What’s up everybody!
I’m currently writing from the USA, where I’ll be taking a
brief two-week break from the Ottawa Valley in order to work out college stuff.
I flew in yesterday, and am very sad to be gone, but I’ll be back soon!
For now, I get a chance to reflect on the time I did get to
spend paddling with Keeners. Last Friday, while driving back from the take-out,
we all went around and said our highlights of the session. My response: getting
destroyed in the whirlpools (see my last blog), night paddling, and getting my
first ever, legit flip turn. Add to that list what I said from last Monday’s
speech night: skirt-less race down Normans and Coli as Hampsta so nicely
discussed. I also mentioned holding hands with Alex during our Keener horror
movie night, but that’s a little off topic. Of all those memories and moments
though, night paddling is going to have to take the win. That and its most
recently on my mind, and I feel it will make the best story.
Last Thursday night, I was lucky enough to get to paddle
under the full moon. Led by Kalob Grady, one of last week’s coaches, we set off for
McCoy’s. As Kalob himself said, one's fortunate to get two of these nights in a
summer and I have never had this experience in all my years of kayaking here. So
needless to say, I was pretty excited.
I spent the whole two hours we were out there at Corner
Wave. I somehow only missed the eddy once, and otherwise got to surf to the
point of exhaustion. Most people stayed at Baby face below, fearing a nighttime
excursion in the horseshoe holes that guard the corner wave eddy – so I had the
eddy almost to myself half the time. Kalob, Tom, and Max joined me, though Max
was awesome enough to shoot photos for us for a good chuck of the night. In the
end, probably one the chillest surfing sessions I’ve ever had.
For those of you who have never experienced night paddling
before, it’s a world of its own. Despite a full moon, seeing the water is super
challenging. Instead, you’re forced to feel your way around the wave. This
makes any sort of edging, needed to perform most tricks, terrifying. The
chances of catching an edge skyrocket. And trust me I know; I lost count of the
amount of times I suddenly landed on my face without warning. After being
upside down under water, you roll up completely disoriented, more so than usual. I had to find the dark shore, point my bow, and then I would usually
just close my eyes and book it until I felt the water calm. And then there’s
seeing lines. The two times I did punch the horseshoe tongue were also scary
moments. It’s a fine difference between riding cleanly away through a green
tongue, and being surfed in one of two foamy pits. Thankfully, I managed to
spot the sweet spot at the last minute on both occasions.
But regardless, or maybe because of these strange new
challenges, I found the night remarkable. (Thanks again Kalob!) I alternated
between trying to throw down for Max’s snap shots, which were punctuated by
blinding flashes. And trying to stay perfectly still on the fast, dynamic Corner
Wave for the long 15+ second open shutter shots. Neither was easy, with the
first requiring ideal timing, and the latter being pretty self-explanatory. But
trying to do so was super fun, check some shots out below!
Other than that, it was simply an incredible time being on
the river during a beautiful Ottawa night. Those of us at Corner Wave left after
everybody else, and I won’t forget drifting back at midnight to the lit up Keenerville for a long time.
Jordan
The beginnings of a flashback
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