I live about 45 minutes from Elk Lake in Oregon. It’s a real gem that’s perched 4900 feet above sea level and surrounded by snow capped mountains even throughout the summer.
I always plan to arrive relatively early in the day so I can meander around the shoreline and in and out of the many bays. Later, when the breeze picks up I love to grab a session with my Starboard V3 FreeWing. In addition, I always bring a reusable bag so if I spot plastic floating in the lake I can retrieve it.
Two things happened today that surprised me. First of all it was a busy summer Saturday almost two weeks since school’s been out. The lake has seen plenty of traffic both on the beaches and on the water. During my 5 mile paddle on my Starboard 12’6″ Zen Touring board in a range of 1-15 feet of pristinely clear water, this is all the debris I spotted: one worn tennis ball, a cigarette lighter, one child’s flipflop and one plastic lid. IN ALL OF THAT AREA I spotted juts 4 things!
This made me so happy and so proud of all the visitors to this lake who obviously want to keep it beautiful by being careful with their plastic, their belongings and maybe even with their careful cleanup before heading home.
The second thing that surprised me was a sudden wall of purple thunderheads that brought in rain – and a promise of lightning. So, I did not get to fly my wing – but I’d call the day a success just the same.
