Mom's Red Kayak

I did a book talk at Baxter Memorial Library recently... It was a lot of fun... sharing stories about being on the water, encounters with wildlife and offering places for people to paddle was great!  I shared a couple of stories about paddling with my mom.  

This is Mom... in her Red Kayak... (She insisted on red!)  

Mom has been gone for ten years.  I can't believe that.  

She and I shared an incredible bond.  It started before I was even born... but the day I was born was a special day... it was Mom's birthday!  Yup... I was her birthday present!  

The stories she told me about me as a baby included going on my first camping trip the Memorial Day weekend after I was born... only a few weeks old!  She told  that I would pat her on the back when she was rocking me...telling me that she thought she was supposed to be comforting me, but yet I was comforting her, when I was only a few months old...

I am so lucky to have been brought up with a great family... and both Mom and Dad instilled a love of nature in me from very early on... Mom was not just my mom.  She was my best friend.... Though our relationship only evolved into friendship when I was an adult, she was my parent first... always.  

When I was in college  Mom called me... she was excited to tell me that she had tried something new...kayaking!  She told me she was going to buy herself a kayak and probably one for Dad too.  She said she couldn't wait for me to go with her.  I remember telling her I was glad she had liked it but there was no way I was going to get into a kayak.  I reminded her that my last experiences paddling involved canoeing with my sister...who thought it was funny to rock the boat.  I did not enjoy the idea of possibly tipping over and was unlikely to paddle again.  

I also asked her if she had seen my ass!  I told her I was pretty sure it would not fit in one of those things...My perception of kayaking was getting stuck in a tippy boat with a very tiny hole.  

I pictured sea kayaks.  I was unaware that there were other kinds of kayaks.  Oh how much I have learned since then!  Mom assured me that my ass would fit... 

Mom bought a kayak, a red one!  She was determined to have a red kayak... she liked red a lot... insisted that Dad bought red trucks... She took it to the campground where we had spent a lot of time... 

The first time I went with her she coached me on everything... how to get in and out, how to paddle etc.   She said she spent time figuring out how to get in and out of the kayak.  She told me that she was a little self conscious to be at the beach, where people could see her, trying to get in and out of the kayak without falling in... or falling out!  She said she spent a lot of time working on it.  She finally figured out the way that was best for her.  She would wade out into the water a bit, pulling her kayak with her.  She would then stand perpendicular to the kayak with the kayak behind her.  She would then sit on/into the kayak seat like she was sitting down in a chair and swing her legs over into the cockpit.  To get out, she would do the opposite... swing her legs over once she was in shallow water then stand up like she was getting up from a chair.  Turns out her method works for me too!  I get a little creeped out when I have to wade into murky water, but I can get in pretty quickly these days!! So... as we all know our mothers are usually always right... My ass fit in the kayak and... I loved it!  Loved being the person who controlled the tippiness... loved that I could go where I wanted... and that if I tipped over it was my own damn fault!  I was hooked! 

Mom was someone who was very devoted to our family.. for much of my childhood she was a stay at home mom... working on crafts that she sold at craft fairs etc.  She was an artist!  I don't remember my mom doing much  outside of our home 'on her own.'  I remember us doing things as a family... and remember her visiting her friends etc., but was a bit surprised that she liked kayaking so much... because she most often went by herself.  

She and Dad spent summers at Abol Bridge Campground, up near Katahdin.  (Part of my heart is there and will always be there!)  She would often kayak, solo, a couple of times a day... in the early morning and in the evening... best time to view wildlife.  Eventually she 'got into' taking photos.  She had never taken a class...but managed to capture the beauty in things... noticing the smallest details... like the beauty in knots on a tree limb or in the roots of an upturned tree... she took beautiful photos! 

I am so lucky that Mom and I had so many trips together up that river. (West Branch of the Penobscot!) We explored al of the places we could access from the main part of the river between the campground and where the current started really picking up below Nesowadnehunk Falls... there was Baxter Bay, Tadpole Terrace, The Trickle, The Outback, and 'Behind the Island... We found it was easier to talk about where we had seen the wildlife when sharing stories around the campfire.  The names stuck... and other people who enjoyed that river used the same names... 

We had so many adventures.  Mom loved to sing.  We teased her about her voice, but truth be told...she could carry a tune!  She would sing Rubber Ducky  and other whimsical things... and she also loved Amazing Grace... though that wasn't usually in her paddling repertoire... but as we approached the inlets and offshoots Mom would be quiet.. knowing wildlife would not stick around for her to serenade them!  

We would both be on the lookout for critters.  We had hand signals if we spotted something... usually pointing up meant an eagle or osprey, putting our index fingers up on both hands and putting them next to our ears meant deer, and putting our hands up with our fingers spread widely with our thumbs in our ears meant moose!  It was a great system!  

One day we were paddling up the main river and decided to go into the trickle... a very narrow entry that opened up into a pond with so many frogs... to get to the pond you had to navigate around a partially downed tree, and around a few tight corners.  

