Marshall Lake
Feb 16, 2020
by Kent Walters

Christy Long, Amy McGee and I met for a leisurely 10:30 start time for our substitution trip replacing the originally scheduled Champion Lake trip (only one registration).  Vessels were readied, PFD’s checked, and in we went.  It was overcast when we got in the water, and very comfortable weather overall.  One of the purposes of this event was to assess the “Pecos-worthiness” of my hybrid (see photo).  Christy pronounced it “as good as any” and even praised some of its potential features a couple of times, so I’m satisfied.  

Photo by Christy Long

We paddled around to the east end of the lake, observing the many birds collected in the shallows.  We saw Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Ibis, cormorants, a small gaggle of three Japanese geese, a couple of some kind of plover or killdeer (couldn’t tell for sure) picking away at the mud, and a blue jay.  Lots of turtles were bobbing to the surface and submerging around us, as well as lined up on logs along the shore.  A red-ear was positively identified by its red patches on the sides of its head (in case you were wondering about how we could tell).  As the sun came out (or, more accurately, as the clouds dissipated), we paddled back to the west, to the noisy end of the lake next to Highway 249 and around the mini peninsula to its termination.  Then we paddled back toward our put-in and floated there, just talking and laughing.  We made one final sprint around the little island opposite our put-in and went “feet-dry”, thus ending our peaceful 2.6-mile tour.

Photo by Kent Walters

The planned lunch following the paddle fell apart, with two of the participants having other critical things to do. Christy mentioned rock painting, which I guess she has to get started on if she’s going to be ready to set up the pictographs for her Pecos River trip next month.

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The author, Kent Walters