It is probably old age, or something like that, but lately I’ve noticed that one of my shoulders is frequently stiff and when I am lifting a big canoe over my head it takes a bit more effort to raise it to the top of the car than was the case some years ago. It is not a problem, really, but accepting limitations isn’t my long suit, so I’ve been trying to exercise appropriately in an attempt to build up the strength in my shoulders. I have an excellent rowing machine in my basement and rowing is great exercise for shoulders, but who can sit inside on a machine when it is summer in the Black Hills? So I’ve been rising very early and going paddling before work.

The motion of a double paddle is so similar to the natural stretch that we all do when we rise, that I figure it must be good, light-impact exercise for the shoulders. I have a small canoe that I made back in 1988 which is light weight (no shoulder strain lifting it on and off of the car) and easy to paddle with a double paddle. It is perfect for calm waters.

Our reservoirs get plenty of use here in the hills, but I have discovered that I can almost always have them to myself if I get out by 5 am.

Yesterday was a wonderful morning to paddle. There had been some thunderstorms through the hills overnight and the humidity was high. With the temperature cool, the dew point was just right for mist rising off of the lake. I love to paddle in the mist, at least on a lake that is familiar. The camera cuts through the haze and it looks like you can see better than is the case when you are paddling out there. The seating position in the little canoe is on the bottom, so I always feel as if I were sitting on the surface of the water. It is a great vantage point for surveying the ducks and geese and herons.

As I paddled away from the shore and into the mist, I was dressed in a short sleeved t-shirt. My life vest gives extra insulation, but I felt a little chilly as I paddled. I tried hard to pay attention to what it felt like, so that I could remember when the thermometer would pass eighty later in the day. I’m not very good at remembering temperatures.

There was a light breeze, just enough to keep the mists swirling and provide a slight texture to the water, but not enough to make paddling a challenge in any direction. Since I had the lake to myself, I paddled up toward where the creek empties into the reservoir. The mists gave the deer a sense of security and they didn’t seem to mind my paddling by as they came down to the water’s edge to drink. The morning was still and hushed. Even the geese were being quiet and the red winged blackbirds weren’t yet filling the cattails at water’s edge with their chatter. It would have been a great morning to see the beaver, but he was nowhere to be found as I paddled around.

There is so much pleasure that a small boat on a mountain lake can give.

My next door neighbor has a large fiberglass waterski boat with an inboard engine. It sits on a tandem trailer in his back yard. It has yet to have left the yard this year. I know that they are planning an excursion for this weekend’s 4th of July holiday because the cover has been rolled back from the boat and the back of his car is filled with life jackets, fenders and other boating gear. I hope that they really have fun with the boat this weekend. Perhaps a gang of people will be going out together for boating and skiing and a picnic.

I just don’t feel any need for such a boat. I have a tandem canoe for times when I want to take another family member or two with me. We can take more than one boat if there are enough of us. My boats were home made and the cedar and glue that I use aren’t all that expensive. I’m confident that all of my boats combined (and I do have more than any one person could need) are worth significantly less than my neighbor’s boat.

Still, I get a lot more boating in each year than he. And I have a lot more fun with my boats. In a way it seems a bit sad to me that he doesn’t get out to enjoy his boat more often. After all he lives just as close to the lake as I.

Still, I’m grateful that there aren’t too many people who want to rise before the sun to go paddling. I like to have the lake to myself.

There is something about the constant changing of light and shape and mist in the hour before the sun peeks over the horizon and floods the lake with its brightness. The reflections in the water are a bit softer, the colors are mostly pastel, the sounds seem muted. It is a perfect setting to let go of any worries one might usually carry and simply enjoy a few moments of solitude.

Whether or not it is true, I have convinced myself that I am more productive on the days that I paddle. I make sure that my paddling doesn’t decrease the number of hours I am serving my congregation and I’ve discovered that some of my most creative thoughts and best sermon ideas come on days when I take time to listen and appreciate the glory of God’s creation.

It may well be that the best advice I could give another boater is to consider getting a smaller boat. At least for me one of my smallest boats seems to get the most water under its keel each year.

Copyright (c) 2016 by Ted E. Huffman. If you would like to share this, please direct your friends to my web site. If you want to reproduce any or all of it, please contact me for permission. Thanks.