Paddle to Yoga on both sides of the Ottawa River. Awesome!

Maelstrom Vital 166
As promised, fall in the National Capital Region of Canada and other nearby regions I've visited has been perfect for Paddle to Yoga in the outdoors.

I'm discovering new places for Paddle to Yoga, and rediscovering places I used to think were just slabs of concrete, hunks of granite rock, or mere picnic shelters.
Waterfront gazebo on the Ottawa River
Paddle to Yoga has reopened my eyes and given them a new lens. It beats just paddling around. It transforms some places that had become a redundant place to paddle, into a place with a renewed and useful purpose. 
I'm a fan of standing poses. They are challenging. If you can stand on one leg, just think of what you can do on two!
The Ontario side and the Quebec side of the Ottawa River have some nice spots for Paddle to Yoga. I'm on the lookout for good Paddle to Yoga spots everywhere I go.
But on the trip back yesterday, the big 20-25 km winds and following whitecapped waves sent my speedy Maelstrom Vital 166 sea kayak onto a big shallow patch of rocks sitting under just one inch of water. These rock patches are impossible to see in the middle of big water with lots of windy chop and whitecaps. Especially when you are moving at speed with the waves. But you feel it! I wanted to surf, not STOP!

My sea kayak suddenly comes to a grinding halt. It's one of those "Oh CRAP!" kayaking moments. I used another four-letter-word but we'll go with "Oh CRAP!" here.

Me: "I'm stuck!"

No one can really come and help you either. You are surrounded by rocks. But they can sit in the deep water and monitor your situation and progress to get yourself out of it.

Paddle Buddy: "Are you free yet?"

Me: "NO!"

Paddle Buddy: "How about now?"

Me: "NOPE!"

Paddle Buddy: "Any better?"

Me: "NOT YET!"

It's time to pop the spray skirt, stick the right leg over the right side of the sea kayak and feel for something solid to stand on, and ditto with the left. Stand up and get the weight out of the boat, lift the cockpit from the inside at the thigh braces, and waddle walk it over the rocks carefully to free water and hope it works.

Me: "I'm FREE!"

It's a good feeling. You never know how it's going to go when you're stuck on a rock or in a patch of rocks, especially out in the middle of a large stretch of lake in big wind and white capped waves.

This elated moment doesn't last long. Next up you wonder how much damage you've got under you, especially when you're paddling a fibreglass sea kayak! 

It's a bit hard to wander back into the plain hallways and walls of the indoor yoga studios as the best of fall and Paddle to Yoga around here is almost over.

I've been enjoying doing yoga while looking at lake, river, and ocean, clear blue skies, or fast moving clouds. Even stars and all phases of the moon. And listening to the sounds of the outdoors: singing birds, trees waving in the wind, bickering baby chipmunks, and water lapping or pounding on shorelines.

Sometimes the outdoors also includes the sound of motor boats and jet skis, a lawn mower or a chain saw! The sounds of human over-development are just about everywhere you go.

People at the yoga studios ask, "Where have you been all summer!? We haven't seen you."

Me: "I've been Paddling to Yoga and doing yoga in the outdoors. It's awesome! It's more powerful."
And I'll need a little extra yoga this week.

I just looked at the bottom of my sea kayak.

The rocks removed a big chuck of gelcoat and some fibreglass around the skeg box . . . again! But no leaks.

The first time this happened to my Maelstrom Vital 166, it felt like the end of the world.

But now, I just shake my head and it's just another one of those "Oh CRAP!" kayaking moments. "I know how much this is gonna cost!"

I almost made it through an entire paddling season without wrecking my sea kayak! Will I ever . . .?

Happy paddling to yoga wherever you find it.
Strike a pose.
When the snow flies, I'll be cross-country skiing to yoga. 
The BaffinPaddler
Paddle to Yoga in the 1000 Islands Gananoque

Comments

  1. Paddle2SeeOctober 10, 2011 at 6:48 PM

    Ouch! The incident with the rocks made me wince in sympathy. Maybe I'll just give up my dream of a fiberglass boat and stick with HDPE plastic. Nice pictures though :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Poison Ivy and Your Pet!