Mom was particularly chatty that day.  I was in the lead.  I had made my way around the tree and around a corner and I froze.  I knew I had to stay perfectly still.  Mom asked why I had stopped and when I didn't answer I figured she would know the reason... but she kept asking, loudy.. What are you doing? Why are you stopping... Meanwhile... I had come upon a HUGE Bull MOOSE!  He was laying down in the grass and I could tell, even in that position, that he was BIG!  His rack, even though it was early in the season - still covered with velvet... was huge!  I so so so slowly moved my arms so that my hands could get to my head and gave her the signal for moose... My heart was racing.  This moose was so close and so big... and then.. 

He stood up!  

(This is not from that day, but pics I took along that same river that seem to fit the story!)

I knew in that moment as I looked UP at that moose that this was my time to die!  I knew I was going to get trampled and the words DEATH BY MOOSE flashed in my head!  He took a step towards me and lowered his head.  (I knew this was not a good sign... not positive moose body language...) and he moved his head and those antlers back and forth so deliberately.  I stayed frozen and repeating Oh My God in my head.... He then lifted his head and stared at me...even though I knew they didn't have great eyesight I swear he looked into my eyes ... and he slowly turned and walked away... I exhaled... I am pretty sure I had been holding my breath for that entire encounter... and told mom to pack paddle back paddle!  It was something else!  Future treks down the trickle were made with a lot more caution!!  To this day, when I go there I expect to see that moose laying there waiting to scare me!  

Here are a few pics of moose I have taken up there... 

Another day... we got up and it was pretty sunny out... the weather had predicted rain but there was not a cloud in the sky.  Dad warned us... but since it was only rain that was predicted and not thunder storms we told him we were going out anyway... and we did.  We paddled up to Tadpole Terrace... (Got its name because as spring turns to summer the tadpoles like to rest just below the surface of the water and when we kayaked in there the tadpoles would all, simultaneously, jump out of the water and it would scare the crap out of me!  I would get startled and inevitably make some kind of squeal... and Mom would laugh... every time... those tadpoles got me...every time!  We were exploring and all of a sudden we heard it... and then we saw it.. RAIN... we looked at each other and both instinctively paddled like crazy to take cover under a huge maple tree.  We were nestled under the tree as it poured!  The cockpits in the kayaks were large so we did our best to cover the cockpits with our bodies... It was raining so hard!  Sheets of rain was an expression I don't think I had fully understood until that day!!!  it was crazy... and loud!  We tried to talk but we couldn't hear each other... we could only see each other's mouths moving... which eventually gave way to us just laughing... I mean what else could we do? We looked like drowned rats taking a shower... and  even with the protection of the tree we got drenched and water got in the kayaks!  Almost as quickly as the rain had come, it passed and the sun returned.  (If you don't like the weather in Maine... wait a minute!)  We laughed and chatted about it and shook our heads.  And we decided to keep paddling.. to go further up the river.  So we did.  

Not long after we had returned to the main part of the river we heard a familiar sound.  Dad was coming up the river in his fishing boat to check on us.  (He always watches out for his girls!)  He saw us and started laughing.  He shook his head and told us we looked like drowned rats.  He asked if we were heading back to the campground and we told him we would paddle on.. since we were already wet, might as well!  He smiled and headed back down river to the campsite.  

 (This is a pic of mom and dad on another rainy day. This was when Mom was sick and she would get tired paddling.  Dad would just 'happen to be' out fishing and would offer to tow her back to he campground when she got tired.)

Another story... The twins!  We were fortunate that there were a lot of moose sightings up there.  One day we were paddling and we knew there had been a cow moose hanging around the island.  We saw her as we approached...and knowing it was the season for babies we kept our distance.  She then swam in front of us crossing from the river to one of the banks.  Following her was a baby.  It wasn't that uncommon for us to see a moose with its calf.  We always respected them and gave them lots of space.  After they crossed the river and went into the woods a little bit we started paddling again but quickly noticed some movement on the island.  It was a second baby!  We back paddled and the mom and baby started talking to each other.  The second baby swam across to be with its mom and sibling.. and they all disappeared into the woods.  Magical!  

That was the same area where one summer a family of Owls had taken up residency.  Throughout the summer we watched the owls get bigger and learn to fly.  THAT was pretty amazing! 

And then there were the otters.  

Mom kayaked a lot.  And every once in a while she would tell us she had seen 'the otters' in Tadpole Terrace...  Nobody else had seen the otters....even Gordon... a fellow seasonal camper, kayaker, and great photographer.  (And he saw so much wildlife! We even named one of the moose after him!)  We would all nod and Mom would say.. No really I saw them, but I didn't get any pictures.  We tried to convince her that she was seeing beavers or muskrats.. but Mom was convinced she had seen otters.  

The otters became like Snuffleupagus on Sesame Street... for those in my generation you remember that everyone on Sesame Street believed that Snuffy was Big Bird's imaginary friend... but Mom swore that she saw them... 

The summer after she died.. I tried to get into Tadpole Terrace... but the beavers had built a dam that prevented that... I thought it was fitting in a way... that maybe Mom was keeping that part of the river to herself for a while... 

But not too long after her death...  I went kayaking up the river...solo.. and went into Tadpole Terrace... it was dam free! ... and saw something ... wasn't sure what it was... 

