Respect, not fear

June 10th, 2023

On Thursday I had a lovely time on a day trip to Ełk. A pleasant city located on the lake and surrounded by more lakes and forests. I’ve been coming here since I was 7 years old — for summer and winter camps, and after that on my own — just to walk around and relax and reminisce. And if the visit was in the summer — to eat a lot of ice cream. And that is exactly what I did last Thursday and had a lot of fun and enjoyed myself. But this time there was more —

For the last several years kayaking has been my thing, and there is a big lake right there in Ełk, so it was obvious that I would rent a kayak there and explore a different body of water than usual. The weather was perfect, a little on the hot side, but not yet sizzling. I quickly paddled away from the marina to get away from the bustle and loudness along the shore that are typical for a resort town. There were several rowing boats on the lake and also two speedboats driven by people who cannot enjoy the sun and water without making a lot of engine noise and making a lot of unpleasant waves that would rock my kayak in a wake after each pass at high speed. But I was still having fun until several strong gusts of wind came out from nowhere right at my face and my kayak became unstable and I felt like I wasn't moving, even though I was furiously paddling. And I realized that I was quite a way from the shore. I didn't feel fear or fright but I definitely became concerned. Nature has a way of quickly making you respect it and take notice of its random power (for me — even more so than I already have). My arms were getting tired, so I switched to slower but steady paddling, aiming away from the open water, and after twenty minutes, drenched in sweat from exertion, I was back at the marina. It was a quick and blunt reminder that nature is powerful and unpredictable and always demands our respect and awareness — even on a pleasant sunny day on a lake.