This past winter saw members of the Bay's established paddlers' club taking pot shots at our young local club as well as several well established paddlers' Meetup groups. It was not very pretty. Nor did it foster kind feeling towards the older club. As I am a local leader it made it unlikely that I will join that club any time soon. Maybe later, certainly possible.
But just recently our own club had a shake up. One paddler said something to another and before we knew it, cause and effect, yada yada. For myself I can say I tried to stay out of it but unwittingly wandered into the tail-end of the mess. Some people asked me to re-post a canceled trip, I did so, and placed myself straight in the target zone.
I like to think I am pretty good at foreseeing consequences, but sometimes I fail to take human behavior in to account. I, too, have tender feelings and don't like being a target. I get it. Next time I'll say something like, "No, YOU re-post that trip." Lesson learned there.
I heard later that I have become some sort of lightning rod for a bunch of hate...because I re-posted a canceled event... Does this seem reasonable or adult to you? Well, it certainly does not seem adult to me. Another question is "where did all this hate come from?" Hate? If kayaking generates feelings of hate in a person, they are probably in the wrong sport. Jus' sayin.'
And lastly, the two individuals are also adults. If they have a problem with each other I think we should drop them in a cage for a death match. This will neatly solve their problems with each other, putting the focus back on them, not me, plus generate potential income for the club as we sell tickets to the event. (just kidding, no, really, um...)
Ugh.
At some point Brian B, a local pro, told me a brief story in commiseration that hit the spot. Yup, like he said "clubs happen." And so they do.
Meantime, we eventually got on the water and paddled 19 or so miles. This wasn't my longest day on the water, but the pace was quicker than I normally hold on a long trip. I tend to go slower when there is more than 12 miles on the table. When I say slower I mean 3 miles per hour. Walking pace is also a nice steady paddling pace.
And it rained, and then rained again, and then the sky really opened up and it RAINED. At least it wasn't cold....
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| First break, @5 miles, Bull Run Marina. The floating dock has quite the garden growing on it. It's been a fairly wet summer. |
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| Marsh mallows where quite abundant |
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| Passing under the Old Yates Ford Road bridge. Hmm, did not realize that shirt would be so see-through when wet. Both of us, credit Denise P 2014 |
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| The Lorax, credit Dan L 2014 |
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| Rain rain rain...My camera had rain droplets on the lens in almost every shot I took. This one, in the lower left corner, has a large droplet on it. |
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| My favorite subject |
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| The last few miles were wet, really wet. The rain picked up tempo the closer we got to the take out. |
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