Best Kayaking in Northern California: Elkhorn Slough

I tentatively put my foot in the gently rocking kayak. The guide helped me in. I unsteadily sat down. I took a look at my boat. It was small, a two-seater, with room for me and my dad to get in. I reached for the unwieldy paddle on the floating dock. I rested it on the lip of the opening where I sat as I waited for my dad to sit down.

                I was at Elkhorn Slough, one of the largest wetlands in the state. It is in Moss Landing, near Monterey. I was here along with the rest of my Boy Scout troop. And we were here to do Sea Kayaking! I had never done kayaking before, so I was quite nervous. But after a crash course in how to do this, I was all set... sort of.

                Finally, my dad was settled in the boat. Then, the guide shoved us off the dock. We floated on the gently ebbing waves. The unexpected movement threw us off balance, causing the raft to crab awkwardly to one side, hitting a large ship! That was a rough start! After a few painful minutes of fumbling around, we finally got the craft going, paddling in vain to get the craft moving. We figured it out after some time. We paddled around for a while until everyone was in. Then, we all followed the tour guide to our first destination.

                We all paddled against the gentle current to catch up to our guide. I dove into my senses. I smelled the fresh scent of the salty sea, the lapping of the water, accented by the pelicans quacking and the sound of our tour guide fading away… Wait… What? I realized that we were over 30 yards away from the tour guide! We paddled furiously to reach there. Close call!

                We passed many forms of wildlife, from seals to pelicans. The abundance of life in the ocean was a sight to behold. This was a picture-perfect spot for some quality Scouting time! We navigated to the mouth of the bay, spilling into the vast Pacific Ocean. We turned around and went through many secluded spots in Elkhorn Slough, untouched by man’s colonization. At the end, we had a race to the finish!

                The race covered several hundred yards till a large footbridge, only a tiny object in the distance. I waited, tensed up for the starting signal. Suddenly, an ear-piercing whistle could be heard, and we were on our way! We stayed strong for the first quarter of the race but began to lose ground as the exertion took a toll on us. The other crafts moved past us. Unfortunately, we ended up in dead last. But it was fun while it lasted!

                We easily went back to the dock, our sleek craft gliding through the water. We got out and said our thank-you’s. As we washed off our gear and stashed it, I thought back on that experience as a memorable one. I would enjoy going back to Moss Landing, taking a whiff of that fresh sea-air, and being on one of those kayaks again!