Kayaking for the First time
September 25, 2007

 Brad was home for a couple of weeks on leave from his 15 month tour in Iraq.  After he spent some time sleeping and unwinding for a few days, he was ready for some fun.  Everyone wanted to find ways to help Brad relax and unwind from his tour in Iraq so we tried to think of activities that would help him him do so.

We find that spending time in the slow pace and quiet peacefulness of the outdoors is a wonderful way to relax. In particular, there is something very soothing about floating on water, your kayak gently rocking with the waves of the water and enjoying the high rock cliffs that surround much of our water ways.  Observing wildlife of one sort or another which is usually plentiful around the water usually makes everyone smile. This seemed to fit the bill for a relaxing activity.

Brad had never been in a kayak before and neither had his sister, so the family thought it might be nice to start them out on a lake where they could learn how to steer and work the kayak before hitting the open water.  Brittany however, is uncomfortable in natures water ways.  It has something to do about being scared of big fish and getting nibbled or eaten by one.

She did OK, she only cried a little when I first pushed her out on to the lake.  Once she settled down she had a good time.  I don’t expect her to become an avid kayaker, though.

Party for Brad
August 26, 2007

Feeling refreshed from a week of unwinding Brad wanted to have a party, with his family and a few friends. So we got as many family members together as we could on short notice.  John's parents, and his two sisters and their families came up from the Seilinsgrove / Shamokin Dam area.  My parents, the 2 grandmothers, our Aunt Lois and of course his sister were there as well as few of Brad's friends.

Even though the day was hot, we lit a fire in the chiminea for some atmosphere while we relaxed on the porch waiting for the food to be ready.  Everyone brought a dish and John deep fried a turkey.  It turned out deliciously.  There was plenty of beer, food and story telling all around making for an enjoyable afternoon.

Even the dogs were pleasant.  Of course we made sure we took them for a good long walk in the morning before everyone arrived.  They were happy to just relax with us as we chatted the afternoon away.

As evening rolled around John and Vern lit a fire in the big fire pit out in the backyard.  Those who remained wandered out to sit around the fire pit for the evening.  It was a very nice evening so even the Grammies joined us for awhile.  

Kayaking on Pine Creek
September 1, 2007

Having had so much fun kayaking on the lake, Brad was ready for something more challenging. His sister was not at all interested in going out on moving water so she skipped this trip.  John and picked out a particularly fun section of Pine Creek. The rapids are Class One, more like riffles, but on this section you are pretty much guaranteed to get wet and on a hot September day it was sure to be refreshing.

So we loaded up our kayaks with snacks and some wine and hit the open water.  The trip was going to take about 4 hours or so to go from our starting point just outside of Camal, and our take out point in Waterville.

It was a warm 85 degrees with clear sunny skies. As most creeks go there were calm sections where you could put your feet up and relax and sections where you were dodging rocks as you navigated fast moving water.

In one of our first set of rapids we all took on water as the waves hit the front of our kayaks splashing up and over. Brad was a little surprised about getting some water in his kayak, and Dad took a big hit from a wave that sent him rocking a bit and filled his kayak with water.  So we pulled over and emptied him out.

 The next bit of excitement happened at another set of rapids. Mother got wedged against a rock her kayak flipped over and she was stuck. It was a little scary as no one could stop and help her and I was worried she was going to get sucked under her kayak.  With the water flowing the way it was, I just barely missed hitting her with my kayak as I went by.  

We eventually got her rescued and dumped out most of her water.  She and Dad were impressed how well the dry bags worked and how not so dry the dry well was after her spill.  
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Back on our way we were now in a long stretch of calm slow moving water. This gave us a chance to prop our feet up on the outsides of our kayaks to try and help dry out our feet. We were all enjoying floating along, looking at the  the wildlife and the scenery.

The peacefulness was then shattered by yelling and splashing.  We looked around and saw Brad’s kayak upside down and him standing next to it soaking wet! Being new to kayaks he obviously was not fully aware of the effect of leverage on a boat floating on water.  He had paddled too hard when trying to turn his craft and with his feet on top of his kayak there was no counter force and he flipped himself right over.

He had quite a bit of water in his kayak and it took two or three dumpings to get the majority of the water out.  Now how to get back in the darn thing.  Let's just say watching him get back in  his kayak was the most entertaining part of the trip. Check out the video to enjoy it too!

About half way through the trip we found a scenic place to pull over and have some lunch. This  gave all of us time to dry out and empty more water from our kayaks.

All in all we all had a good time, but I would have to say the highlight of the trip was watching Brad enjoying the natural beauty of Pennsylvania; something that I don’t think he had fully appreciated before joining the Army and spending some time at war in Iraq.