Getting Past Panic at Sand Hollow

Problems Loading the Kayaks...Again.

 

In my last post I ended with a brief explanation of the pressing problem my friend Des and I were having after kayaking at Sand Hollow and a promise to tell how we got out of it.

But I'd like to back up a bit to help you feel how scary it felt for us.

We had taken out the kayaks just as the sun was setting. It was getting dark fast. We were wet because the wind had kicked up late in the afternoon and we were paddling through white caps that splashed into our kayaks and all over us. We were cold and fingers felt frozen. We were tired from a full afternoon of paddling. The last boat had been loaded onto it's trailer and people had left the lake. Except us.

All of this would have been fine except we couldn't get the kayaks secured on top of my car.

Des and I had experienced what can happen if the kayaks aren't secure when we about lost one while speeding down the freeway on our way to Payson Lakes a few weeks earlier (you can read about that here). We didn't want to revisit that!

The problem was that the last set of J hooks that held one of the kayaks wouldn't screw down tight to the bars on my car. We tightened it until there was no more thread on the screws but the hooks still wobbled loosely on the bar. We knew we couldn't use them. We decided to tie both kayaks lying flat on the roof of the car. It seemed simple enough.

But, I had never carried them that way and I'm really new to strapping anything onto anything.

With cold fingers we got the first kayak tied down, but it was loose even after tightening the straps as far as we could. While working on the first kayak the second one fell off the car with a crash, scratching the side of my car (sorry Honey!!!). By this time we were alone next to a black lake and the sun was down.

We got both kayaks on and strapped but they both were loose no matter how we tried tightening the straps and configuring the knots. We were racing the darkness. I had tried everything I could think of.

I could feel my natural tendency to panic start to creep into my heart. The doubtful thoughts came, like, "What in the world did I think I was, Super Outdoor Woman? Who was I to think I could manage these kayaks in this strange place out on my own? What was I thinking? And what am I going to do?"

It took self control to stay calm and keep trying to think through the problem and find a solution. Even though Des was there I felt responsibile for making it work. And I didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, I knew what I needed to do.

I turned to Des and said, "I think....we need to....pray."

So we bowed our heads next to each other in the dark and cold and I said a humble prayer of gratitude and help. I thanked Him for the exquisite beauty that He created and that we were able to kayak in it all day safely. Then I explained our problem with the kayaks and our worry of being stuck in the dark. I asked that he would help us to be able to think clearly and find a solution.

We then got back to work on the kayaks. I felt a clarity of mind and a calmness that I didn't have before. One of us had an idea of a new, different way to tie the straps. And it worked! It only took that one more try to get them secure and we were safely on our way.

I was so relieved and grateful!

It was a good reminder for me that when I feel

• in the dark
• scared
• doubt myself
• feel out of answers
• have a problem
• feel grateful
• need help

....remember to pray!

As a side note, we did realize later that we could have just left the kayaks there and come back for them in the morning. Although that would have been the last thing we wanted to do. We weren't truly in any real danger. But it was a good test of our resilience and faith. It built my confidence in myself and in God. Even in something as seeming insignificant as tying down kayaks He was there for me. I'm never alone.

What times in your life have you felt alone, scared, and out-of-answers and help came through prayer? I'd love for you to share them with me here!

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Keep padding!

LaRayne

 

 

 

 

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