3. Benbrook Lake, TX

 

September 19, 2023

This week, I headed west to Benbrook Lake for a class paddling trip. We pulled eight canoes on the back of a van and headed through the windy roads to the shore of Benbrook Lake. It was a warm evening, in the eighties, and mostly sunny, with a few fluffy, white clouds dotting the sky. The winds were strong, blowing my hair off my face. The landscape itself was quite dead. The brush surrounding the lake was beige and brittle. Several green trees dotted the shoreline across from our starting point bringing the only bright color to the blue background. The waterline was low, several feet lower than average, exposing yards of muddy sand that caved to the weight of our feet. Our tennis shoed footprints covered the shoreline. 

We hopped in our canoes and pushed off the shoreline to explore all that Benbrook Lake had to offer. We were quickly met with strong winds that pushed against our efforts to head to the center of the lake. The winds stirred up waves that splashed against the sides of the canoe and into it, covering our feet and belongings in inches of lake water. We paddled hard, battling the wind, towards the center of the lake. My arms and shoulders burned from the effort put in pushing the paddles against the waves into the winds. In the moments of rest between strokes, the wind pushed the canoe towards the shore. Several times we were beached, our canoe trapped in the sludge of the sand. Stuck in the mud, the waves beat against the side of the canoe, splashing more water into the bottom and soaking through our socks and pants. We stepped out of the canoe into the water to take a rest, only for our shoes to get stuck in the lake's bottom. Against the forces of gravity and the thick sand, we pulled our feet with all our might to get unstuck. This occurred multiple times. The energy needed to fight the wind and the waves to steer the canoe left me exhausted. There were no moments of rest on the lake, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. 

I often marvel at the silence and the calmness of nature, the way the wind blows and the silence that surrounds me. However, tonight I did not. I was astounded by the strength that the natural world holds. Those same calming winds, powerful enough to create waves that push me in whatever direction it desires. Against all my might, there's a wind strong enough to overpower all my effort. The silence that I usually love to sit and rest in, overtaken by the sounds of the waves slapping the shore, and the sounds of laughter and screams as other classmates battled the same wind and succumbed to the force of nature. Despite the noise, the evening was enjoyable. I laughed at our efforts. I marveled as the sun set from a purple haze into a burst of orange and yellow where the earth touched the sky. 

I'll canoe again, of that I'm sure, but for leisurely activity I think not, unless the winds calm. I can see a calm and quiet day out on the water as being quite the reprieve. Nevertheless, it was a good workout, and a pleasurable afternoon away from classes and the city, and spending time out on the water with friends.