Canoeing on Long Pond, Centerville
By Steve Waller
January 2022 was the first calendar month when I did not get out in my single-seat canoe since we moved to Long Pond in Centerville four years ago. The weather has been harsh and the ice often completely covering the pond, except in a small area near the herring run entrance.
I’ve been more tentative since I capsized in cold weather two years ago. Fortunately, I was in shallow water, and the damage was limited to my ego. Over those four years, my wonderful pond canoe has worn badly at the ‘chine’ of the keel, where I dragged or pushed it in the sand on our shore as I launched or landed. Our friend Bret put some fiberglass patching on it last year, and I covered that with duct tape. But it still is a little ragged. I wonder if I’ll need a new canoe someday…
As I paddle on Long Pond, I have sometimes wished my canoe had a real keel along the bottom, one that would help it track straighter. I often consider myself a ‘wind magnet’, and a keel might help me hold direction. My dad would have said, ‘it builds character.’ I recently read some sage advice from a veteran paddler, “A boat that tracks is a boat that’s hard to turn.”
On my flat and un-windy lake, I may be better off with no elevated keel ridge to steer me, so I can be flexible in my direction.
Paddling alone is an exercise in mindfulness. It is ‘moving meditation.’ I find it easy to immerse myself in steering, watching the fish, turtles, waterfowl, and raptors, and absorbing sunshine and fresh air. It is certainly transcendent, and is powerfully restoring. Paddling gently, silently, watching all around me and with minimum effort, breathing through my nose, staying in the moment.
The Celtic people had a concept of ‘thin places’, outdoor spots where heaven and earth seem magically close together. I have found such feelings in a number of special places in my life, but none more often nor more frequently than on my beloved Long Pond.
Got a Pond Story you want to share? Email Kristin Andres at kandres@apcc.org
Pond Stories are a collection of writings from Cape Codders and visitors who love the 1000 local ponds that dot the Cape. We hope this collection of stories, that are as much endearing as they are environmentally aware, will awaken your inner environmentalist to think deeper about our human impacts to these unique bodies of water. Check out these valuable resources to learn more about the current challenges Cape Cod ponds are facing and how you can be a better pond steward in your town.
