Day 1 Continued - Actual News!

Day 1 (cont.) – August 11, 2009

Tuesday was chock-full for the paddlers and their helpers. Paddlin’ for Paws is a miracle of logistics and it really does take a village to pull it off. Here’s how the first day unfurled:

Despite a lack of sleep, travel snafus, and some last minute changes to the lineup, the first day of Paddlin’ for Paws went well and everyone managed to not only make it through the day, but also to have some fun.

The paddlers and support crew met at Sand Harbor around 7:20a.m. to kick off the trip. The first order of business was for a kayak rental company to drop off two kayaks for the group, followed by some basic paddling instructions for the three Midwesterners. Terri Bostick met the group and paddled with them for the day.

You may remember radio show host David Alan of KOWL from the 2008 Paddlin’ for Paws event. He followed Lynda and Mo’s progress last year and wanted to get the word out about Paddlin’ for Paws 2009. In the midst of all the launching preparations, Lynda did a live on-air interview on KOWL.

Because Mo’s flight was delayed and she wouldn’t be arriving until later in the day, Paddle Pal Jan Groff paddled Mo’s sleek rental kayak (rented at a significant discount from Reno Mountain Sports) for the first leg of the trip from Sand Harbor to the Hyatt at Incline Village. Unfortunately, “sleek” translates into “less-stable-than-usual,” which led to Jan dumping herself into the chilly waters of Lake Tahoe while trying to get into the kayak! Undaunted by such an unceremonious start, Jan completed the paddle to Incline Village then hopped in her car and drove to Reno to pick up Mo at the airport.

The group began their trip a bit later than planned—around 8:45 a.m.—and arrived at the Hyatt at 10:15 a.m., just in time for a late breakfast. True to Nevada’s reputation for great buffets, the Hyatt buffet proved to be popular and nearly all of the paddlers ordered it.

Mo arrived shortly after 11:00 a.m., just as the other paddlers were leaving to resume their trip. Lynda had chosen to send the other paddlers ahead and stay to have breakfast with Mo, so after fueling up at the Hyatt, Lynda and Mo paddled diligently to catch up with the others at Speedboat Beach by early afternoon. The group took a break and two of the paddlers (Mary and Trish) bravely took a full plunge into the “refreshing” (read: “bitingly cold”—average summertime water temperature at Lake Tahoe is 65-70 degrees!) water while the rest of the group waded along the shore.

After the break, the group paddled the short remaining distance to Kings Beach (less than two miles away) and arrived at 2:45 p.m. In the future, they would like to arrive earlier in the day in order to avoid the potential afternoon winds that are a staple of Lake Tahoe weather, but for today the schedule was fine. The paddlers were all feeling happy and empowered to complete their first day. Mary was especially excited because she had harbored (ooh, a nautical pun!) some doubts about her abilities.

After the kayakers stopped for the day, it took some time to find a place to park the kayaks overnight. Fortunately, a young woman handling kayak rentals allowed the team to secure their kayaks beside hers. Sue Jorth arrived bearing wine, which some of the paddlers drank with her on benches on the beach, enjoying the beauty of the lake.

Once the kayaks were secure, the paddlers walked several blocks to the Apres Ski Club, where Terri had arranged for the group to stay in the bunkhouse. I’m sure they were all very glad to see those beds!

The group plans to launch tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7:30 a.m. for their shortest day, a nine-mile paddle to Tahoe City. Tune in tomorrow for more Paddlin’ for Paws news!

--Tamela Gorden

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Since weather can be a huge factor in kayaking Lake Tahoe, here’s the seven-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Wednesday...Partly cloudy. Highs 76 to 86. Light winds becoming southwest around 10 mph in the afternoon.

Wednesday night...Clear. Lows 42 to 52. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph in the evening becoming light.

Thursday...Breezy and sunny. Highs 73 to 83. Light winds becoming southwest 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph in the afternoon.

Thursday Night...Clear. Lows 41 to 51. Southwest winds 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph decreasing to around 10 mph after midnight.

Friday...Sunny. Highs 68 to 78. Southwest winds up to 10 mph increasing to 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph in the afternoon. Ridge gusts up to 50 mph.

Friday Night...Clear. Lows 37 to 47.

Saturday Through Sunday Night...Clear. Highs 69 to 79. Lows 36 to 46.