Synchronicity
by: M-A
Pull. Twist. Pull. Twist. The kayak paddle and its handling were becoming more familiar with every stroke. He could read his boat, now, anticipate how it would react to a wave or current. The raft had taken some getting used to but he found he was a natural at kayaking.
"Benny, this was a great idea!" he called over the vast expanse of the lake.
"It was your idea to make this an annual event, Ray!" Fraser called back.
"I mean the kayaking, Benny. What a rush!"
Ray's sleek craft sliced easily through the water, reaching surprising speeds with every practised stroke. Exhilaration brought on waves of euphoria. Surely the Riv could not move so quickly or cleanly. Ray burst out laughing and the sound made Fraser's heart swell. Ray had been on his best behaviour this trip, never whining or complaining about the rustic amenities their trip afforded them. Their last time north had truly changed the man, given him greater self- confidence. Fraser could not suppress his own joy at being able to, at last, share his world with hi best friend. He, too, began to laugh and whoop. Like the loon's call, their voices, carried by the wind, reached the farthest corners of their stretch of wilderness.
They made camp that night on a little pebbled peninsula that arched into the lake like a crescent moon. Sage brush rimmed the shore, affording both a pleasing smell and privacy. They pitched their tents on the highest part of the peninsula, using granite boulders worn smooth as a windbreak. Fraser watched in awe as Ray selected stones for the fire ring, then began to collect drift wood for the fire. The kindling he arranged with practised ease would certainly light with one match. Ray had come so far in one year.
"What are you in the mood for for dinner?" he asked Ray. Ray shrugged. "Think we could catch something? Walleye with some of that sage and the rest of the rice sounds real good." Fraser grinned as he reached for their fishing equipment. "Last one to catch something cooks!"
Fraser's walleye was excellent, as was the honey smeared bannock Ray made for dessert. Ray's fire had been quite content to light itself with one match.
After dinner, they sat by the fire and sipped at mugs of hot chocolate, watching the sun set turn the sky to lavender gold.
"Thanks, Benny," Ray said simply.
***
Morning dawned crisp and very cool, offering no promise of warmth for later in the day. Both men scurried out of their sleeping bags into woolen slacks and fleece lined jackets. Ray took care of breakfast while Fraser began dismantling their temporary camp.
Breakfast was oatmeal and some of yesterday's bannock, as well as plenty of deliciously scalding coffee. As they ate, they watched the mist dissipate over the lake, bringing colour to the washed out landscape.
The dishes done, they distributed their packs, loading up their respective kayak. They had a hard day's paddle ahead of them to cross the bay at the mouth of which they were camped.
The water was choppier this morning and Ray read in the white-crested waves that bad weather would be forthcoming. "How soon?" he called to Fraser who glanced upwards before answering. He could see dark clouds rolling in at the horizon.
"We have time to cross if we hurry!"
A little more than halfway across the bay, they came to a cluster of boulders rising from the depths like sentinels of this northern lake. Fraser took one look at the sky before calling to Ray that they would have time to stop here for a quick lunch.
Ray watched the dark clouds streaking across the sky as he hurriedly munched bannock and jerky, washing his meal down with water. It had been a long time since breakfast and dinner would be even longer coming.
The men wasted no time packing up after lunch and setting of again, with smooth, urgent strokes. Shore was just within sight when the first drops of rain fell. Ray spied a shoal reaching out into the bay and pointed it out to Fraser.
They reached the shoal just as the sky split open above them. As the rain began its attack, Fraser and Ray stepped onto the shoal and quickly walked their boats to shore.
Over time, the lake had dug a small cove out off the low cliffs surrounding this shore of the bay. The shoal came onto a fine sand beach ending in a short wall of earth and roots. A giant cedar had rooted itself here eons ago and now its roots were being laid bare to the elements. They arched over the cove and would provide a superb framework for a shelter.
As Fraser unpacked the kayaks and flipped them over, Ray took a tarp, planning to drape it over the roots. He swore as he slipped on the rocks he used to climb the wall, clinging madly to them before proceeding upwards a few more feet. At last, he managed to secure the tarp over the roots and called down to Fraser who assured his friend that the shelter was proving itself to be adequate.
The torrential downpour continued outside their shelter as the two men set to work preparing a fire. Soon as it was ready, they stripped and changed into dry clothes. Ray took a deep breath as he leaned against a log that was serving as a more than adequate backrest. "This has been a great day, Benny," he said happily. Fraser looked at him with surprise. "It has?"
"Oh, yeah. Jerky stew sound good for dinner? I'm cooking."
"It sounds great, Ray."
It was still raining when they crawled into their sleeping bags, eager for rest.
***
Morning was so bright and beautiful it could only be described with superlatives. Ray could not stop blinking as he stared in awe at how the sun glanced off the lake, making it shimmer with a diamond-like radiance. There was none of the previous morning's humidity in this air. He was saddened that this would be their last full day on the lake, but he quickly amended the thought. This would be their last full day on the lake this year. They would be back again next year, he'd make sure of that.
"Coffee, Ray?" Fraser said, startling his friend.
"Uh, yeah. Thanks, Benny." He took an appreciative sip from the steaming mug. "I can't believe it's over, Benny."
Fraser nodded, taking in the view. "Well, it's not quite over. We have about four hours of kayaking left to do, then an hour's worth of portaging to the car."
"Yeah," Ray said glumly. "Then it's a two hour drive to the airport and a four hour flight back to North Bay and then a two hour flight to Toronto and then a two hour flight to Chicago. How come you're not depressed?!"
Fraser could barely contain a smile, but his eyes conveyed his amusement. "I'm no more enthused about returning to Chicago than you are, Ray. But I am very surprised by your reluctance."
"You know me, Benny. Within two days, it'll be like we never came and I'll be glad to get back to indoor plumbing and the Riv. But, right now..." He didn't have to finish his sentence. Fraser understood what Ray was trying to say, that he was different here, changed somehow. That the Ray Vecchio who had conquered the wilderness twice was not the same Ray Vecchio from Chicago. Fraser didn't have to say aloud, either, just how proud he was of his friend. The trust he demonstrated by letting Ray cook or prepare a fire was sufficient.
They made quick work of breakfast, then Ray pulled out the map to plot the most direct course to the beginning of their portage. He calculated the correct deviation, then re-adjusted his compass before determining their heading. "Due south," he murmured.
"Did you say something, Ray?" Fraser called from the kayaks he was packing.
"Yeah, due south. I calculated our azimuth, we have to head straight south to get to the portage."
"Let's go, then," Fraser said, dropping his kayak onto the water. He waited for Ray to do the same before taking his first stroke.
The sun continued to shine brightly as the two friends headed south towards home. They had reached a complicity that was stunning in its intensity. They did not need to speak as they cut through the waves, flying over the surface of the lake like birds just about to take off into the wild blue yonder. Their movements were matched stroke for stroke as they progressed closer and closer to civilization. In unison, their paddling slowed as they came within sight of the shore where they would begin their portage.
Sometimes, Ray thought, all you need is just one more moment to seer an experience into your mind forever.
What a stunning moment it was as they slowed before the shore and a flock of geese chose that moment to rise to the heavens in thunderous synchronicity, a metaphor for the week the two friends had shared and the understanding that had been reached between them.
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