Well, I finally got the Night Heron on the river today for its first good run on the water. I have never paddled a lighter kayak on the river so I was interested in seeing how she would perform. The day started out foggy with light rain but with warm temperatures so I was eager to get out there and make a good go of the early morning. The army was in the area as well. Every year they hold a triathlon of sorts which involves running with an 80-lb pack, a canoeing section on the river and a horrendously long canoe portage. I caught them just as they were ending the long hard run and entering the river in the canoes. The launch went well. The river is lower now than it has been all summer. The water is finally clear after a very wet summer of heavy rain, the runoff of which adds heavy silt to the water. It started to rain lightly almost immediately after I started paddling. The new seat back I installed felt comfortable except for some pressure on my spine. I will alleviate that issue by trimming the wood such that the pressure point is removed. Kayak stability was good but she was turned fairly easily by many of the powerful eddies in the current so I had to use more caution while paddling. I figured that since the Night Heron produced slightly more of a wake than the VJ, she'd be slower on the upstream run so I wanted to go easy until I had to turn around and head back upstream.

I was paddling fairly easily for most of the downstream run, enjoyed the view of the lush forest growing on the river banks because of all the rain we have had this year. The air was sweet and fresh, humid from the warm fog and rain. My spirits were high as I made easy strokes. The city was awake with the sounds of the morning rush hour traffic. I passed the first of 6 bridges I would encounter and watched as our LRT train crossed over heading south to the University of Alberta, one of my favorite places to go to enjoy a good coffee and read my favorite stories. I was so intent on the view above the river banks that I did not see something that would have normally caught my attention in a hurry. More on that later, eh!

As I rounded a curve of the river, I spotted one of the army canoeists catching me: I was impressed! I normally paddle a steady and strong pace and this guy was catching me slowly but surely. The game was on! I increased my tempo just a tweak to give him something to work for. I still did not want to work too hard because I had a long upstream paddle coming up soon. On this river, a half-hour downstream means a 1 1/2 hr upstream battle. I was also paddling that stretch of the river where to get to the put in point, I had to paddle my ass off as hard as I could because the river spills over a submerged slope and the current accelerates quite a bit. You cannot notice the increase in current speed unless you are on the water.

As I arrived at my turn-around point and parked the kayak behind a bridge pylon to rest and drink some water, the first army paddler caught up to me. We greeted each other with cheery good mornings. He lamented that I was turning around because he was using me to keep a hard steady and strong pace. He was way ahead of all the other paddlers and needed a rabbit to chase. I told him that I had a long paddle to make upstream so he'd have to work it himself.

I began my upstream run with slower easy strokes that increased in tempo as my muscles warmed to the task. I passed many other canoeists who appeared to be not so skilled or comfortable in the canoes. There was even one guy wallowing close to shore as he tried to control his canoe in the eddies that always exist close to shore. As I rounded the first corner on my way back, a friggin speed boater raced past me as I crossed paths with an army paddler. The damned speed boat thug did not slow down one whit and left a massive wake behind the boat. I immediately turned to face the wave as did the army guy. As we passed each other we each said hello then I cursed that idiot in the power boat. Grrr! The army guy smiled while he fought to control his canoe.

Soon I was approaching the launch site for the Fire Department and spotted them lowering their rescue boat into the water. Normally these guys will greet me with friendly hellos but not this time. This time they were all business and ignored me other than to make certain that they did not run me over. They sped off upstream and I wondered what they were up to. As I rounded the bend I expected to see them speeding off way ahead of me. Instead, I saw nothing. I wondered where they could be. As I rounded the curve further, I spotted them beached ashore just ahead. I paddled toward them allowing about 25 meters between us. I thought that perhaps a car had left the road and was submerged in the river, except that the river is not deep where they were stopped. As I passed by, I spotted something on the shoreline...something that was the wrong color for this section of the river. That something eventually took shape...a back, two legs half in the water, a head face down in the mud, a pack sack on the shore a few feet from the body, some personal possessions strewn about nearby and several rescue personnel standing around talking, some looking at me and some not. I kept my distance but watched the scene. This was the first time I have seen a recognizable body while on the river. Some of you might recall my river adventure story from a few years ago when I found a body without legs, arms and possibly the head. This days makes the total body count two. I always knew that sooner or later I would see death on the river...many people died on or near the river every year for various reasons.

I paddled past the scene of death and kept my eyes ahead. There were city workers using shovels and water to clear a bridge pylon of flood debris and another armada of army canoeists heading my way. I warned the lead paddler to stay left to avoid the death scene: he stayed right anyway, in fact, I think he paddled in closer to see what was up. I also passed two voyageur canoe loads of children out on the river for an adventure as their adult supervisor regaled them with stories of the river.

From this point on, I had roughly 600 meters of grueling upstream paddling where the river current races downhill. I greeted all who passed by me, some ignoring me and others offering cheery retorts. One army guy complimented me on the fantastic looking kayak I was paddling...he identified himself as a fellow paddler. That made me smile as I grunted my way back to the car. Once I made it to shore, I lugged the kayak up the embankment and set it on the road beside the car. A truck load of army guys cruised by and shouted compliments regarding the kayak design and construction. I smiled as they drove by and thought about the unfortunate homeless person who died alone on the river back. My heart breaks thinking about how tough some of these people have it and yet I know this person is better off now.

I never know what I will see and have to deal with when I am on the river. That is why I paddle it...to see what is around the next bend.

Robert N Pruden