by Wendy Killoran
A thin layer of frost delicately laced the ground. This was after all December and I was headed to the Pinery to meet my new friend and GLSKA member, Dorothy. I was hopeful that we’d be paddling on Lake Huron itself as a moderate easterly breeze whispered hints of winter. That meant the wind would be coming from over the dunes, which shelter the water.
Our predictions were accurate. Lake Huron was calm and nobody was there. We carried our kayaks and gear to the water’s edge where the occasional small wave gently rolled ashore. I was excited, as I’d never paddled in December on the lake.
We donned our dry suits and neoprene booties and boots. Dorothy had just made herself a neon lime green fleece toque as her emergency beacon headgear. I wore my Peruvian wool toque, hand knit by the men from Taquille Island in Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest elevated navigable lake. Perhaps someday I will paddle those exotic waters where for centuries reed boats have plied the lake which is steeped in Inca history. But today, Lake Huron’s placid calmness enticed us.
With final adjustments and snacks and neoprene gloves bungied to our decks, we headed directly into the rolling waves over the shallow sandbars. I quickly stepped into my cockpit, smugly thinking I’d made it without so much as a drop of water erroneously entering within my “spot”, when a slightly larger rogue wave rolled over the bow, careened across my deck and landed with a plunk on my lap. Not that I got wet, but it sloshed around me. I paddled vigorously beyond the second shallow sandbar before closing the neoprene sprayskirt around the coaming.
We’d chosen to paddle south towards Port Franks. Gentle, playful swells from the west rolled beneath us, lifting our kayaks and dropping them again. It reminded me of my ocean experiences. The Great Lakes normally send boisterous waves rather than these wonderful, hypnotic swells.
A cormorant swam within a kayak length on Dorothy’s port side. Her neon green toque glowed a flourescent hue. Backlighting silhouetted her against the rolling dunes beyond. The beach was empty. The lake was also empty. Only thousands of ducks gently bobbed in a black, floating flock near the sandy shore. As we approached, they took off skittishly with rapid wing gestures and flew northwards, hugging the shoreline.
Our conversation was interspersed with quiet, contemplative moments. This vast lake enchants me. It soothes my soul. It hypnotizes me and makes me savour the fleeting moments I share with my aquatic surroundings, feeling part of the water, sitting at water’s level in my beloved kayak. The pleasures my kayak, a special gift from my husband, have given me are immeasurable and will be with me for a lifetime. These special trips, not just to the lake, but with the lake, momentarily satisfy my inner yearning of restlessness. The physical demands of paddling combined with the beauty that surrounds me awaken my senses, my soul, my spirituality, my entire being. The lake is the quintessential place to re-energize myself, body and mind.
The loneliness of the land mystified me. How can such a beautiful place be so empty of people? Only nature’s creatures accompanied us. We paddled past the southern park boundary, past boarded cottages which I discovered, upon inspecting my 1:20 000 Pinery Park “Adventure Map” later, are inaccessible by car.
Entering the Ausable River mouth, we paddled past cottages at Port Franks, protected from washing away by metal sea walls and rocky landfill. Smoke from a lone fire climbed into the heavens. An older man, dressed in a well-worn plaid shirt came out from a simple cottage and waved at us as we paddled past. Beneath the marina docks, now pulled well above the water level, we paddled a slalom course amongst the pilings, circumnavigating the first grass-covered island near the mouth of the river. A flock of small black and white water birds disappeared up river. Without binoculars, I could only guess that they might have been buffleheads. Massive dunes plunged towards the river’s eastern shore. A large fish flopped directly ahead of my kayak.
Drifting with the easterly breeze, I snacked briefly to refuel myself. I was comfortable. With my vigorous activity level and proper attire, Goretex drysuit and two thin layers of fleece beneath, I didn’t feel the chill of December’s reminder that winter must surely be just around the corner.
We returned to the expansive Lake Huron. How lucky I am to live near such an incredible body of water and to have met a friend to share my passion with. We followed quite close to shore. Occasional bursts of golden light glowed through the predominantly grey, cloud-covered sky. At one of my favourite driftwood logs along the park’s beach, we landed to enjoy our home-packed lunches. Dorothy provided me with whimsical fringed mitts identical in colour to match my suit perfectly. The coolness was immediately evident once we stopped paddling.
I poured steaming hot water from my thermos and we savoured a delectable hot chocolate, the warmth of the mug penetrating my fingers. We didn’t linger long. Back on the water, an enormous black cloud floated on the pewter-grey, sage-green coloured water. Stunning it was to see such vast numbers of birds, and they weren’t just gulls! A mysterious small plane flew overhead. From a distance it resembled a floatplane but upon closer inspection, it had a long, cylindrical tube attached beneath only one wing.
We paddled past endless empty strand, wavy dunes, and cloud swept skies. I really am a nature woman. I feel completely at ease surrounded by water, sky and sand. Dorothy wondered what it would be like to spend a lengthy time period in the complete absence of humanity? Such fleeting glimpses void of people I relish, but I pondered her question. It would be profound. In our crowded world I’d have to travel to the ends of the Earth to experience such emptiness, such a connection with the natural world. Perhaps some day I just might.
We beached our kayaks 4½ hours after launching. It had been a great paddle on a Great Lake in December. How unbelievable!
Unbelievable!