Nature Walk #2 Class Activity: Canoeing at Benbrook Lake

 September 24th, 2023


     Tuesday evening, most of our class met and traveled to Benbrook Lake for a canoeing excursion. I truly had no expectations for what this time would look like, and how our time as a class would look. 

    While I am comfortable on the water and have kayaked a number of times as well as done other water sports, I wasn’t sure about canoeing. I had nerves before meeting up to go to Benbrook Lake; I was coming off a long day of class, my internship, and many meetings so I needed some rest and relaxation. After arriving at the TCU gym, I heard that the water was expected to be still, the temperature had dropped a little, and we had instructors from the rec center, so I felt more at ease. However, in hindsight, I wish I hadn’t relaxed quite as much as I did. 

    Immediately after carrying the canoe Maddie and I were sharing down the dock to the water, I knew this activity was going to be more strenuous than originally anticipated. Unfortunately, I had worked out my arms that morning so the weight of the canoe felt more like the weight of two canoes on my tired arms. We swiftly moved the canoe into the water and from there I could tell you two different versions of the same story. 

     Story one focuses on the experience of this trek and the realities of the evening. On the other hand, story two focuses on the effects this outing and nature had on my week. In the first version, quite honestly, this canoeing adventure was far from smooth. The water was low, the waves were not quite calm, and the class felt chaotic. About five minutes after getting in the water, the waves began rocking our boat back and forth; at one point, both Maddie and I exclaimed a gasp of sorts as we tipped rather significantly. The portion of the water we saw was rather murky and not my opinion of beautiful. Furthermore, once called to the shore because of the waves, Maddie and I worked together through knee deep muddy sand to climb ourselves back to the docking area. To our left and right, we witnessed our classmates being stranded in the water, tipping over and spilling their personal belongings, and simply looking lost. The nature was overtaken in places by golf balls and liquor trash, and it became difficult to enjoy the water, trees, and animals to its full capacity. It took us so much effort to rejoin with everyone and gather all canoeing equipment; by the end of it, we were all sweaty and missed the start of the sunset. In a lot of ways, this outing was a bust. 

    But, with every hiccup in this adventure, I found myself enjoying the mystery of it all. By the end of the day, my nerves were completely diminished and I was finding myself laughing and letting loose more than I ever can on a Tuesday. Maddie and I got to known one another more closely, our classmates all bonded over this experience, and I did get to witness the sunset. I spend all day inside on Tuesday’s, and so getting to spend the evening outside allowed me to forget about my stressors and unwind for a bit. This experience was so different from my typical day, and because of that, I have found myself reminiscing on this trip all week. Ultimately, this evening will most definitely be engrained in my mind for years to come. 







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