At this point of the winter season we all may be getting a little tired of the snow and cold. The excitement of a snowstorm is not as sharp as it was in December and the briskness of the winter morning air is more chapping than refreshing. Just when you think you can feel spring in the air, another winter storm warning is upon us.
Personally, I revel in the piles of white, sparkly snow on campus, but I do empathize with those entertaining thoughts of warmer weather.
Spring Break is just around the corner and when we return to campus, the season of growth will have begun (officially beginning on the vernal equinox, March 21).
This time of year the large amount of snow still on the ground can mean two things?one, there is still good skiing to be done and two, that the snow will soon melt into the rivers in anticipation of paddling season.
The rivers and lakes of Maine will be emerging out of their ice-covered states of hibernation and transformed into arenas of travel and play.
Spring is the best time of year to paddle the smaller rivers and creeks in the state. There is a canoe race every weekend in April somewhere in Maine, each of which is wildly popular.
No matter which is your paddling sport of choice, whether it be whitewater kayaking, canoe racing, or quiet lake paddling, you should soon be itching to get out on the water.
This week, a group of 15 participants began a paddle-making class at the Schwartz. Taught and led with words of wisdom by friend of the BOC, Ryan Linehan, we are creating beavertail paddles out of spruce. Beginning with a thick blank of wood, we will, by the end of the workshop, have carved out a slim, beautifully shaped implement of water propulsion. With a quick introduction on how to use the tools, we started shaving down the wood. A few rough pencil marks outline the basic shape to work towards, with the initial goal of getting a lot of the wood off, with the fine tuning and shaping to be done later.
The action of whittling down the paddle blank with the spokeshave and box plane is addictive. The three-hour class was over before I knew it, and I had to pry the tools out of my own hands. The floor was covered with wood-shavings, making curlicue shapes almost a work of art in and of themselves.
After a few more sessions of carving, shaping, and eventually varnishing, our paddles will be ready for their first taste of water, just in time for paddling season.
Even if you don't have your very own custom-made, hand-shaped, lovingly-crafted paddle to guide you down the river, get psyched to get on the water.