We all like to stay in our own comfort zone and yes I know I am generalizing. Staying in my safety zone involves doing nothing that will risk my life, any of my limbs, my dignity, and can be done with both of my feet touching the ground. Like running. It did seem pretty safe until I broke my leg last year in my driveway, but that's different. It is something I have to do to keep sane, so I will risk it. And usually one of my feet is on the ground.
When Sue, my college roommate from Northern Michigan University (class of 1975, and proud of it), posted something on Facebook about Pictured Rocks National Shoreline
http://www.paddlingmichigan.com on Lake Superior, and suggested a girl kayaking trip about a year ago, I said "I'm in" even though I am not a big water person or swimmer. There were a few reasons that compelled me to do this risky thing that could result in my death, knowing that "Superior they said, never gives up her dead" (Gordon Lightfoot and the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald). The first one was that it would be too easy to go my entire life without seeing my friend Sue again, and that seemed wrong - we spent four great years of college together and had only seen each other twice since then. Also, not experiencing something so beautiful and so close to where I grew up also seemed wrong. Besides at the time she suggested this adventure, it was a year in the future and it was easy to say I would do it.
After I retired in January, I was even more determined to make this trip - maybe I needed something to bolster my confidence in myself. Kseniya and CAJ agreed to go - they had never kayaked before either. It would involve a 12 hour drive from Pennsylvania to Michigan (the upper lower part) to Sue's cottage on Lake Michigan, and then another 4 hour drive to Munising in the Upper Peninsula.
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| Renee and I - see I don't look afraid at all! |
So on Tuesday I found myself strapped into a kayak with Renee, a friend of Sue's, with a life jacket squishing the girls worse than my running bra, and snuggled into the belly of the kayak with a "skirt" around me to keep the water out, and pretty much keep me in. We were given instructions on how to paddle (and don't call it rowing or the paddle an oar), to not panic if the thing tipped over, and how to get the skirt off so we could pop back up to the surface. I was pretty sure I would panic, in fact I was kind of panicked just hearing about the possibility of capsizing. But if Sue's daughter Katherine, who had a broken foot could do this, so could I.
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| Here's what the skirts look like - CAJ, Kseniya and I from left to right |
When one of the guides (who was from Austin, Texas) pushed us out into Lake Superior, I was pretty scared for a moment. All I could think of was the Latin phrase "moritui te salutamus" or "we who are about to die, salute you". Before too long though, I found myself relaxing, looking at the beauty of a place not far from where I grew up, but where I had never been before. I also felt a great respect for Lake Superior and my strength that allowed me to Kayak ten miles - even with my puny arms.
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Kseniya
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A view of the shoreline
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It was a little windy for the first 5 miles before our stop on Mosquito Beach to eat our lunch. I have to admit to being a little concerned and it may have crossed my mind for one brief shining moment, to have someone pick me up in a car, and to forget about the trip back. But I didn't. My friend Sue, an experienced kayaker, told me the lake was a lot more rough than she thought it would be - of course all the pictures show people in the nice calm water.
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| good thing I didn't know it was this rough! |
I settled down into the return trip and poor Renee in the back had to do the turning without the rudder, which kept slipping off its track. It was the first time I met her and I quickly discovered she is one tough girl! I found that I enjoyed the challenge of fighting the wind and the waves and used better form in paddling when I had to. When we finally got sight of the beach where we would end our trip, I felt like I do when I can see the finish line in a marathon - close to tears, tired, and exhilarated. It was amazing and I was so glad to have been there with my friends - so glad I took the risk to try something I had never done before. And life is too short to not connect with old friends.
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| Sue and I - the night before our kayaking - Lake Superior lurking in the background |
Sometimes it takes a person a long time to experience things that have always been available to them. And sometimes that requires a bit of risk taking and being on unsteady ground or on rough waves.
My next risky endeavor is to go for a ride in a hot air balloon this fall. Take that comfort zone!
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