I woke up ready to go for my regular morning walk—just a quick jaunt out the door for a few miles to get my circulatory system up and going. Usually, I just throw on the appropriate footwear for the weather—this week, it ranged from flip-flops to snow boots—and throw a coat over my pajamas. I don’t care.
This time of year, I call it my daffodil check. A few years ago, my mom had the bright idea to line my driveway with daffodils. It’s honestly been a pretty awesome idea. My dad loved daffodils, so it’s nice to see them. Like dad is helping me welcome spring or some wheezy crap like that. But this time of year, as I walk down my driveway, I can check on their daily growth. Watch the slow progression of spring before heading up to the mountain to ski. I love the contrast of seasons!
But then I remembered that it was supposed to be over 50 degrees with low winds and immediately ran back inside to grab the key to the barn. Today would NOT be starting out with a walk but a paddle! Kent Pond has been going back and forth with a thin sheer of ice, but I knew today was the day for the season’s first paddle!
It’s a wee bit tricky getting the canoe out of the barn for the first time. We haven’t made the seasonal turnover, so I have to climb over and around the snowblower and move a few things before accessing my beautiful baby.
She is “old-school.” A Mad River canoe that was actually made in the Mad River Valley right here in Vermont before the company sold out to a bigger brand that moved them to the Carolinas. The first thing the big company did? Stop making this beautiful boat — the Independence.
What a perfect name for a canoe. I saw this canoe once as a child. Raced against it, actually. I saw the sweet lines and smooth glide and absolutely fell in love. There was just something about this boat that just drew me toward her. Ash gunwales and just a bit of fore/aft rocker make paddling this a dream if you know the strokes. She dances so smoothly and is just the perfect size for everything Vermont has to offer.
I spent almost two decades trying to find her—literally. The sale of the company made it almost impossible to find. I didn’t care what color; I just knew I needed the Kevlar version so I could lift it myself—she only weighs about 35 pounds even though she’s 15 feet 6 inches long! It legitimately wasn’t until the internet that I was able to find her.
I’ve slept underneath her, protected from the elements by my makeshift lean-to. I have raced in her, defeating my opponents by boat lengths, not just strokes. I have delivered pizza in her, coached in her, backcountry camped in her, sold homes, read books, suntanned, and even written this column.
She’s just so sexy; she even makes my car look better. The ivory color just pops in those early morning photographs Barb Wood took of us together. And Monday was the first day of the season that I got to paddle her. She’s getting old, my baby, and it’s about time for the gunwales to be replaced. Like probably past time, but I’m not a woodworker, and I’m more scared of screwing it all up than having her fall apart on me in the middle of the pond. Fear is a dangerous thing.
But Kent Pond was perfect. The ducks were a bit surprised to see me but quickly remembered my canoe. I heard the fabulous cry of a loon, saw three Canadian Geese sitting on their nests, all on different islands, and met a little boy and his family walking the Appalachian Trail around the southerly side of the pond. He had no idea what to make of us. Like most folks, he probably had never seen a solo canoe except in Disney’s “Pocahontas.”
But here I was, just a ski bum in love with her canoe, paddling for an hour before heading up to make some turns on the white stuff. It’s a great place we live in, where it’s so easy to go for a spin in a canoe and get back to my office for a few hours before stepping back into winter for my lunch break. Because while spring might just be getting started here in Killington, we still have at least 6 more weeks of winter up there on the mountain. So next time you’re here, don’t forget to load your car up with all your toys – the multisport season has arrived!
Merisa is a longtime Killington resident, global real estate advisor, and Coach PomPom. She can be found in the mountains or at [email protected].
