In the fall of 2010, thirteen of
Dick's closest friends joined him for a 65-mile paddle along the Sea
of Cortez, covering the coast from Loreto to La Paz. Our 7 days on
the water were filled with pre-dawn fishing, about six to eight
hours of paddling, snorkeling, beachcombing, canyoneering, fine
dining, and early bedtimes. The support crew were experienced
paddlers/boatmen, very safety conscious, always helpful, knew their
job, worked together really well, and were a lot of fun to talk to.
We paddled past two distinct geologic areas, one volcanic and the
second with Utah-like sandstones. The coastal flora and fauna was
different at every campsite, but everywhere spoke to the harsh
desert environment.
View from a
ridge overlooking our campsite (tents are little specks along the
beach), in the scenic sandstone region
(Photo by Dick Opsahl)
Was sea-kayaking for hours on end, day
after day, physically exhausting and mind-numbing? Yes. So what was
so great? Well, there was a whole array of new, once-in-a-lifetime
experiences every day. Like eating a 'burro' burrito, or eating ceviche in the evening made from the fish Ray Green caught that
morning, or watching 78-year old Dick Opsahl run past your tent in
pre-dawn light, or a falling-down hippie house built in the '70's
that reminds you of the Harrison Ford movie, The Mosquito Coast, or
seeing the first olive tree (i.e., the mother of all the other
trees) planted by the Spanish in the 1600’s, or getting the
timeshare hard-sell that Dick signed us up for to get a free ride
from the airport (saving $7/person, experience-priceless), or seeing
a huge manta ray jump out of the water and twirl around, or watching
a hammerhead shark swim by, or swimming with adolescent sea lions
who wanted to play a lot rougher than you wanted to play. In short,
it WAS a wonderful adventure - I look forward to sharing the
highlights with you at the next Mountaineers meeting.
Carlos, the
primary guide, ever vigilant, day 3
(Photo by Mari
Jorgensen)
Jackie Little is an ecologist and
proud member of Los Alamos Mountaineers since 2004. During this time
she has significantly overcome her fear of exposure on steep slopes
high up on slickrock domes, she has learned where to walk and where
to ride on single track mountain biking trails, and she enjoyed her
best cross-country skiing ever this past winter. All accomplished
with the help of good friends in LAM. Prior to 2004, she spent a lot
of time in mangrove swamps in Everglades National Park and Grand
Cayman and did a lot of paddling and hiking in Tennessee and North
Carolina.
