As we paddled off I gave a single backward glance toward the lodge. From that moment all that mattered was where we were and what waited ahead. Another of those life lessons. And I was in the catbird seat upfront. New world. Every paddle stroke pried open a bit more of our future. Yeah, it appeared to be nothing more than trees, rocks, water and sky, with a loon or gull thrown in now and then, with an old man in the back moving us in the right direction. But it was all fresh to me. Every foot of it. New bays, points, boulders we skimmed over in shallow, rippled water the color of finest jade.
Occasionally it struck me we might be passing over the best fishing of my life. Maybe in the whole world. And we weren't doing anything about it. When I brought it up Uncle Emil simply said, "Nope, Archie me lad, the best fishin's up ahead. Always was, always will be. But from what I've learned, it's out there alright and we're closin in on it with each dip of the blade."
Right from the get-go Emil gave me a lesson in paddling in the bow, "You're the engine and I'm the rudder. And since I've got the rudder I'm the boss. What I say goes and I won't steer you wrong. A little zig-zaggy maybe, but not wrong."
"Most people think paddling's easy 'til they give it a try. That's 'cause they don't do it right. First off, one hand grips the top of the paddle, the other just above the blade. Lean a little into the stroke, dip her straight down, all of the blade in and pull her back as vertical as you can. A little water on the knuckles never hurt anyone. Don't need a long stroke, just need to feel you're moving the water, not the other way around. When you get tired, switch to the other side and don't worry about where we're heading unless I say you should. Most of all enjoy the view."
A few minutes later he added, "Archie me lad, when you bring your paddle forward give your wrist a roll and turn the blade flat to the water so it doesn't catch too much wind. That's called feathering the paddle. Doesn't seem like it'd make much difference but over the miles it does. When you're doing something thousands of time it doesn't take much to make a big difference."
Slowly the green of the channel water began to darken as we entered Second Cranberry and the lake bottom began to drop away. Wow! I stopped paddling, straightened up and stared down the seven miles of water, hills and island. All of it spread under stark white popcorn clouds sailing in a deep blue sky. I'd never seen anything like it. Then it dawned on me.
"Uncle Emil, are we gonna paddle down this whole lake?"
"Yup. But not all of it today. Just half way. We'll set up camp on an island, eat us some steaks and fried potatoes, then go see if there's any lake trout we can fool."
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