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Paddle Bob Transcendental Bob

Foggy sunrise as seen from a canoe

canoe4.jpg Originally uploaded by Suffering the Benz It rained last night. Hard. So this morning when I got down to the dock to launch the canoe, there were wisps of fog everywhere. It made for a great ride. I’ve been taking the canoe out several mornings a week to try to break up my workout […]



canoe4.jpg

Originally uploaded by Suffering the Benz


It rained last night. Hard. So this morning when I got down to the dock to launch the canoe, there were wisps of fog everywhere. It made for a great ride.
I’ve been taking the canoe out several mornings a week to try to break up my workout routine. I started by exploring neighboring coves, and then moved on to seeing how far up or down river I could go with a 1.5 hour total trip time. I went down river today, toward Lenoir City, and managed to get as far as the Osprey nest that’s on the Coulter Shoal Light and Day Mark (608.3).
Watching the Osprey chicks rise up and screech out of their nests was pretty cool. The water was like glass and there was a lot of fish action. I guess last night’s rain created plenty of breakfast opportunities.
After I got as far as the nest, I turned the canoe and paddled home. I’m using a used Old Town 12-foot canoe with a pretty wide beam. Instead of an oar, I’m using a kayak paddle to propel it, and I’m starting to get pretty confident. I’m really wanting to rent a kayak soon to see how much of a difference there will be …
Reading recommendation: The Kayak Companion by Joe Glickman. Very readable and informative. It’s helping tons with my paddling technique and when I’m ready to make the switch to a kayak I think I’ll be well-prepared.
Site recommendation: Paddling.net. Awesome forums. Decent classified section. Lots of useful information.