For several years it sat behind the garage, dusty, covered
with leaves and neglected. The paddles were in the corner of the garage
collecting cobwebs. It was an old love supplanted by two new kayaks, with
bright colors and sleek bodies. For more than ten years the old green canoe had
been my mainstay, but was pushed aside when I researched and wrote The Paddler’s Guide to Michigan.
My long, lean yellow sea kayak
became my mid-life crisis boat, even though I was more than 60 years old, long
past middle age, and had to be pried out of it like a low-slung sports car. My other new boat was a Native Craft fishing
kayak that has become my go to boat for most occasions, with its open top and
comfortable seat. I can spend an entire day fishing a river out of it or take
in exploring in small lakes.
But then came a recent Sunday when
I wanted to take an afternoon ride, and didn’t want to strap both kayaks on top
of my old Jeep. I cleaned off the old canoe, and with some help from my wife, I
hosted it on top of the truck, and off I went. When we popped it into a small
lake, I rediscovered the joy of canoeing with somebody, the conversations, the
slow drifting in shallow areas to watch birds, and most of all at 64, the ease
of getting in and out of it.
Oh, I know that canoes aren’t as efficient
to paddle as kayaks, but there’s something classic and rewarding to the way
they paddle. There’s also the effortless beauty you notice in a canoe and not
in a kayak. For the time being, the Old Towne is going to stay on top of the
Jeep as I rediscover an old love.
