Written Journal #3: Canoeing on Benbrook Lake

I have always enjoyed outdoor water activities and have had the opportunity to navigate through multiple white water rapid expeditions in the past. Below is a picture of my friends and I making our way through the Big Eddy Rapids in the Deschutes National Forest in Oregon. 

As a Californian who knew little about Texas when I arrived at TCU, I was surprised to hear about the number of lakes in the area surrounding Ft. Worth. Therefore, I was excited to learn that we were going canoeing as a class out at Benbrook Lake. When we arrived, I couldn’t believe the massive size of the lake. I remember originally thinking it would be fun to paddle all the way across, however, after beginning to paddle into the wind I quickly realized this wouldn’t be a possibility. The swells generated from the high winds made it difficult to navigate through the water, so we ultimately had to turn back. Then on our way back towards the shoreline, the unexpected happened. Our boat began to gradually turn parallel to the oncoming waves. As this was unfolding, I did everything in my power to point us in the proper direction but it was to no avail. We ended up flipping the boat and falling into the water. Thankfully for us, we were at a point shallow enough to stand, but we were still drenched. 


While we were out on the water we observed the sunset in front of us. It was peaceful and the lack of cloud coverage gave us a great view. I especially enjoyed the sun's reflection on the lake. One of my photos below captures this reflection as you can see the linear stripe of sun-kissed water out in front of us. By the time we finished our evening paddle a crescent moon had arisen. I have always been captivated by the moon’s various appearances. On this specific day, we experienced a moon in the waxing crescent phase. This means the moon had just begun to reappear to the human eye after being virtually invisible 3 days prior. Even with the high winds, canoe flips, and choppy conditions I still would love to go out on the lake and relive this experience.



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