A couple of weeks earlier, Janet, her golden retriever Gracie and I had paddled Rice Creek near Wilmington, NC, going upstream first, as we are taught to do for safer logistics. That way, we can return to the takeout with the current in our favor. Then we don’t have to be concerned about the current being too strong to paddle back. On October 21 we decided to go there again and paddle down-stream first. We had discovered before that the current is so mild as to be negligible.
The weather was warm and clear, with a few drifting clouds and less wind than before. Janet provided Gracie with a nice new dog PFD (life jacket). The jacket’s usefulness was a tradeoff. It gave Gracie more flotation, which was safer if she got tired and had to rest in the water. But it also caused a drag in the water and hindered her forward progress, making her tired sooner. Janet elected to leave the jacket on for the trip.
The black water was getting a little cooler on each weekly trip as the fall season progressed. Fortunately, neither of us boaters fell in. Gracie relished the water. She never stayed still on the bank. Even after swimming with us for several miles, when we returned to the takeout, she joined us on the shore and then jumped right back into the creek to cavort some more.
Each outing I am getting a little more used to paddling and staying stable in my sleek sea-going kayak. I am working on building up my torso muscles so as not to get sore while sitting in this stilted position for the entire trip. Each outing Janet shows what a natural athlete, comfortable outdoors person and water sprite she is. A good time was had by all.
