Paddles dip past the surface, slicing with delicate purpose through the glassy calm water that fills Saginaw Bay. Removed from the thrum of generators and engines, the silence seems almost loud, as it permeates the moment. Floating, skimming, gliding along in kayaks of determinedly cheery yellow we are able to tranquilly investigate the coastline. This particular mode of expedition transportation, especially under such ideal conditions, allows for one’s imagination to conceive that perhaps we are toeing the boundaries between planes. Allowing us to look down into clear waters and seeing the thriving life that exists along the rocky bottom, or organisms that gracefully pulse in a weightless world, feeding on the microscopic creatures that flourish in these cold waters. Above, bald eagles and ravens flaunt their own gravity-defying prowess, vocalizing occasionally to punctuate the otherwise pervasive quietude. Hovering on this boundary between air and liquid, wet and dry, cool and warm, presents a fuller picture of the environment we are so privileged to immerse ourselves in, figuratively of course.
For those engaging in a more terrestrial exploration this morning there is much to see just along the beach and along the forest edge. The tide exposes a plethora of species that prosper in this fluctuating space that experiences two worlds twice a day. Those that make the intertidal zone their home must be able to withstand double the hardship. It is a hard life to be drowned and desiccated daily, to be dashed by waves and be accessible to larger creatures that ignore your defenses. But the rockweed, barnacles and mussels are resilient despite this constant struggle for survival. Higher up for those that need some time away from the salty sea there is a separate dimension of varying greens. Even just peaking in past the forest edge the realm of plant life’s struggle for sunlight and space is tangible. A morning is not enough to truly appreciate a place like this, but certainly enough for us to remember. As we press on northwards through Chatham Strait, our wake and minds trail behind us as we move on to peek into new worlds.
