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 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!!
No comments:
Post a Comment