Adventure on the High Seas

Sarah Gallagher--Receptionist

My eyes were glued to my computer clock.  Twenty minutes...ten minutes...six...three...two...go time.  I grabbed my bag and dashed out the door to get ready for the long awaited Ministry Support kayaking trip. 

Five boats, ten sack lunches, and ten Nalgenes later, we were securing our life jackets for the last time.  After experimenting with the self-timer on Pete's camera, we loaded up in the sea kayaks (two to a boat) and drifted out of the lagoon and into Long Lake.

No force could counter our ambition.  The sun was shining, the water was calm, and an occasional breeze kept us cool.  We were powerhouses on the water--rowing at the speed of light.  Going, going, gone.  Out of sight. 

Well, maybe it didn't exactly happen that way.  Sure, the sun was shining and we looked great--five yellowish boats cruising on the open lake--but soon after our departure, we realized that our arms were going to be our worst enemies for the next couple of hours. 

"Hey Steph, how are you paddling so quickly without getting tired?"  I asked.

"You know when your muscles start telling you they are hurting?  You don't listen to them," she said.

Despite our minimal discomfort, the fulfillment of making such a long, adventurous trip was enough to keep our spirits high.  That and the promise of a Bidonkadonk.  Our ultimate destination was Lick-A-Dee Splitz, the beloved ice cream shop in Three Lakes, and our plan was to eat a Bidonkadonk--their signature sundae consisting of 12 scoops of ice cream and four toppings.               

About a third of the way through our journey, we stopped for lunch.  Refueled, we continued kayaking down Long Lake, into Planting Ground Lake, through a channel and into Townline Lake.  We took occasional water breaks (really we just wanted to give our arms a break, but since being hydrated is an important part of any outdoor excursion, "water break" quickly became code for being exhausted), and continued on towards town.

Suddenly, we saw land.  We knew we needed to portage our kayaks over a small dry area so we didn't damage the kayaks, but as we approached the land, we realized that it was going to be a bit more than just a few feet.

Let me pause to mention that sea kayaks are very heavy.  Even with two people, it is quite a challenge to transport them for a long period of time.

When we stepped out of the kayaks, we saw a road that seemed to just keep going.  What we did not see was water.  Our eyes grew wide and our minds mistrusted the strength of our arms.  We discovered that by grouping in fours and taking the boats one at a time, we could more quickly carry them 100 yards to the next lake.  While the guys shouldered a kayak, we put four girls on two other kayaks and carried them down the road.  I'm sure we were an amusing sight, but we were not that amused at the time.

Then, from the edge of Maple Lake we could see the other side.  Lick-a-Dee Splitz was so close!  Two and a half hours after our departure time, we arrived on the shore of Three Lakes.  We chose our flavors carefully and ordered two Bidonkadonks (that's 24 scoops of ice cream!) and the ten of us eagerly shoveled the wonderful concoctions into our mouths.

Apparently some of our crew was expecting to be greeted by a HoneyRock vehicle with a trailer to speed us back to camp.  That fantasy was soon shattered.  We had a good laugh about it, then we put our game faces on and walked back to the kayaks.

At this point, I kinda wished I could pull a Peter and walk, no, sprint across the water and back to camp.  We breezed across Maple Lake in no time, dreading the portage experience.  Again, we had four to a kayak, this time shouldering the yellow beasts and laughing along the way. 

About two hours later, we were back at camp, hardly containing our excitement to be on dry land.  They didn't name it Long Lake for nothing.  It was quite a haul coming back.  We cleaned our floating vessels as a team and wandered into Chrouser together to share our last meal for the day.

In case there is any doubt that the staff at HoneyRock know how to have a good time, I leave you with these pictures, so you can see for yourselves.

Uber-pumped before we ship out!

Bri and Sarah kayaking away

Becki and Pete's kayak with the gang in front...but wait- where's kayak #5?

see the end of the road? yeah, we didn't either. this is where we portaged.

yes, that was a huge spoonful of ice cream. did it taste good? indeed it did. (this is me)

Comments

[Pete Sailhamer]

Sweet blog post Sarah. I feel like I was there!