Night Kayaking on the Willamette
Posted on March 12, 2007, by kiliii.
Filed Under Portland Region |
Night-kayaking in the city is that perfect juxtaposition of the city and the wilderness. The last few months we have taken to throwing our skin boats in the water under the Hawthorne Bridge and paddling out to Ross Island.
At first, trucks, strange smells come from the highway. As we slip slowly into the realm of the duck, the sounds of the city fade away. I pass by the massive concrete supports for the Ross Island Bridge and lean back in awe. Though the city lights are off in the distance, my innocent self is lost in Middle-Earth, watching the immense stone toes of ancient kings slide past.
Pete and Adria paddle on ahead towards Ross Island, approaching quietly as we anticipate night wildlife on the river. Before we are even paying attention, a sharp slap cracks the water and the darkness; a beaver has warned us we won’t be catching it tonight. That’s how the night goes– beavers hit the water with their tails, and geese honk and whistle along the dark banks. All I can see is their white undersides bobbing on the shore.
Pete and I cruise up slowly and then at the chosen moment, spring our kayaks forward, our paddlestrokes bloodthirsty as we chase our geese down. They wait until the last possible moment to take off, then scoot forward on the water only ten feet before stopping again– avoiding potentially fatal collisions with unseen objects in the night.
The water is protected by Ross Island’s shores, and so we float and meditate in the warm wind, gently flowing back downriver, and towards the dock.
The city lights come back, twinkling as though they believe they have the same dignity as the stars. Floating the black waterline on the Willamette River, I understand.
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Good site. Thanks!