Paddlin' for Paws Day 6

Day 6- Monday, departure time 8:00 a.m. from Lakeside Beach to Cave Rock.

Although they had good intentions to get up and get going on time, the beds were soft and the sleep deep, so they ended up sleeping in and not getting started until 9:15 this day. They showered and had a continental breakfast and noticed the weather was getting bad and it made them a little nervous, so they headed out.

Also, the night before it rained, so when they went out to load up their kayaks, they found them full of water. They had to first bail them out before they could load them up and get started. The day did not look good and already the water was choppy and the wind was blowing. It was to be their shortest day (7 miles) but with the weather and the water conditions probably would end up being one of their hardest days.

They clearly knew they were in for a challenge and the paddling was very hard. This was the first day they had to put their rudders down. Apparently this helps from side slipping and stabilized the kayaks some. They also would have to use their foot pedals to help steer the kayaks in this choppy water. There were approximately 1 foot waves they had to combat and water got into their kayaks. Lynda said she was fearful of flipping her kayak as this type of kayak is very difficult to get back into as it is a "sit inside model" and not the more shallow kayaks--the "sit on top" rental types that are easy to flip back over and get back into.

Caveat -As you may have noticed I am not a kayaker, so please excuse my lack of knowledge or inappropriate terminology in this particular blog. Lynda's voice message that she left me kept breaking up, so I missed some of what she was trying to report to me.

They did make it to their first stop at Zephyr Cove and had a late breakfast. However, the weather was not improving, so they got back into their kayaks to forge on. They had trouble getting out of Zephyr Cove as the waves in the water kept battering them back as they paddled to get far enough out that the waves would not slam them into the rocky shore.

It was hard to find the beauty of this lake while fighting and struggling to go forward. They were on their 6th day and this great adventure had taken a turn to really challenge them. It was no longer about the fun of kayaking the shoreline and raising money for a cause dear to their hearts, but about the personal challenge of two middle age women battling against the elements and finishing what they had started.

Although they had not talked about their physical aliments and the toll this trip was taking on them, it became very evident that their bodies were being tested. Lynda had burned her lower lip badly in the first few days and it was still swollen and now had a ring of ulcers inside her lower lip that was causing her pain. Both she and Mo had woken up the last few mornings with numbness in their arms. Lynda felt that the strenuous days had aggravated her neck problems, as well as Mo's neck problems, so they both were suffering from the physical strain it put on their necks and backs. They both had bruising all up and down their hamstrings from the pounding of the kayaks against their legs, probably from getting in and out of them. All of this was exacerbated by the bad weather and the nagging desire to just get to their destination safely for that day.

As they concentrated on getting to Cave Rock, they thought of how they were not prepared for this weather. How they did not have spray skirts to keep the water out of the kayak, how they did not bring spare paddles in case they lost or broke one. Earlier that day when they were launching off in the morning, Lynda again was interviewed live on the radio by KOWL's Talk of Tahoe show. The interviewer had given a live weather report at the time and was worried enough about them that he asked his listeners, especially those in boats, to keep an eye out for them. And now Lynda was hoping that someone was watching; and if they got in trouble someone would be close enough to help them. The dangers were many, the rocks off the shoreline that the waves kept pushing them to, the cold water which even at this time of year could cause one to have hypothermia if capsized and left too long in the water, and the fatigue and battering their bodies were taking.

And then they saw it: one single body in a bright yellow Paddlin' For Paws t-shirt on the shore waving them in. It was Celia Ranson, who came down from Palomino Valley to cheer them on and help out. Lynda said she could not express the relief and joy she felt when she saw Celia there waving to them and guiding them into shore. It was hard and it was physically exhausting and challenging but they made it.

That night they slept in a cabin comped by Zephyr Cove and ate in the restaurant there. They were celebrities as two people that day on the water and the bar tender that night recognized them as the two women who were paddling the shoreline of Lake Tahoe for the animals. They got a $20.00 donation at dinner from a man who heard about them on the radio. He was vacationing from Oregon and just traveling through town.

Tomorrow is the hardest and longest day, so Lynda stated they decided to change their plan and leave at 5:30 a.m. instead of 6:30 a.m. She is worried as the weather report is for 1 to 2 foot waves and the east shore is the longest and most challenging.

So, stay tuned. There is more adventure to come.

-Myra-