The paddle

Glorious is the only way to describe it; an enjoyment that seeped right down into the depth of my soul and found a place to reside, if only for a few hours.

Glorious was the sound of splashing from my paddle as it dipped into and exited the water. It was the sound of birds calling: The kookaburra, crimson rosella, musk lorikeet, red-browed firetail, little black cormorant, Caspian tern, peregrine falcon and many more. They provided a chorus of cheeping and chirping, that didn't seem out of place despite my mission to find silence, as they wheeled overhead watching me as I paddled on the waters below. The weather had turned it on for me, a typical South Australian spring day, and I could think of no better way to spend any given Monday than this.

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A few weeks ago I wrote a post about a new hiking spot I'd checked out. You can see the post here but essentially I'd headed to a place called Warren Reservoir to solitary-hike in the pine forests and scrub that surrounds it. I said I'd return and do some kayaking in the reservoir which has just been opened for recreational kayaking and I figured today was a great day to make it happen. I really needed it today.

The reservoir itself isn't huge however I kayaked there for most of the day although I say kayaked however I did a good deal of floating around as well. It was a pretty cool floating day as there was hardly any breeze; I'd just stop at some point in the middle and drift along watching the screen-saver scenes slip by me. It wasn't all floating about though and I put in some work on the paddle working my way around the waterway exploring as I went, enjoying as I went and allowing some stress to fall away as I went.

I found some really great little beaches that I pulled up on and at one point took a little walk amongst the pines that pretty much grew right up to the waters edge. It was at one of these spots I had some lunch and laid back in the dappled light coming through the trees and snoozed. Don't judge...This kayak-day was all about finding peace and quiet and that usually means a snooze also. If you've done it you'll know what I mean.

Warren reservoir is interesting in that it is surrounded by pine forest, Australian scrubland and some farming land so the views change depending on which way a person is looking. It also means some very diverse flora and fauna, the latter of which includes the birds of course plus kangaroos, koalas and I saw some emus also. They weren't interested in me though and I was only passingly interested in them - I was all about the solitude I'd found on the water and the sense of calm that settled upon me.

I paddled and floated right into some really nice feelings within which were welcomed, needed and much appreciated.

I'd packed a basic lunch of dried fruits, nuts, biltong and a few cracker biscuits; I know, it doesn't sound that appetising but for me it's as much about where I am when eating than what I'm eating, the setting. My lunch tasted like a gourmet feast whilst sitting in that shady spot with the birds singing and the lapping of water in perfect counterpoint to one another. There was no human sounds, no humans other than me, and I felt more in-tune with the world, more a part of it and more centered within as I munched my lunch and washed it down with swigs of water. Simple fare and simple moments for a simple man.

After lunch I began the paddle back to the car park as I'd been out for almost four hours already. It took me another ninety minutes to get back to the launching point though and as I paddled I soaked in the feeling I'd gained knowing it would be over all too soon.

In the entire time I didn't say a word - I don't make a habit talking to myself out loud usually. What's funny though is that my mind was quite vacant also, something I really needed; it was quiet.

I tend to over-think things a lot and my mind rarely shuts down but out there on that water it did; I found some respite. I guess I allowed the rhythmic motion of paddling to take over and when simply floating around allowed the sounds, sights and smells of nature to seep in pushing out my own inner-dialogue to be replaced with quietude. I felt good.

Before long the pontoon and car park came into view and I knew I'd have to come back to myself, and the world, to some degree.

The pontoon is a bit of a monstrosity to be honest, a real assault on the senses. It's designed for the launching of kayaks and is...Well, it's an eye-sore if you ask me. I don't know why they couldn't have left the bank more natural looking but they didn't so I had to deal with it...And the way I dealt with it was to ignore it completely.

Above you can see me heading in to the shore and the hideous-pontoon-monstrosity ahead. Beyond is the car park and facilities, basically a pretty decent toilet block, and picnic tables and so on. As I paddled in I made a bee-line to the shore to the left of the pontoon, a nice sandy-pebbly little spot perfect for running my kayak up onto.

I'm not much of a wanky-kayak-launching-pontoon user so stayed well clear of that new-fangled nutbaggery. I do it the old fashioned man-style way. As I came in I accelerated a little and beached my yak on that little sandy area then stepped out into the water like a Titan! It worked a treat, no pontoon required.

I carried my yak to the car, strapped it down to the trailer and packed up the rest of my gear for the drive home feeling pretty pleased with my day.

I'd had a really great day, let's call it a life-moment, of solitude and a little exertion. I had some muscle soreness that I knew would get a little worse in time but that's ok because inside I felt pretty nice; settled, content and happy. It was a good day and I'm glad I took the time to get out and about and closer to nature. I'll be back of course, that's a given. Maybe I'll hike or kayak, whatever feels right on the day, but no matter which activity I choose I know I'll enjoy it; Warren Reservoir is that sort of place.