It was a tad breezy w/ a 15kt SW wind so my overall commute took about 10 minutes longer compared to the 'dry' run (heh) which i did the Fri before. All in all, it was great mainly because there were NO POWERBOATS to sweat over, unlike on that hot sunny Friday when the lake became as congested as I-5. I didn't have a GPS or anything to track but overall, it's 6.7 miles each way (13.4 rt). I'm certainly NOT at racing pace or anything (~3.8kt pace, whoopee uh-huh), but hopefully as i paddle commute more, i can shave some minutes off my commute time.
Logistics
- 7:45am-8:15am Greenlake to Madrona Park
- 8:30 Launch from Madrona Park beach (note: Lifeguards will chase ya away so don't launch while they're around. *ahem* Instead, head south past the pier towards Leschi as there's a pebble beach right past the pier.)
- 9:10 Crossed Lk WA and round bend to head down past Mercer Isl
- 9:35 Head into Slough Entrance
- 10:00 Land Ho
- 10:30 Get cleaned up
- 7:05pm launch from the office
- 7:25 Exit the slough and Paddle north past Mercer Isl
- 7:50 Round the bend and head west, crossing Lk WA
- 8:30 Back at Madrona Park; unload; walk around to stretch legs
- 9:09 Drive home
Next time I hope to launch earlier so i can be at my desk by 945. Obviously, it's not exactly a time-saver commute but I think it'll be good way to incorporate some consistent medium-distance touring and burn some extra calories. Really, the only part I dislike so far is the whole loading/unloading business and the slough portion as it's rather gross this time of the year, so I end up having to rinse off the gunk. It sure forces me to adopt the low-angle paddling style--those aggressive high-angle strokes tend to leave me splattered with slough weeds and other slimy whatnots.
Yep, good times for sure.
