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Lake OuachitaKayak camping with hot paddling action on Lake Ouachita, Ouachita National Forest
8/22/19
It was Thursday afternoon. It was hot. I arrived at the north shore of Lake Ouachita at 3:00 p.m. It was 95° and mostly sunny. I loaded my boat with expensive gear and slapped my paddle onto the ass of this monster lake. The kayak responded with a rush of speed unusual for such a small vessel...but yes, this is true. Pure power to paddle to fluid was optimized, as is my way. I maintained a goodly 10 mph average until a suitable campsite was found and occupied. The lake was fairly quiet on this day, but that's not unusual towards the end of August, I suppose. This was good for me as my dislike for motor powered pleasure craft is widely documented...in my personal notes...that I keep at home...in a safe place. This was my 3rd such outing on this lake in the last 4 years. All were undertaken during the season of peak high temperatures brought forth by the likes of man made global warming and to a lesser extent woman made global warming. Women are partly to blame, sure, but it's mainly men, you see. We men...well...we're bastards and we like to warm shit up. When I was a boy, I first heard the expression "warm that shit up, dammit" and my mind was set afire with wonder. "What the hell does that mean" I wondered. Whatever, from then on I longed to do just that. Now you can see that we men have accomplished just that. I feel proud to have done my part. I still can't help but wonder if this is just part of the earth's normal cycle. Time will tell...or will it?
My gravel bar was made ready for the the evening. My expensive hammock and tarpaulin were hung with precise angles and cord devices purchased from small batch purveyors of such items. All my my gear's brand names and models, along with their exact weights and dimensions, will not be listed here...for I feel this is of no importance to anyone. Some feel that these details are needed for all to know and cherish for such knowledge is worthy of great honor. I say..."who gives a shit". No fire was created on this evening. I retired early. It was quite warm in the expensive hammock. An occasional breeze lessened this discomfort, but it was not until the rain came that the ambient temperature fell to within a range of tolerance. The wind and rain were pleasant and probably ended by some time after midnight, but I can't be sure. Slumber escaped me with maybe an hour total obtained. Lack of sleep got me up early and I was back on the water and off the lake before sunrise. Breakfast was had at the Colonial Pancake and Waffle House in hot Springs. It was very good and way yonder too much food. After the meal, I was homeward bound. My round trip paddle was just at 4 miles.
