Article October 17, 2016 Issue

Stormy waters could not shake me

Tom Sebring

I’ve always loved taking trips out in the wilderness. Two summers ago, I was on my favorite trip of the summer: Pictured Rocks. It was a four-day, three-night kayaking trip along the Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore in northern Michigan with three campers and a young counselor. The views were absolutely incredible. Everywhere I looked, ancient rock formations along the cliff side made my jaw drop.

On our second day, we awoke to rainfall. I went out to the shore to examine the conditions of the water to determine if we should travel by boat at all that day. I came back to the group with the disappointing news that we would have to wait for the conditions to become calmer before heading out. After a few hours, it finally calmed enough for us to get our boats out in the water.

We paddled along with a light drizzle streaming down our backs, excited for the day’s adventure. It wasn’t long, though, before the weather worsened and the waves grew into giant swells. With every wave that came, I lost sight of the rest of the group. Fear also rose up like a wave in my thoughts. The weather was frigid, the water even colder, and there was no good spot to dock the boats. I couldn’t stop worrying that a member of the group might go under and be unable to right his kayak.

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