Well... turned out to be a family of otters!  THE OTTERS!! 

(The pics I got were not very crisp, but... these are the pics I took that day!) 

There were 4 of them...playing, diving, swimming, making sounds at me... so curious about me... I remember smiling and thinking... hello Snuffleupagus!  That was something I bet Mom would have gotten a kick out of!!!  

(The pics are not great quality, but I don't care!  It meant so much to see them!) 

So. Much. Wildlife.

So.... Kayaking with Mom was something I loved... not only did we see wildlife and share those adventures... we spent so much time talking.  It was so easy to talk while we paddled... about so many things... Mom never judged me... she listened and shared her ideas about things... but always loved and supported me.  (I am so lucky to have had that... and to HAVE that with my Dad.)  

Kayaking connected us in a way that I don't think other things did.  

After she died... that first summer... I wasn't sure if i was going to be able to kayak... kayaking without her... seemed daunting... yet I felt like it was something I needed to do... needed a way to feel close to her... I was afraid it wouldn't be the same... and it wasn't... but what was the same was the solitude I felt... the beauty I could find wherever I looked... and I knew it was something I would continue to do. 

June 7th 2009 ... Dad and I I tied Mom's Red Kayak to my truck... I was bringing it home with me... to have and use... I was so emotional about that kayak... Taking it away... felt like I was taking another part of her away from my dad... Yet... we both knew she would have wanted me to have it.  Dad enjoyed kayaking with Mom but over the years his back couldn't tolerate it... so it had really become Mom's thing... and when I was up there it was our thing... 

So Dad gave me the kayak... and the rest... as they say... is history! 

I accepted her gift of kayaking and am happy to share it with others... and I think I have followed in her footsteps with photography too... I have taken time over the years to 'play' with taking photos... and seem to have an eye for it.  And.. like her... the time I get on the water, enjoying nature... is priceless!!!  I need it... like some people need adrenaline rushes... I need the solitude!

I still have THE red kayak!  Here she is!

She has a few more scratches but she still floats! 

I haven't  used it much since I got my new Loon a couple of years ago... because the seat is not super comfortable.  As I have gotten older my body was less and less fond of that seat... So I have kept it... and only used it a handful of times... When I take people out kayaking I don't let just anyone use it... I am protective of it... It will always be part of my fleet... 

Last year I had the guys up at Shaker Hill Outdoors replace the old plastic seat in my Old Town Loon 160T (The tandem kayak I use when Gladys comes with me!) with the same seat that is in my newest Loon (126) and It is amazing!  It makes such a difference! 

So this summer... the Red Kayak is getting a new seat!  I want to be able to use Mom's kayak... especially when I paddle near our birthday and on Mother's Day... and maybe a few other times here and there... I think the new seat will allow me to use it and be very comfortable.  

So... I loaded her up and took her to Shaker Hill...

I have been working on this post for a bit... and today feel like I can complete it because I used the RED kayak this morning! I took it, complete with its new COMFY seat for a sunrise adventure!  And it was amazing!  (Click here for my sunrise adventure!)

I do not have a pic of the new seat... I will take one soon and add it here.  Having the right seat makes a big difference!  Thanks to Russ at Shaker Hill!  

Having the kayak 'up and running' again makes my heart happy.  I know I could have left the old seat and it was fine for short trips with friends... but... I want it to be a boat I use once in a while... and now I will.  (My newer loon is quite a bit lighter and easier to move so I will likely continue to use that most often, but ... the red kayak... will be used!)  

A couple of years ago I took my sister and nephews kayaking... 

Of course she had kayaked up north too, but kayaking wasn't her thing in the way that it is mine.  

So.. I added some ocean to the mix.. I took her and the boys on the Boothbay Paddle!  

Sis does love the ocean!

She used a friend's kayak, a Pungo 120 and really liked it... 

and liked that it wasn't super heavy like Mom's red kayak. 

So.. a couple of years ago she asked me if I would keep my eyes open for a kayak like that for her.  She and her fiance do quite a bit of outdoor recreation, mostly, to date, hiking.  They have also done some canoe camping.  She wanted her own kayak!  (That made my heart smile!)  

So I took to Craigslist and found one in NH... in January!  It was during one of those cold snaps where you lose feeling in your fingers if you have them exposed for any time at all.  This was in GREAT shape... so I snatched it up... and loaded it on my truck... which required not wearing gloves to do the straps... and my fingers FROZE!  But.. I got it loaded and got it to my house.  

It has been in my garage since... and during that time it was part of my fleet... I have let other people use it and introduced people to kayaking with it.  It is a great boat!!!  

Last weekend she took her kayak home... her RED kayak!!  (I don't think that is an accident!)  

This is her with her fiance (in my loon) paddling at my dad's last weekend... 

She recently posted this photo, of her kayak above her fiance's kayak... and just this photo makes me happy!  Can you imagine how happy I will be when she posts pics while IN her RED kayak??

I know this isn't my usual blog post with directions etc... but.. wanted to share a bit about my kayaking history and Mom's Red Kayak!

I would love to hear from you and hear your stories about kayaking with your loved ones!

Thanks!