Bending the Menai Strait

Yesterday for outdoor pursuits we went canoeing, rain or shine. Lucky for us, it wasn't snowing when we woke up that morning like the weather reports had suggested, but it was cloudy and slightly windy, which can be a contributing factor when canoeing. When we got to the Conway Centre we gathered what we would need for the day, including fire equipment and plenty of layers if any of us were to capsize. Elliot and I decided to be partners in the tandem canoes and packed our supplies in our dry bag to bring with us. Everyone got their canoes ready and in the water and we began practicing paddling and steering within the docks. I was the paddler in front, while Elliot was the steerer in the back. We practiced turns, circles, and paddling in sync. When everyone was ready, we left the safety of our docking area and headed into the Menai Strait. We paddled through the middle, within the current, trying to fight the strong current and the wind against us. It felt like it took us forever to finally make it to the bridge, but when we did, the current was even stronger, meaning that the tide had gotten higher, causing the water to flow faster. We had to veer off to the left in an eddy, which is an area on the side of the water that has no current, to avoid being pushed further back in our canoes, and made our way under the bridge staying close to the side of the pillar, where there was less current. After we all made it safely under the bridge we stopped to have lunch on a small grassy area.

As we were making our way up a small rocky area, Megan and Molly capsized and were completely soaked! We hurried to get them warm, letting them change under a kissu to keep as much body heat as possible. We set up camp, finding sticks and rocks to make a fire. I even learned how to start a fire using flint and steel. It was so exciting and I felt like I was in the movie Cast Away! We made tea in a Kelly Kettle and some of us tried Hot Orange, which was a combination of orange juice and hot water. It was very tasty and the hot drinks helped warm us up. Ashley and I were in charge of making popcorn for everyone, using whatever we could find. We had no idea what to do, being that we had never made popcorn other than in the microwave. We used a strainer devise Sally had made, placing aluminum foil on the bottom and put tons of oil and popcorn kernels within it. We set it over the fire and hoped for the best. Within minutes, we saw the first popcorn kernel pop into a fluffy white edible popcorn!! We were so excited that we had accomplished what seemed like an impossible task. After most of the kernels had popped, we sprinkled sugar over the popcorn and passed around our creation, receiving many smiles and good reviews. We also cooked marshmallows over the campfire. It was a delicious lunch after the hard work we did getting across the strong current. But that didn't even compare to what kind of activities were ahead of us that day!

After cleaning up and tying Megan/Molly's canoe with Annie/Ashley's with a large wood pole, to avoid either of them from capsizing again, we paddled our way into a near eddy. By now the tide had gotten much lower, and areas that we had no trouble paddling through we now struggled to avoid hitting the bottom of our canoe, against the rocks that were emerged now. The next task Sally had for us was breaking in and out of the current, which is where you emerge your canoe into the strong current outside of the eddy and merge back into the Eddy. She first taught the front paddlers how to bow cut, using our paddles to turn the canoe sharply out of the current and into the eddy. The people in the back were the stern rudders, directing the canoe in and out of the current. Being in the front of the canoe, I had to rely and trust the person in the back steering, Elliot, since I couldn't see or perform the tasks he had to do. It was finally our turn to try breaking in and out. Although we failed the first time trying to break into the current, by the second time around we had it perfected. Bow cutting when I needed and Elliot steering when he needed. It was nerve racking, especially if we were to miss cutting back in, we would have ended up way down by the bridge.

Our next task was to ferry glide to another eddy down the Strait a ways, passing through a small rapid. The only thing I could think about was, "what if we flip?" I knew I had to trust Elliot and myself to get us there safely. When it was our turn we started flowing faster and faster to the eddy ahead. We made it down the rapids smoothly, but we missed our turn, so we ended up having to paddle more up stream to get back to the group. Once we were all in the eddy, Sally showed us how to surf the rapids in a canoe. It was our turn and we cautiously made our way to the rapid. Once we were on the rapid our canoe stopped moving...we were surfing the rapids! It was really exciting being able to be the first group to accomplish the task. We paddled back into the eddy, proud of our success and ready for another go.

The most difficult task of the day was the next challenge Sally threw at us. We were to ferry glide down the current from the right side of the current, which seemed to have gotten stronger as the day went on and bow cut into an eddy on the left. Everyone knew this would take a lot of hard work and mental preparation. Sally went first to demonstrate, paddling all by herself. We could tell she had a difficult time with the current pulling her further down the strait, but she made it safely into the eddy and the rest of us followed. After catching the current, our canoe flipped around, so that both Elliot and I were facing backwards and we paddled like crazy to get into the eddy. I have never paddled and used my muscles so much at one time in my life, I was so terrified we wouldn't make it into the eddy. Everyone made it safely, some of us getting pulled down the strait further than others.

We headed back to the dock after a hard day of canoeing. As we flowed down the current, Sally challenged us to stand on the rims of our canoes. Initially I thought there was no way I would do something as crazy as that...but I decided this was my chance to try something different and risky, and I did it! It was very scary and at the same time rewarding. Before reaching the docks, we stopped to tie up all of our canoes to play games. We played the British version of Hokey Pokey, jumping around inside our canoes, flapping our arms and shaking our bottoms, and at one point she said to put our noses in, so I did, but I got more than just my nose wet=/ Next she told us to put our bottoms in...Annie was the only one to try this, but instead of just getting her bottom in the water, she got her back side in the water after straddling the two boats she was holding on to. We also played Strawberries, Bananas, and Apples, where we swapped places with one another whenever Sally called out our fruit. The whole time all I could think about was how ridiculous we must look to anyone watching us from shore, but how much fun we were having.

Before we knew it our canoes had floated almost completely back to the docks, so Sally gave us the challenge to untie our canoes as quickly as we could from one another and race back. When we were all ready and sitting in the van to go back to campus, Sally told us how advanced the activities we had performed today were and that we accomplished each one brilliantly. It was such a fun day of outdoor pursuits and it made me feel really good that we had all been able to accomplish the tough tasks thrown at us.

This morning I woke up to find that it was snowing outside!! I could hardly believe my eyes, so I went back to sleep. When I finally got back up and looked out the window, it was still snowing. I guess I wasn't dreaming. I went for a run, where the snow turned into rain, and then into sleet, and then back into snow again. That's Wales weather for you!