There is a simple elegance to a Greenland paddle. the blades are narrow and longer than conventional paddles. The center handle is thick and fits into the hands comfortably. You can paddle all day with no blisters. It is perfectly balanced and, best of all, it is nearly silent as it enters and exits the water. The paddle is very effective and it is easy to power through waves and into the wind. Another bonus, and probably the reason I started paddling with Greenland paddles, is that they are easy to carve.

I have preferred Greenland paddles to conventional paddles for many years. My paddles have bene dry for most of the past three years, however.

When I paddled yesterday and the day before, however, everything felt natural. I didn’t have to learn how to hold the paddle or how to make the boat track straight and true in the water. With my spray skirt stretched over the cockpit of my cedar strip kayak the paddle and I were united in a relaxing flow of motion.

My, it felt good!

Baker Lake is a dramatic place to paddle. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains, including Mount Baker, which feeds the lake from its glaciers. The water is that wonderful granite green of a glacial lake.

The lake isa reservoir. The dam, operated by Puget Sound Energy, provides the electricity that we use in our home and powers our region.

What a treat it has been to be on this adventure with our three oldest grandchildren. 12, 9 and 6 are great ages for examination and discovery.

One of the forever memories of this trip was our walk on the Shadows of the Sentinels trail through old growth forest of Douglas fir, cedar, spruce and Hemlock. Trees 700 years old stretching hundreds to feet into the air are so impressive. Walking through these forest giants we were reminded by our grandchildren of how awesome this experience is.

Sometimes life needs a reset. We fall into patterns and ways of doing things that are not quite the way we want things to be. Covid forced a reset, and not all of that reset was positive. In the midst of that a we retired - twice. And we moved - twice. And I put the canoes and kayaks in the barn and didn’t paddle. Maybe I was intimidated by the ocean waters. Maybe I was caught up in the cycles of a new church, a new job, and a new home. Whatever the reason, I got out of the pattern of regular paddling. Many years when we lived in South Dakota I paddled from ice out to freeze up every year. Solo paddling has been a deeply spiritual experience for me and I have taken some of my most memorable scenery pictures from the surface of lakes and rivers.

A short camping trip with our grandchildren has given me a much-needed reset. We camped in an area without cell phone service. I interrupted a whole lot of my routines. I didn’t type in my journal and publish it to the Internet each day, which is something I’ve been doing every day since 2007. I didn’t check my email, which I usually do several times each day. I left my computer at home. I didn’t follow my usual bedtime routine. I wrote in a paper journal and didn’t count the words. I went on walks with my grandchildren at their pace. I paddled with my grandson at his pace. I played games and cooked over the campfire and ate s’mores. I didn’t weigh myself. I didn’t log my meals. I didn’t count calories. I went to sleep when the children were all settled and got up when they came bouncing across the camper in the morning.

It was just what I needed. It was the reset I’ve been looking for. In a way that was different from retiring and then going back to work and then retiring again, it reminded me of what is most important. And one of the things I need to put back into my life is a paddling routine.

The simple elegance of a Greenland paddle fills my hands with timeless grace and elegance. As my tiny boat glides silently through the water I feel connected to creation and infused with spirit.

Life is good. I am fortunate to have the gifts of a tiny boat and a simple paddle.