Crazy for my Kayak

Hello trail buddies, Going back in my memories from years ago, I thought I was in heaven when I got my first canoe. An oldtown model - had to be green - 17 foot canoe. It served me well on many adventures when I was an upper midwesterner. From the many lakes around home to distant places such as Isle Royal National Park in Lake Superior to the remote lakes up in Canada. I'd always wanted to try a kayak; looked at them many times and never made the jump. Oh, I looked at the various styles and dreamed and drooled of the new adventures I could get out of them. Eventually I made the plunge, after researching, I found just the right kayak for my purposes. An oldtown Loon 138 - had to be green - kayak. See it's rather hard trying to take the good quality pictures I wanted from the canoe as I found out. Talk about a man and his toy the first time I got into it. Wow, was this speedy in the water, as well as great aerobic exercise for the upper body. I could really go off and relax at my own pace around the lakes and explore every little inlet. I found I was spending more and more time in the kayak, commanding my direction on my own and not that of the other paddler.

I then began to seek out waterfowl and found with a great deal of patience, how close one could get by floating, drifting in, letting the wind do the work for me and sitting silently still to catch the waterfowl in their surroundngs. After looking at other photographers books on loons and other types of waterfowl I could now only envision what I could accomplish. Now the trick is how do you really get inside and hold such a long lens and try to paddle? I found the answer. Duct tape! The trick is, duct tape your tripod to the kayak before you mount the lens of what ever size you have. And off you go in the early morning light. Though I would always in my research and scouting from shore, look and locate what ever waterfowl I was in persuit of, wind was a factor as well as the weather. I still find I spend about 3 -4 hours out floating in my kayak working my way into whatever waterfowl I find. Now the trick is once you get back to shore, of trying to get out of your kayak without tipping or getting your camera and lens wet. Many crazy memories surface, remembering sitting sideways to a rocky shore just barely holding on by the tip of my paddle from tipping over. Do your self a favor get a helper as it takes about 10 -15 minutes to get me ready to launch. And though you can take munchies and a drink with you, watch you drink intake! I find the first thing I do after getting back on shore, is to find me an outhouse. Years later I am still very in much love with the whole kayak thing. I've got a great seat with good back support. I find I can paddle in just inches of water. Anyone who ever has had a canoe and then tried a kayak, I bet just doesn't go ...back.

It's truly amazing with a great feeling of joy to paddle in close to the likes of loons, grebes, mallards, immature Barrow's golden eye and too many more to mention. Especially come spring time when waterfowl are nesting. Observing from a safe distance as to not disturb them from there nesting site. Though I've not tried sea kayaking yet, I'm sure that's not too far off as the next adventure. More exploring by water, as well as by land, is still to come. So let me leave you all with just some of many pictures I've taken over the years by sitting in my...got to be green kayak. I've even got a loon on my kayak. How crazy is that? Enjoy, hope you you can do the same!

End to a Lovely Day 4/26/06

Hello to all my trail buddies stopping in. Oh this has been another fabulous summer up here in the far north country. Well with going back to April memories, I recall a wonderful morning of getting up and out - headed down the trail. Seems the moose like to come out of the mountains and down to what we call the hayflats area just off the highway and graze like cattle. Now anyone passing through this area in the early moring hours could see moose. Up to as many as 30 were counted scattered along the highway one morning heading towards the big city...Anchorge. With that in mind, one of my missions was to go seek out the moose on April 23rd.

The morning started out with baby blue skies, a nice sunrise and a coolness in the air for April. Remember where I am - Alaska. Up, dressed, several trips to my truck and down the trail(road). Upon getting to my destination, one could view moose at various spots along the highway. Some close by while others were scattered off in the distance. Well worth getting up early for on a Sunday moring. But you got to like to view wildlife at early morning hours. Call me crazy. The notion of sleeping in late always took a backseat, when one can go look for the wildlife. With some time spent watching these wonderful large creatures, I moved on to another area of the flats. April here to me is a time when birds of all kinds are returning. I watch many types of waterfowl: Canadian geese flying in their 'V' patterns, trumpeter swans in large groups passing overhead to the many different types of waterfowl observed.

It's always nice to join up with other fellow birders heading out into the field to look for...the birds. All in all, I counted 7 of us out there on this wonderful morning. Oh the day was going well, weather was just right; not a cloud in the sky. As the day grew longer and later, I'd noticed planes out flying overhead. Nothing unusual about that. Boy to be up there and see the sights down below! Well, maybe someday. One of the last pictures I took that particular morning was of a large group of trumpeter swans flying out towards me. I'm always with my big lens (my 500mm lens attached with a 1.4 converter to kick it up a notch closer). I'd listen to the planes engines off in the background and never think twice to stop and look about just to see that everything is going fine for them. Now I am sure that we have all heard the sounds of a car crash before. It's one of those sounds you don't ever forget. Well just about the time those trumpeter swans got the point that I wanted to take their picture, which I did do, I had heard the sounds of planes close by revving their engines and then there was a big bang! To turn seconds later and witness 2 planes just after they collided in midair starting to fall out of the sky was unbelieveable. From my postion I wasn't sure what direction to turn and run, it looked as if they were coming down at me. Staring up at the falling planes in disbelief, watching wings twirling and plane parts dropping out of the sky, I don't think that any of the 7 of us out in the field that day could have moved.

I don't know how many "oh my God's" came out of me. To watch in horror, these 2 planes falling - which seemed like slow motion - right down to the second of impact. I'd never in my life witnessed anything like this. And I hope I never will again. As they were falling, the planes drifted apart coming down at quite some distance from each other. It was then the 7 us of from various points came running to the unforgettable resting spots. Even with being 2 -3 city blocks away from impact I could feel the thud when they hit the ground. It's one of those sickening feelings you get, feeling helpless and that there's nothing you can do but stand and stare at the twisted wreckage. Knowing in your heart as they are falling and even after watching to the second of impact that no one could have survived. Through the others that were there we had discovered that one plane had several people in it. A sick feeling when one finds a Harry Potter book not far from one of the planes. Problem was that the crash site was out far enough that locals had to bring fire and rescue in by 4 wheelers. Even with modern technologies we have still got to wonder how a tragic situation like this could happen? I later learned that one of the planes held a father and 3 children. My heart, my thoughts and prayers went out to the families of both planes that day, as they do now as I enter this in my blog. Needless to say the rest of my day was spent back in my rocker by the fireplace just in awe of what I'd witnessed. Energy just zapped out of me in my thoughts.

It is at these times we should look at each of our own lives, value and cherish loved ones, be thankful for what has been put in your lives. ~Amen

Buford T. Porcupine