"Prehistoric Seabeds"

Part of the kayaking experience for me is discovering my kayaking environment even if I've paddled it before, because the environment is always changing especially on a micro level. This means sometimes you may have to look harder to see new changes or to appreciate changes from the last time you were there. Of course macro changes from floatsam, driftwood, erosion, human encroachment, or pollution allow for very instantaneous recognition of changes in your kayaking environment.

Just beachcombing after a long days paddle or going for a few short hikes when taking a paddling break are great ways to discover little treasures that nature and man has to offer or has left behind in the execution of living and dying.

Here are just a few treasures I've collected on various paddling trips. Some are harvests of the land and others are harvests of the ocean. From prehistoric times to modern, the earth and it's "scapes" have many tales to relate and some can only be discovered by the kayak that takes you there.

The fossils in the images above were found on numerous paddles on lakes and rivers of north eastern British Columbia. Some of these areas are very rich in fossil remains such as Williston lake and Dinosaur lake and the Peace and Beatton Rivers. Soon as you step out of your kayak it is likely that your foot will disrupt a fossil of some sort.

The bottom image is of vertebrae found on a beach on a NL paddle. They are not prehistoric more modern I'd say. They reminded me of dogs and so I put them on a piece of driftwood to reinforce the image I had.

"Innukshuk"

The image above is an Innukshuk I made from pieces of worn fiberglass fragments I found at a beach landing on one of my kayaking paddles. The fragments were smoothed by the abraison of being whisped by tides and winds only known to those shards. Where they came from, I've no idea, but my mind was set to wonder on my return paddle home.
The bottom picture is of two wolf paw-nails and a bear's tooth. These treasures were found on different kayak trips but during hikes after paddling for sometime. I find walking and hiking after a long paddle an excellent way to restore energy to my body and a chance to get in touch with my environment.

"Beach Debris"

Part of paddling for me is combing the shorelines whether on an ocean or inland waters of lakes or rivers. Some students did a study in Canada to see how the currents flowed around the oceans. They sealed messages in watertight containers with contact instructions when found and all the containers were released by a Canadian Coast Gaurd Boat. When I saw this study on TV I was amazed at how far some of these containers had actually travelled and in such short times. Some ended up in the Indian Ocean, the Pacific, Caribbean etc. So when you find your next beach treasure it may very well be from a foreign land and though garbage too most there is a tale hidden in there some where. Unlock that tale and you are on the path to your next discovery.

My plan is to use some of my discoveries in making picture frames out of driftwood for some of my kayaking shots. Later though, when I've nothing better to do.