Gladys's First Paddle of the Season! Tenny River

Hello Paddlers! 

I was away on vacation this week.  I went to Denver.  It was a great trip, although the weather there was colder, and snowier than it was here!  Go figure!  

 

While I was away I missed Gladys like crazy!!! Though I did have two other dogs who were content to give me some love!  

In the meantime, Gladys was with my parents and was spoiled with lots of love and bacon.  I think sometimes she equates bacon with love!  

 

Anyway... I got back on Friday afternoon and was so happy to be reconnected with my girl.  I am so grateful for the love and care she got while I was gone.  (My dad and stepmom are pretty awesome!) 

Saturday I had planned to relax and get my kayak cradles back on the truck as well as adding a second set of cradles for when I transport both my single and tandem kayaks.   (And will be helpful when I transport other people's kayaks.) 

Gladys was happy to be outside with me while I puttered.  Our friend Donna came by and saw that I had my tandem up on the cradles (I was making sure they were spaced out properly.) And asked, "Where we going?"  Ha!  It didn't take much arm twisting for her to convince me to go out for an afternoon paddle.. but since Gladys and I had been separated for a bit, I could not go without her!  

A couple weeks ago I had her sit in the kayak in the driveway, just to refresh her memory.  

 

She got right in and laid down.   I was happy to see that, and knew she would do well!  

So we got to the launch site for Tenny River.  (Click here for more details about how to get there.) 

 

She seemed ready to go - and was a little impatient even!!  When I told her to, she jumped right in the kayak and waited so patiently as I got in.  

 

She settled in pretty easily.  I had forgotten treats, which I always try to have on hand for her... but luckily I Had some beef jerky that helped her throughout the trip when she did get a little antsy. 

Look at that sky over Crescent Lake!

 

Donna got this photo of me going through the culvert.  I love this pic!

Tenny River never disappoints me... The sun was a a great angle and the reflections were awesome!  

This is Donna - in the midst of the trees and water!

We enjoyed exploring Tenny.  I got to see a decent size snapping turtle, but did not get a photo, but still cool to watch.  Gladys did well, she got a little antsy a couple of times, but settled back down.

As we approached Panther Pond she seemed to be in a good place and enjoyed looking out at the sun getting low in the sky. 

On the way back from Panther, Gladys got up close and personal... realizing the beef jerky was in my life jacket pocket that she hoped to get to on her own.  (Denied!) 

 

Donna was ahead of us a bit and this photo just had to be taken.  Look at that tranquility!

 

Not long after that we caught up to Donna and Gladys heard some rattling of something... and the two of them had a conversation about snacks and sharing....

Donna never says no to Gladys.  Ha! 

 

The sun was setting and made for pretty amazing lighting on this girl.  She is beautiful.  (I know I am a bit biased!)

 

 

 

Another photo that shows the amazing scenery!

 

Gladys gave me this look... and I am pretty sure she was saying, "So... you go away and leave me for a week... you come back with smells of other dogs... and you think THIS is gonna make up for it?" 

 

I reassured her she was the only dog for me. and gave her some jerky.  She knows she is spoiled! 

 

Returning to Crescent Lake through the culvert...

We paddled back to the launch site and she gave me this look... 

"Done so soon?"  

Oh baby girl... we have so many adventures in store this season!

I have plans to explore new places and will of course share them with you.  For now, as water temps are still low, I go to familiar places.  I hope if you are getting out to paddle you are taking safety precautions, remember dress for the water temp, not the air.  

 

I will be 'hosting' a couple of group paddles this summer, follow me on Facebook, Mainekayakgirl, for these events.  

And if you want to see some fun videos of our adventures... Gladys and I have both joined TikTok! 

I am MaineKayakGirl and she is MaineKayakdog.  

If you follow us there, say hello!  

Spring Paddling, Honoring Mom & Empowering Each Other

Welcome to Spring!!  

The water temperatures are still cold and if you are getting out on the water make sure you are being safe! 

Despite some unusually warm temps, please wear your pfd and proper clothing!  

Today's post is about kayaking, of course!  It includes some other important things too, honoring my mom and working to empower each other, especially women paddlers! 

This is me!  For those new to the blog, I am MaineKayakgirl, aka, Kim Bennett.  I am an avid kayaker, photographer, blogger, and author.  (I do have a career to, but not relevant here!) 

