Of Wind, Water, & Wilderness
Bill Kuntze
I did not see the wave that broke over the righthand side of the canoe. I only felt the sudden heaviness as the momentum of the water shifted from right to left across the bottom and then forward to the bow. With a feeling of helplessness, I uttered, "We're in trouble". The next wave washed four inches over the gunwale and immediately rolled us upwind. It took a moment to realize what was taking place. Or it was, perhaps a moment of denial. Either way, the barely sixty degree water temperature made me a believer and my thoughts quickened. It was time to take an account. We were both in PFDs, the canoe was floating inverted and our change of course had taken us seventy yards offshore. The point of land was a couple hundred yards ahead of us, straight downwind. Subsequent waves rolled over the top of the canoe as we pulled ourselves to its opposite ends and rolled it upright. Fortunately the drybags were secure underneath the seats and thwarts. The buoyant gear totes had remained trapped under the over turned canoe. Now being released, they tended to float up and out. Getting the canoe pointed downwind seemed to capture them. John's fishing rod having been lying in the bow, took up permanent residency on the lake bottom. One of our two seat cushions had been blown out of our sight.
I removed my knee high boots and stashed them beneath a seat. From each end we pushed, pulled and kicked our way toward the point of land. Progress was imperceptible at first. The waves now helped us along and probably contributed more to our movement than our physical efforts. Once to shore I paused in waist deep water to hold the canoe off the rocks while John unloaded the gear onto the incline. That completed we rolled the canoe once more to empty it of water. One final heave set it up onto the rocky shore. Our ordeal was over.
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