Part 2- Waccamaw River Through Paddle Series: Monday 12/19/2023

         The night before as I laid in bed wide awake trying to force myself to sleep I dreaded the intrusive sound of the alarm clock set for 4am. Finally, around 11:30pm I fell asleep tucked warm and cozy in my bed. Waking up was not what I expected. I dreaded the sound of the alarm; however, when I woke, I thought what a welcoming sound that WOULD have been. I woke up wide awake at 2:30am. My mind racing of thoughts, anticipation, excitement, and nervousness. There was no slowing it down. The hamster wheel was turning so fast I could have powered New York City. I succumbed to my current state, made coffee and sat on the back porch waiting till 4am to come around. I went over my list again. I looked for anything I could have missed or forgotten. Then I went into trip planning, doing my best to forecast the conditions I would experience. I stared at the weather and hydrography like a predator stalking its prey. Hitting the refresh button on the browser every couple of minutes. The storm from the day before still lingering over the house with frequent howling winds. Not too much in the way of precipitation, but the wind! The wind was still ripping through the tree tops. My only comfort was knowing the first stretch of my trip would be tucked well below the tree line and protected from the gusts. My comfort was also accompanied by the red devil shoulder whispering legitimate concerns. How many trees fell through this storm? What kind of ninja warrior paddle experience will this be? Having done the upper section a few times before, I knew it was already a mess to paddle through. Now with the winds from this storm, how much more problematic will the first section be. This is not the part of river that a kayaker would want to paddle back up stream in. Especially with a fully loaded kayak and fast rising water. I came to the realization that this had to be a commitment; hell or highwater (literally), there was no turning back once I start.

          The alarm went off and Laurie (my Bride) slides out of bed. I head to the back yard to carry my vessel of choice to the truck. A 17′ Wilderness Systems Tsunami Kayak. It carried like a parachute as the wind caught every surface possible. I hoisted the bow on to the racks of the truck and proceeded to push from the stern until the kayak was securely set in its saddles. I made quick time of getting the straps on it worried that the wind would catch it wrong and blow it off. Fortunately, no such drama took place. Once everything was in place we headed to our office at J & L Kayaking, where all of my gear was pre-packed and ready for loading. Did I mention the wind was still blowing? With each howl from the wind, the lump in my throat climbed just a little more. Never-the-less, we loaded the truck and was on the road. It would be an hour drive to reach the top of the river. By 6 am we reached the spillway dam at the bottom of Lake Waccamaw. I could see just the faintest part of morning twilight beginning to paint the horizon. I stepped out of the truck and the first thing I noticed was the quiet! No wind howling, it was calm with a slight breeze. This was a boost of excitement and confidence.

           It would be an hour before the sun would rise and it turned out I would need all of it to solve the puzzle in front of me. “I have to get all of this into that?” I thought to myself. I am not a fan of having excess gear stored on the deck of a kayak. Through my experience and training this inhibits effective self-rescues. For me, the only option was below deck. I gutted every dry bag and again made careful decisions of what I would bring and what I would leave behind. Loading a kayak is more than just making it all fit. Weight distribution is a key factor as well. To much weight fore, aft, port, or starboard can disable the performance, stability, and maneuverability of the kayak. I spread everything out once again and made three piles. One pile for the bow, a pile for the belly, and a pile for the stern. By the time I was done, I had omitted another third of the equipment deciding it wasn’t necessary. The remaining two-thirds of equipment/supplies was crammed, stomped, shoved in to the kayak anyway I could fit it- relative to its assigned pile. 

         By this time, the sun had barely peaked over the horizon and there was finally enough light to see through the thick canopy of trees with no discernable river path to follow. It must be found as you go down stream. I stared into the tree line with more excitement than anything. It was almost as if I unwittingly signed up for the TV Series ALONE. I was ready, there was no more fidgeting that I could do to disguise my procrastination. A few quick pictures and a couple goodbye kisses and it would be time to launch. In my dry humor, Laurie wanted a few pictures of me with the kayak. I told her, “Don’t lose those, they might be the last pictures you ever get of me.” I thought it was funny; her, not so much. One last kiss, and I slid into the cockpit of my kayak adjusted myself to an acceptable comfort level and with the help of Laurie pushed off.