This pic was taken a week ago at Runaround Pond by my friend Donna!  Thanks lady!

 Today's post is about yesterday, paddling on North Gorham Pond in Gorham Maine.  (This is a trip that is in the book, Paddling Southern Maine, if you want the details about how to get there and where to launch, check out the book!)  

Yesterday was a day that varies for me in terms of how I feel.  It was the anniversary of my mom's death.  Twelve years she has been gone!  Mom and I were close... really close.  I was born on her birthday and despite being unsure about having another kid, later in life mom said I was her best birthday present - ever.  Maybe she had to say that, but I think it was true...  For those who do not know Mom is the person who got me into kayaking.  She called me one day when I was in college and told me she had been kayaking, she loved it and was going to buy two kayaks for our family and I was going with her.  

I thought she was nuts.  My idea of kayaking at that time was sea kayaks and I had zero interest in trying to fit my ass into a tiny hole and then being stuck should I flip over.  Mom told me she had a different kind of kayak and she was sure I would love it.  

She was right!  It has become my passion.  When she died I inherited her kayak and it has taken me on quite a journey.  This year, on the anniversary of her death I wanted to kayak ... some years I want to spend the time alone on the water... and other years I like to share it with other people.  This year I had plans to travel for a few days so planned to do a quick trip in the morning so I would have time to get ready in the afternoon.  So I chose North Gorham Pond.  And I chose to invite a few people. 

We got there and the sky was interesting...  

I thought this image was pretty meaningful, since I do feel the darkness of the anniversary, but also see the light breaking through and finding ways to embrace the day. 

 

We paddled up the length of the pond. Finding peace along the way.  

It was fun to talk with the other women I was with and also really good to have a few moments to myself here and there.  

As we got closer to the end of our paddle we heard the water rushing.  I had told the other people we would see a small waterfall.  I could feel the anticipation and I was excited to share this with my friends.

 The water at the base of the falls is moving, so you need to be mindful of that and stay safe.  We all took time in front of the falls just enjoying the sound and watching the movement of the water. 

 

and then we got a group selfie!  (Thank goodness for long arms!)  

 

After spending a lot of time at the falls we started paddling back, but not before visiting the old hydro dam.  

As I paddle places Mom never got to explore, I think a lot about her and wonder if she would like it.  She would love this place.  She would love the group dynamics and would get a kick out of our shenanigans as we paddle.   

As I was paddling back I got a nice text from someone in my life acknowledging the significance of the day and it did make me a bit emotional... but I paddled off by myself for a bit and took some time to just be... Looking at things I know my mom would see things similarly... the details, the colors... the lighting... I am my mother's daughter!  

 

So peaceful! 

 

 

One thing mom did with her kayaks was always provide opportunities for other people to try kayaking.  I have kept that alive and have invited many people to join me on adventures.  Many of those people have since bought their own kayaks and have shared many adventures!  

 

The women I paddled with today have all had various experiences kayaking, and two of them just bought new kayaks!  Now that they have their own kayaks they need to find ways to load them themselves.  (No damsels in distress in this crew!)  This group of women came to my house after we were on the water and worked together to learn and support each other. 

 

 What a crew!

 

 

After we had one person practice loading and unloading her kayak using the seawings on someone's car, another woman had purchased the seawings and needed help installing them.  

This crew was awesome -

Working together to install the Malone Sea Wings! 

It was really cool to see everyone helping each other while also making each other do things independently... 'you gotta do it by yourself, but we are here just in case!' was something said multiple times.  

My mom would be impressed that we all did this in a way to support each other.  She would love that we are each capable of loading/unloading our boats on our own.  (That doesn't mean we don't help each other... we do, of course, but we also want to make sure that we can each do it by ourselves so we can do it when needed.  You never know when that may be.)

 

I 

 

I expected to have a day where my focus was on my mom... and while she was in my mind today, I was focused on enjoying this journey with friends and I really enjoyed seeing women helping women, empowering each other to do new things independently.  

Oh... and as I type this from a airport, I was sent a pic of my girl, Miss Gladys.  She is in great hands this week, but man am I gonna miss her!  Look at that face!  She misses me too, I can tell!!