Last Kayak of the Season?

So who on earth puts a kayak on their car when there is snow on the ground??? I mean isn't the season officially over once the snow flies?

Despite the fact that it is November 26th and we've already had our first huge snowstorm of the year, we decided to get out in the kayaks one last time today. I am so glad we did. It was an amazing day...

We headed out at around ten thirty, hoping the sun would warm up the air enough for us to be able to hang on to our paddles. There were several signs that we should reconsider this hair-brained scheme... We almost forgot our waterproof jackets on the way out the door and then when we got to the Terrence Bay launch by ECO, the wind was bitter and the waves looked pretty wild. We took kayaks off the car and realized that we had forgotten our water containers at home on the kitchen counter.  Another sign.

With a heavy sigh, I drove back to the house to get our water packs while Sean stayed with the kayaks.

When I got back to the launch, he asked me if I was really sure I wanted to do this- he'd been sitting by the water for almost twenty minutes at this point and was definitely feeling the cold. Looking at the water I almost said no, but the stubborn side of me kicked in (thank god!) and we headed into the teeth of the wind.

We had already decided to just poke around in the Terrence Bay and Prospect area, thinking that we had already seen everything here, but that it would be nice just to get out on the water. Well it was nice to get out on the water but we most certainly had not seen everything!

As the day grew warmer, the wind died down and the sun came out and it turned out to be one of the best kayaking days we've had yet. We found a secluded bay to explore- there were no houses anywhere to be seen and absolutely no other boats on the water- we had the whole place to ourselves. The water was calm and the tide was low, so we found all sorts of really cool overhanging rocks. I tried to take some underwater pictures- I even saw a starfish! And we saw lots of really cool anemones.

The overhanging rocks were amazing- and once the wind died down, the sea was like glass. We kayaked in underneath huge cliffs that were festooned with seaweed and that echoed our voices back to us. As the day wore on we grew quieter and quieter, taking in the beauty around us and trying to soak up as much of the peaceful air as we could, knowing that this was probably our last voyage for a while...

We stayed out for as long as we could although the days are much shorter now, so the sun started to go down around four. As we turned our backs to the wind after one last look at the wide open sea, we headed back into shore and managed to find a deserted beach to enjoy the beginnings of a glorious sunset... Farewell summer!

A picture is worth a thousand words...

As soon as we got back from our first incredible kayak voyage, we began planning a three-day excursion for Labour Day Weekend.

Shortly after that, I started trying to find a way to bring my camera.

Half of my joy in writing a blog from the North came from the fact that I had amazing photos to share. I felt that whatever was lacking in my words was supplemented by having images to go with them.  If only I could capture the feeling of kayaking... A picture really _is_ worth a thousand words, and even though a picture can't feel and smell and taste the same as being there, you can't deny the fact that it helps.

Once I realized that a waterproof case for my camera was going to cost me as much as (or more than!) a new camera, I decided to "bite the bullet" and buy a good quality waterproof camera. After some research I settled on the Pentax Optio. It's compact, virtually indestructible and was supposed to take really good quality pictures.

I bought my new little friend a life preserver.

Don't laugh- they really _do_ make PFDs for cameras... Ì didn't want to spend all this money on a camera only to lose it overboard! I also bought a flexible super mini grip tripod so that I could attach it to the front of my kayak (in case my hands were too occupied to hold the camera).

On our three day excursion I planned to put it though its paces...

Our new kayaks on their "maiden voyage"

Here they are... two Necky Chathams, ready to go. Hopefully we're ready too! We've put a fair bit of "water under our belts" already and this is our story. Just to preface- we _do_ live in kayak heaven- Nova Scotia is full of amazing bays with crystal clear water, beautiful wildlife, pristine shores and tiny islands... the coast is typically portrayed as rocky and forbidding, but it is incredible how many secret shelters and tranquil coves are out there. Thanks to a wonderful crash course at ECO (East Coast Outfitters Kayaking) and a lot of previous experience in a canoe, we have a few survival skills (basic paddling, self rescue, rolling etc.). We have also camped in the wilderness a lot over the years, so the whole "what to pack and how" question was a lot easier than it mighty have been. And the evolution of gear since then is unbelievable! We were blown away with what modern technology has to offer the wilderness camper now. Between pinpointing our location on a GPS and planning our trip through a cell phone app, things are ridiculously easier now than they were back when Sean and I started out rigging up the canoes.

I was going to begin this blog a while ago and write after every adventure, but I've been starting a teaching career at the same time, which leaves very little time for blogging! My plan now is to write an entry with some of my photos of each of our first few adventures and then hopefully update this a little more regularly. Kayaking has saved my sanity over the last two weeks where I have begun to teach full time...

Our first real "solo" adventure began one saturday morning when we put our kayaks in the water not far from our house on Prospect Bay. We hit the water early enough to catch that "early morning calm" and discovered (thanks to a google earth preview) a boat graveyard. It was positively chilling to kayak up into an old wreck and feel the weight of history all around me. There were three wooden boats, all of which were at least the size of the Hector in Pictou. We have no idea where they came from, what their history was or anything about them, but I can tell you that when I kayaked into to belly of one of the boats, with the wooden ribs sticking up on either side... I just knew that there was a story there.

The whole day was spectacular, with calm waters and gorgeous, clear blue skies. we were sold on the whole concept of kayaking and the freedom we had now bought with our new kayaks.