My Extended Experience

Evening Paddle's on the Lake

While I have been canoeing, kayaking, and paddle boarding before, I have never experienced a night time paddle. After experiencing it, I can now say it is one of my new favorite things. I am aware of the healing effects of nature, but combining the evening air with the sunset and being on the water was an entirely different level of peace. While I enjoyed being out there with our class, I can't help but wonder what it would be like out there alone. I feel like it may be even more tranquil sitting out on the water by yourself, listening to the sounds of nature, and being able to just watch the sun set. It reminds me of how Abbey describes some of his scenes. It is clear as he tell the stories that he is alone, but because of that, he is able to describe his surroundings in such details since all he can pay attention to is the nature that is around him. 

That being said, I want to focus on the beautiful things I did notice while out there with our class. One of my favorite parts of this outing was watching the progression of the sunset. As one may be able to tell from my other blogs and photos, my favorite way to appreciate nature is through the sky, so I jump at chances to watch the sunset on the water. When we first began our paddle, this is what the sky looked like. The light in the sky made me feel calm, but it is a familiar scene as it is something I experience day after day. It was not until the sun began to set that I felt the most serine. 

While paddling, we focused on being entirely present with nature and the experience surrounding us. We stayed off our phones besides to take photos, and discussed the things we saw. When I was not looking up at the sky to see how it was changing, I was paying attention to the water. I was hoping to see some fish jumping for food, but only saw the remnants of this in the ringlets of water after they hopped. I also noticed how calm the water was this day, only showing a few ripples here and there as the weather matched the tranquility of the scene. As it got further into sunset, I began to feel more and more calm. Partly because I love sunsets, but mostly because it is rare to experience them on the water, especially doing something like paddling. At this point, the sunset looked like this. 

Around this time, we saw a paraglider sailing through the sky. At first we thought it was a skydiver, but after watching the movement patters, we realized it was a motor powered paraglider. While I cannot even imagine how beautiful the view was from their angle up in the sky, this scene from my angle was beautiful, as well. It was a lovely example of the many ways man chooses to witness and appreciate nature, and I enjoyed seeing nature and man become one as I watched the sun set below the horizon. Although, I do remember at this point feeling somewhat jealous of this man's view of the sunset, wishing that could have been me up there. I then realized I was lucky to be seeing the view from the seat that I was in, and that I am privilage to view nature in such a beautiful way. Now, the sun had set even further. 

This is the point I felt the best. I remember watching this sunset over the water and wishing I could take a photo of every single second. The way the sky changed so quickly and reflected every aspect of the changes through the water was intriguing and a sight I never wanted to forget. As it got darker, I felt like the world was shutting down around us, allowing me to truly appreciate the nature that stood before me. After the sun had fully set, it began to get rather gloomy over the horizon, and for a little while, I felt a bit timid as it was somewhat of a daunting sight. 

This gray, gloomy sky did not last for long, as soon the entire sky turned black and the water we were floating on seemed to disappear. Once the moon and the stars appeared, I was taken back to my time in Wyoming when I was younger. Since there was not a ton of development surrounding our home, we were able to see the whole Milky Way. While this was not exactly that, it was a drastic difference than from the scarce stars we are able to view on campus. We could see the stars extending far and wide, and it made me feel somewhat small in comparison to the large world around us. That being said, it was beautiful, and definitely could be classified as a magic moment. It was not long before we started using our star maps to see what constellations we could see, and it was nice to bond with my peers about something so simple, yet so wholistic. 

On this paddle, I learned to appreciate the variety nature has to offer and its ability to transform within a matter of hours, minutes, and even seconds. I took in every moment with hopes to appreciate nature in a new environment, and found myself successful as this is something I had never done before. I would recommend an evening paddle to anyone searching to have a magical experience with the everyday nature available around them.