Sunset Paddle with BREC Outdoor Adventure

At PaddleBR, we always like a good BREC Outdoor Adventure paddle.  Meeting a group of people, many with little or no paddling experience, for a fun excursion is a blast.  Throw in sunset, and it’s a recipe for a good time.

Thankfully, the rain that had been around all week finally cleared out.  For a bit, it looked as if the clouds were darkening again and thinking about raining on our parade, but the weather turned out to be excellent.  BREC had an even better turnout than expected, and all their boats were used.  There were also several people in their own boats, including some of us representing PaddleBR.

By 6:30pm, we were putting boats in the water, and a few minutes later we were underway.  The cloud cover obscured the setting sun somewhat, but when the sun peeked through breaks in the fluffy whites, it lit up the opposite shore with amazing color.  By 7pm or so, the light was fading fast (and the PaddleBR sign behind me was starting to show up very nicely, indeed).

It was well and truly dark long before we finished the loop around the perimeter of University Lake.  I paddled a bit over three miles, staying on the outside of each curve (sometimes far outside), and everyone seemed to enjoy the trip (or at least, I didn’t hear anyone say they were too tired).  The wind wasn’t as strong as it was at the Pumpkin Paddle Parade, but it was strong enough to turn the PaddleBR sign into a bit of a sail — crosswind legs were especially fun.

All in all, another great night paddling with BREC Outdoor Adventure.  They will be having multiple Sunset Paddle events on University Lake this summer: May 8, June 12, July 10, and August 14, from 7-8:30pm.  We’ll be sure to mention those as they approach, and we look forward to participating again.