Image
So, you've taken the doggie ashore on the mainland or an island for a little exercise. "Hey, you look so cute in the bush." The final flowers of fall are still standing. You've got to get a shot of the beautiful field of six-foot tall yellow wildflowers before they're gone. Suddenly, your early warning system clicks on and you remember to look down instead of up to see what you're tromping through on that barely there trail to the flowers. Poison ivy starting to turn red in the fall along the Ottawa River, Quebec, Canada.  Ah, ha! Of course. There are a few strands of poison ivy creeping out under the tall stuff! And you manage to avoid it. But where's the doggie? She's romping right through all that poison ivy you've just avoided and now her fur, paws and collar may be full of the oil, called urushiol , from the poison ivy plants - the oil that can cause a nasty rash if it gets on your skin, especially if you're one
Read more

One cigarette butt contaminates up to 50 liters of water

Image
Oddly enough, the first time I saw this type of sign was on a super busy beach in Playa del Carmen, Mexico this winter. I wonder why I haven't seen more signs like this when I travel to waterways:  One cigarette butt contaminates up to 50 liters of water. In Spanish, una colilla de de cigarro contamina hasta 50 litros de agua . The sign was posted by a local restaurant.  I wonder why cigarettes are still allowed anywhere anymore. They are banned from more and more public places world wide. Bravo! I wonder why cigarettes are even produced when you can wear a toxic patch or chew toxic gum and not bother anyone or anything with this disgusting, toxic habit. But I do know one thing, now when I make travel plans, the first thing I will look for are completely smoke-free resorts. The resort we stayed at in Mexico did not allow smoking in rooms nor in the dining areas, lobbies, gym, etc. Even though there were open areas where people could smoke, this type of all-inclusive re
Read more

The magic of camping and kayaking at Bon Echo Provincial Park, Mazinaw Rock, Ontario, Canada! Get your bug suit on!

Image
This is one of my favourite "easy to paddle" little magic spots! Bon Echo Provincial Park is in the south central part of Ontario, Canada. It's a pretty nice place to camp! You have amenites here. Even on the back country sites - where you'll have more bugs - but more privacy. Take your pick. More people or more bugs? It's hard to choose sometimes! Mazinaw Rock is on picturesque and easy to paddle Mazinaw Lake . Mazinaw Rock is 100 metres high. If you call out, it echos three times - hence the name, "Bon Echo". In French it means, "good echo". I'll agree! I tried it - three times. It's true! Mazinaw Lake is the second deepest lake in Ontario, Canada. It averages 135 feet deep, and its deepest parts are 476 feet deep. Wow! Suddenly, I feel so small. You might want to think about a float for your camera here! If it goes overboard, you'll never find it again. I'll admit - I love rocks. Doesn't everyone?
Read more

Cycling one of America's most beautiful beaches: Fort De Soto Park, Florida

Image
Yes. I felt it. I felt like I was on one of the most beautiful beaches at Fort De Soto. Wow! The big beach cruisers float and roll over the hard sand at low tide so easily. It's a funky feeling. Perched on a wide, overly soft, bouncy seat, holding on to high handlebars with all your stuff packed into a big wicker basket, you feel goofy as you pedal in bare feet or sandals. You know you look goofy, and don't care. It sets you free. Great. It was the first week of January 2014 and we picked the coldest week of the year to visit southern Florida from Canada's deep freeze. It was 34 degrees Fahrenheit (1 Celsius) when we woke up and looked out the patio door of a beach front rental on St. Pete's beach on the Gulf of Mexico, Florida. By noon the temperature climbed to 58F (14 C) according to the thermostat in the rental car. The stiff blowing nor’easter made us think differently. Let's go to Fort De Soto beach . . . in our ski jackets!  Why not. We're
Read more

Does my Ironman Tremblant T-shirt make me look fat?

Image
Yes it does. Let's blame it on a bulky belt on the jean shorts. What the hell. This is no time for vanity. I couldn't help striking a yoga pose in from of the big red M in the Tremblant Ironman village today. I call it the Ironman village, because the massive white tents and stages for the event are already set up at the base of the Tremblant resort village. You can already feel the Ironman mania and high energy building in town. Parking further and further away, and taking longer and longer to find a parking lot with space is your first clue! August is a busy month up here! The full Ironman Triathlon in Tremblant, Quebec, Canada on August 17  is fast approaching. It's what I call the totally insane Ironman. The full Ironman - not the half. How this is humanly possible in one day is beyond comprehension. Yet some 2600 athletes from over 50 countries, including Quebec's elite racers, will give it a go. Preparing for a full Ironman takes several years of hard traini
Read more