As we glide silently along the mirror-smooth water, our paddles barely making a sound or a ripple, we gaze at the vast openness of the sky and the purple mountains, range upon range, on the horizon.
This, to us, is paradise, to be shared with the eagles and the seals, the salmon and the otter. The trees, in abundance, clinging to the shore and the steep mountain slopes beyond give a blanket of green calm to the whole experience of kayaking around the Sunshine Coast waters.
It is evening time, the sun is lowering in the cloud-dotted blue sky, the breeze of earlier hours has dissipated to a whisper, and the calm waters reflect the land and sky-scape as in a mirror, unblemished save for the tell-tale wake of our passage.
Celebrating 58 years of paddling kayaks, we have gained tremendous pleasure and peace from such experiences, which we tried to repeat on a very regular basis.
We ventured on a 3,500 mile journey to the central Yukon, car-topping our kayaks and taking every opportunity to explore the huge and tranquil lakes of this magnificent north country. The pleasure of seeing black bear, moose and deer from the vantage point of our cockpits, is an experience one never forgets, when the only sound for miles is the gentle buzzing of flies and the drip of droplets from our paddles.
No sign of human habitation, no airplanes even, to mar the azure sky. If one is seeking peace and quiet, there is no better place than in the middle of a vast wilderness lake. Here, we don’t have to concern ourselves with tides, wakes and shipping, but remain ever vigilant for tell-tale signs of building winds or cloud patterns, as these lakes, large as they are, can change in minutes to wind-churned tunnels with waves of great strength.
With the amazing growth of the sport of kayaking over the past two decades, it still astounds us when we find such lonesome and tranquil spots in which to indulge ourselves of the simple pleasure of paddling for hours, lost in nature.
Whether it be the ocean or the lakes, we are ever grateful for the fact that we have kept ourselves fit and able to participate in such adventures, even though we are well into our dotage.
If you should be the kind of person who seeks to “get away from it all” you will find no better and more pleasing exercise than paddling your kayak, with a friend or loved one, amidst the wonders of this land of ours.
This is the time when silence is golden and matches the spectacle of the setting sun.
– Submitted by Ralph and June Meyer
