{"id":29865,"date":"2023-08-19T12:00:04","date_gmt":"2023-08-19T19:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=29865"},"modified":"2023-08-17T10:30:42","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T17:30:42","slug":"the-unsolicited-kayak-instructor-of-town-lake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2023\/08\/19\/the-unsolicited-kayak-instructor-of-town-lake\/","title":{"rendered":"The Unsolicited Kayak Instructor of Town Lake"},"content":{"rendered":"

Town Lake was renamed Lady Bird Lake in 2007 in honor of the former first lady, regionally renowned for conservation and philanthropic efforts. No disrespect to one of Texas\u2019s favorite first ladies, but I still call it Town Lake. As a lifelong Austinite, I\u2019ve stomached enough change that I\u2019ve decided I can afford to leave myself a shred of good ol\u2019 Texan stubbornness. The other reason is that it\u2019s not the former first lady\u2019s real name. Her husband, former President Lyndon B. Johnson, gave her the nickname Lady Bird. If they had selected Claudia Alta Lake as the new name, I might feel differently.<\/p>\n

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Paddling in an urban environment can feel a little incongruous to most people\u2019s main motivation for paddling\u2014to get away from civilization physically or mentally. Instead of dwelling on either the sparse, undeveloped sections of natural environment still to be found or the monuments of change represented by erections of glass and steel inundating downtown, I\u2019ve found my favorite way to enjoy this dammed section of river is by bothering other paddlers.<\/p>\n

When the weather is nice on the weekends (which is often the case in Austin), this body of water has plenty of human bodies putzing and fladdling about. (\u201cFladdling\u201d is a paddlesports colloquialism for paddling with a lack of grace and confidence. I may or may not have made that up.) I like seeing people out enjoying the lake, almost as much as I like having it to myself.<\/p>\n

Witnessing people enjoy themselves on the water gives me a sense of hope from a stewardship perspective. If folks are out there, perhaps they\u2019re picking up some trash, or at least seeing the litter that washed in from the streets through the storm drainage. Alternatively, maybe folks will see some sick wildlife shredding the gnar of our beautiful surroundings, and overcome with awe, it will reestablish a connection to their instinctive wildness. I\u2019m not sure what other folks reap from reconnecting to their environment, but I would like to congratulate them on choosing to do it on the water.<\/p>\n

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Despite the urban setting of Town Lake, there\u2019s still an abundance of wildlife to indulge in. I\u2019ve seen blue herons, great egrets, assorted hawks. On a cool, cloudy, lightly misted January morning I once interrupted an osprey dining on a fish. I was paddling near the northern shore by the UT rowing club headed back to Red Bud Isle, when I heard a rustle of leaves and saw that I was within 20 yards of this osprey gestationally pleasing itself. It saw me and took off to find a more tucked-away dining area. The weight of the fish impeded her flight pattern, requiring some extra work of her wings to correct the slight downward angle her launch had turned into. I felt a little guilty about disrupting this animal and causing extra exertion of calories.<\/p>\n

When I\u2019m out exploring the less developed areas of our countryside, I try to tread lightly around other beings I might encounter so as not to interfere with their experience. I bet a lot of us can agree with similar sentiments about leaving people to their nature. Conversely, when I\u2019m boating, I like to at least offer a wave combined with a verbal greeting. Usually, \u201cAhoy!\u201d to accompany the nautical theme of the activity.<\/p>\n