Sunday, August 5, 2012

Paddling Variations


While visiting Gloucester, MA recently I was treated to how varied even a simple kayak outing can be. I visited Milk Island, a bird rookery. It's really more of a pebble and small stone bar reaching perhaps an elevation of 25 meters or so. It's clear that storms frequently rearrange the place on a regular basis. Even the highest parts of the island had mangled lobster traps strewn about. Vegetation was minimal at best.


Along the way, following the shore, I passed several sandy beaches, some over a mile in length. Other nearby beaches were composed of small pebbles. Why they didn't share the same sand as adjacent beaches was a mystery to me. Between the beaches were rocky outcrops which you can see in the photos above and below (Both taken by Katherine Richmond).


The photo below is Good Harbor Beach, a favourite sandy stretch perfect for families wishing the spend the day at the beach doing all the normal things families do at the beach. I was happy to try my beginner surf skills once again in the mild surf, something I don't ever get to do in my home waters...


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