When I first bought my kayak, transportation was easy, as my husband had also bought a kayak and we had his truck. Just a quick load into the vehicle and we would be on our way. I ran into trouble when he was gone to work and I wanted to go out on my own. With no roof rack, I resorted to some techniques that the ministry of transportation would definitely frown on. I opened the trunk, and shoved the kayak in between the seats. The sound of cracking up by the windshield had me pause in my forceful ministrations, and a quick investigation found my rear view mirror hanging crooked and the tip of the kayak pushed up on the front window. Alright, nothing broken, so that part is good, but the rear of the kayak hung out a good few feet from the back hatch. Hmm, bungee cords, that would work. After a good twenty minutes of muttering and sweating and a bizarre crisscross of cords and wires attached to random points in the car, I was satisfied that the back hatch would mostly stay shut and hopefully the kayak would stay in the car. I stayed close to home with this set up, as surely I would be ticketed if I made it out on busy roads.
Over the summer I began to venture further afield, and made the wise decision to buy a removable roof rack for my car. As with most things, the directions are akin to the Rosetta stone and undecipherable to the average layperson. After several false starts involving numerous ties and straps, I was ready to shove the kayak up on the car roof. A few grunts and I had the boat up on the roof rack with only a few scrapes off the vehicles paint. Another battle scar for my old car. Off I went, up the highway to Nine Mile Lake, with that kayak swaying and shifting while I kept a close eye on the movement above me. Perhaps I needed some more practice with those straps, as the nose of the kayak slowly shimmied further forward with every vibration. I had a moment of consternation as I pictured me having to slam on the brakes and my bright red kayak becoming air borne. I really did not want to end up on the evening news. Flying kayaks aside, I made it to nine mile without any incident.
Nine mile lake is found near the Torrance Barrens, down the winding Southwind Road. Parking is found at the Marina, where the owner nicely let me park without charging the daily parking fee. I released the straps and the kayak slid off the roof rack, and landed with a thunk on the concrete boat launch, leaving behind another nice gash in my car’s paint. I guess I should find a mat to slide the kayak along the car’s roof, but that is a future problem. I settled in the kayak and went off with the warm sun on my shoulders through still and dark waters, the few cottagers sunning on their docks giving me a friendly wave as I glided by. Once past the protected inlet, small ripples formed from the autumn breeze. I enjoyed paddling into the wind, feeling strong as I pushed my muscles to dig deep as I bounced over the waves. That breeze also brushed along the tree tops, red and yellow leaves slowly drifting down to float on top of the dark water, reflecting the autumn foliage. In other areas, the surface was covered in pine and spruce needles, greens and browns highlighted by the black waters.
I travelled along the shoreline, grey granite emerging from the undergrowth to flow down and under the lakes waters. Cottages became sparse then disappeared as private land gave way to Crown land, perfect for backcountry camping. In a marshy inlet, a great blue heron stood perfectly still amongst the reeds, head turning to watch my slow progress as I drifted by. I continued paddling around the lake, exploring all the nooks and crannies, and was surprised to find a large inuksuk standing guard at the end of another small inlet called Robbin’s Point. The stone giant rose over the lake, brown marsh reeds and rushes thick behind it. I considered paddling up the small creek just visible through the vegetation, but perhaps that was an adventure for another day. Instead I turned back to the marina, relaxed after a beautiful day on the lake, though my anxiety came back as I considered that roof rack waiting for me. I few more scrapes on my car roof, a slightly white knuckled drive, and home to practice those straps a few more times.
