By Solana Kline – (A lifelong dog-rescue advocate and avid back-country motorcycle adventure rider)
It’s 6:30 am on my 40th birthday, and we are standing on the sage-filled West shores of Flaming Gorge. The September sun is trying its darndest to break through the purple thunderclouds brewing, but it’s a futile effort. The winds grow stronger by the minute, and the glassy waters from an hour ago are morphing into stiff white peaks, some treacherous seascape out of The Perfect Storm.
Ms. Betty Dog (aka Dr. Sausage), snugged in her yellow life-vest, squints as the near-horizontal driving rains start pelting her face. Mr. Mickey Dog (aka Dr. Wiggles), wrapped up in his own life preserver, turns his bum to the winds like the true stallion he is.
Our paddleboard is fully loaded for five days paddle-camping along the golden rolling hills of the Northwest alley of the Gorge. And she is now being tossed back and forth across the boat ramp, at the whimsy of the churning air and waters.
My decision to wear shorts and actually believe the “Sunny and 70 degrees” weather forecast from last night was clearly an egregious judgement error.
Thunder bellows, foreshadowing the ferocity and grace of the coming storms. With hope, as always, I imagine the storm will pass quickly, and we will be fine, and that our epic birthday adventure will go off without a hitch.
I follow the pups up onto the board, and we set out into the dark stormy waters whose depths hold secrets and memories all their own. It’s far too windy to stand so I kneel and paddle as hard as I can into the wind, seeking a bit of respite in a calmer branch of the reservoir just up ahead.
Dr. Sausage and Dr. Wiggles are unamused, accustomed to still being wrapped up cozily in their fluffy down blankets at this hour of the morning. I cover them with a big rain slicker, and they nestle in. We make it up into the cove, and the wind calms enough to rest near shore. The pups dismount for shore sniffers while I assess the storm.
There’s electricity in the air, hairs reaching up for the heavens, that uneasy feeling of static and impending doom. The first lightning bolt meets the water just North of us, and that was that, no dog of mine will get capsized, not today, not ever! Luckily, the gale winds were at our backs, so I stand up to make a human sail, carrying us back to the boat ramp in no time.
I had always seen people out on their paddleboards, steadfast four-leggers manning the bow, taking in all the fresh water-kissed sniffers, snouts high, tails alert. It looked fun. It looked relaxing. But being the trail and dirt lover I am, it also looked like a task more well suited to labradors and boat people.
Wouldn’t I get bored? Wouldn’t the dogs get bored? Wouldn’t the winds decide to turn full hurricane and carry us off into oblivion? Wouldn’t the inflatable paddleboard get punctured plunging us into a long swim home in frigid spring waters?
Well, I’ve never been one to live in the what-ifs of life, and we all know that these spicy hounds of ours most certainly don’t. And that’s what spurred our stormy birthday adventure.
The summer before, I rented my first paddleboard to try with the pups. After riding in sidecars and bicycle trailers, they took to the board with enthusiasm! We have now paddled all around the West in creeks and rivers, in lakes and reservoirs, in rain and shine.
While our birthday trip was a bust, these two furballs have happily captained us on many an adventure. As soon as I pull out their life vests and unroll the inflatable paddleboard, they get feisty and wrestle, hopping alongside me as I carry the board to the water.
They sunbathe and sleep and dream all while taking in the new sniffers on the board. They smell the underwater worlds beneath us (dogs can smell time: tinyurl.com/zeubd3pa), and they see the undisturbed shorelines and still waters teaming with diving ducks, massive fish friends, angry otters, ancient squawking herons, and olfactory remnants of stealthy lions and bear. They encounter their new favorite nature friend: beavers!
This past summer, with the lakes and reservoirs flooded, we got to paddle in and out of the aspens and cottonwoods alongside the beavers building their new condos. Betty and Mickey started shaking, ears perked, whining in their antsy pants. I scanned the area, sussing the cause of all this fuss, and there she be, the world’s biggest beaver swimming a treetop back to its den right near us!
These two learned pretty quickly that they don’t like being off the board in the deep water, so they hold their ground on the board, letting the sniffs come to them, trying to sort what this new creature was. It was different than that otter that jumped out of the water and slapped its entire body behind us as a warning, it was different than those wily ground squirrels taunting them in the desert. This new friend was greasy, sleek, and ready to defend his territory.
But the beauty of the paddleboard is its quiet. It moves across the water tops with gentle flow. We have seen animals that I have never seen up close before getting on the board—bald eagles nesting in cliffsides, osprey mating, great blue herons carrying sticks to their nests. And we have had immense accomplishments and milestones, each of the pups swimming from shore out to the board when their shore leave was up, and they needed a little cool off before getting back onto the board!
Exploring with them in this way is unlike any other. We paddle to new trails and hike, we nap in the middle of the lake, we Huck Finn downstream for lunch.
If you’ve ever been curious about paddling with the pups, go for it! It might feel intimidating at first but it’s an easy learning curve and with a little practice becomes a gentle way to exercise with the hounds, you can even let them run on shore while you paddle! It is a neat exploring adventure for the humans and doggos in the pack, especially as we all get a little older and a gentler form of exercise feels so good.
For some starter tips check out this site on paddleboarding with dogs: tinyurl.com/e74de2aa.
Our favorite board so far for pack travels is the Sol Paddleboards Soltrain inflatable (tinyurl.com/y5n96mar). They are a Southwest local company with excellent customer service and warranties.
So as we round into Summer, consider a float down the Verde River, out in the Granite Dells, or across Lake Mary and experience this amazing way of bonding with the pack!
Until next time, happy tails and happy trails!
