. A weekender.
 Conejehola FlatsOn the Susquehanna River, south of Wrightsville, across the river from Long Level (Lancaster side) a series of islands and sandbars create prime birding grounds. Look for tracks of herons, egrets, waterfowl and seabirds. Watch for eagles, and take a close look at driftwood, shells and tiny plants. If you can't get to the beach this weekend, this is pretty close!
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kayakcam
Photo albums and videos from paddling journeys in Mak-eh-nuk's Fin: click on the pics to go to the album.
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