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Nisqually

Your blogger and a friend went to Nisqually yesterday and paddled numbly around in the freezing breeze,
dodging mud bars and seeing the most amazing collection of wildlife. Nisqually, for those who have not
been, is a sort of wildlife refuge cum waterfoul hunting zone. Not exactly off the beaten path, the park is
close enough to I-5 that paddlers can see and hear the interstate traffic even while surrounded by the
natural sounds of flocks of migrating ducks and other birds who find the shallow waters to be a great place
to rest during their peregrinations. The ancient paddler silently glides through the water trails while the
rat-a-tat-tat of .50 caliber machine gun fire and and the whump-whump-whump of Jolly Greens from
nearby Fort Lewis bring his mind  back to a place he last visited in 1970. The score of "Full Metal Jacket"
begins to play between his ears.

Nisqually is the complete antithesis of Dalco Passage, that 600-foot deep trench where your blogger
commonly paddles. It is dangerously shallow in places, and yet there is a powerful current that flows out
of the river itself as well as a tidal flow that moves inexorably north toward the Narrows. It's about 17 GPS
miles from the launch point to Tahlequah, and I think that a kayak moving with the current could easily
make that trip in four or five hours. It is a trip for a summer day when there is a spring tide. Get a parking
permit from WDFW at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/vup/ and you can launch at the Nisqually Reach Nature
Center and park there from 0400 until 2200. That should be plenty of time to paddle to Tahlequah then
return to pick up your vehicle. Plan to pass through the Narrows a bit before slack tide to avoid the giant
whirlpools, frightening standing waves and powerful currents that smash much larger and more powerful
boats than yours to toothpicks on the bridge pilings.
I suppose that the shallow water makes it easy to fish, and for that reason there is an army of fat, curious seals who sun
themselves on a beach. They quickly belly crawl into the water and surround a paddler whenever they see one. Loathe
to look a dangerous boat critter directly in the eye, since he might be an Eskimo, the shy seal likes to silently surface at
the stern and then submerge with a loud splash when caught out. Some are not so shy, though, and here is one who
came by within easy camera range for a closer look. At one point your blogger estimated that there were fifty or so seals
surrounding him with the interest of a crowd of humans watching a hostage taker negotiating with the police. My
fellow paddler, viewing from a distance said that he saw a few approach as close as a foot or so to the back of my boat,
although they never came that close to the front of it. Apparently seals don't know about the law that requires them to
give kayakers at least 300 feet of clearance.
Paddler Finally has Prospects

The author has possibly landed a job, and unlike his previous careers - well, except when he was once a
night dishwasher in a small casino near Beatty, Nevada - this may be one he can handle. By the way,
there is no discredit in being a dishwasher, it is a former profession the author shares with the great
financial genius Carlo Ponzi.

Recently, the owners of Puget Sound Kayaks (a.k.a. Vashon Island Kayaks) felt that the time had come
to move on and tried for months to find a willing and able buyer. The perfect candidate would be a
person of means, since cash was required and the likelihood of a profit slim. Also desirable would be a
love of kayaking, hard work and the general public. Many gag at such an opportunity, while those who
are drawn to it are often dreamers with no capital. The space at the Boathouse was earnestly desired by
the rowing club, and it looked like all was lost when a mysterious benefactor jump started the Parks
District into action with a generous seed money contribution. And now, voilá, Puget Sound Kayaks is
back in business as a part of the Parks District.
In the photo above, the first crop of new Jensen Point guides prepares for an afternoon of cool water
sports. The author is also a member of the lucky group, but feels the need to keep his appearance a
secret lest he be plagued with adoring fans seeking a moment in the sun with the Celebrity Paddler of
Tahlequah.

We received our initial check out, including "I rescue you", "you rescue me" and "I rescue myself" , all
in 46 degree water. This required two long periods of immersion in the frigid harbor and the author
became severely hypothermic before it was all done. Hypothermia was merely incidental however, as
he also became briefly trapped upside down in his green boat due to multiple clumsy failures to release
the spray skirt. There was a black and desperate moment there, let me tell you.

If you have not had that experience of looking up through three feet of cold, murky salt water at
unattainable fresh air and sunny sky, helplessly trapped, your lungs forcing a breath, knowing that
compatriots are innocently chatting above, expecting you to pop up any moment - something you
recently expected yourself until events intervened - then you can hardly imagine the wonderful relief
of a gulp of fresh air as you finally do surface. Davy Jones can come for a paddler suddenly, and the
purpose of these exercises is to keep fresh the skills one needs to prevent that from happening. Practice
is not without its risks, of course, and getting upside down in a boat with a reluctant release tab is
one of them.
Secret U.S. Government Kayak Plot Uncovered
Today the NOAA Research Boondoggle Ship S-221 tried to sneak by the author's house, but he is too fast for
them and before they could get away he took the incriminating photos below. Even though NOAA
attempted to disguise them as part of the vessel, the author was able to penetrate the ruse and detected two
hidden kayaks which the taxpayers no doubt purchased. The government claim they are working every day,
and that their effort has some valuable purpose, but it's pretty clear to the author that they're just out there
having fun on the public's nickel.
Sure, it looks innocent, but check out the enlarged version, below.