Trailblazers at Woods Canyon Lake. [photo by Ron]

Anna, Lee, Sally, Chuck, Norma, Barbara, Ash, Michelle.

Trailblazers at Woods Canyon Lake. [photo by Michelle]

Ron, Anna, Lee, Sally, Chuck, Norma, Barbara, Ash.

The time is approaching 8:45 a.m. as I turn off onto FR300—the Rim Road--to Woods Canyon Lake, and it is already beginning to rain pretty steadily. Today’s area forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with a 30% chance of light showers by early afternoon. Is it 30 percenting already? I put a little too much pedal to the metal trying to make up lost time from a big traffic backup earlier on Hgwy. 260 east of the Star Valley area. And I still have five miles to drive before reaching the lake. Windshield wipers are slapping time as I continue driving through the rain. I finally reach the turnoff onto FR105, and it’s still raining, although lighter. I eventually reach the upper parking lot, and it is almost empty! Did everyone already decide to go back home? Then I spot several people huddled together in colorful raingear near the launch ramp below in the lower parking lot.

Woods Canyon Lake Marina sits adjacent to the launch ramp. [photo by Michelle]

Barbara and Michelle watch as heavy rains fall to the south beyond the marina. [photo by Ron]

Anna glides along near the shoreline in her Oru kayak. [photo by Ron]

Ash in his kayak. [photo by Ron]

Big relief! It’s the rest of our group of nine kayakers, the largest group of kayakers since January Canyon Lake kayaking trip. But, what to do now? GO or NO GO? The rain has almost stopped, but it’s still heavy overcast with some threatening dark storm clouds looming on the southern horizon. Then our newest kayaker, Michelle, approaches me with a look of concern on her face, informing me that she’s probably going to have to cancel because of a problem with her foldable Oru kayak. We all gather around, listening to Michelle explain the problem, looking for solutions and appearing to know what we’re doing. Then one of our kayakers, Lee, seems to have the answer, and before long Michelle is able to finish assembling her kayak. Problem solved with a committee solution. It’s a GO kayakers!

Barbara takes a short rest break from paddling. [photo by Ron]

Large sandstone formations line the shoreline around the lake. [photo by Ron]

These bright red berries look tasty, but are they edible? [photo by Ron]

A mature bald eagle observes its surroundings. [photo by Michelle]

We line up in front of the lake for a quick group picture, and by about 10:15 we’re all on the water and paddling toward the earthen Spillway Dam, completed in 1956 and impounding both Woods Canyon Creek and Chevelon Creek. At 7,500 feet in elevation and with overcast skies, it’s a wonderful and refreshing feeling being out of the oppressive and seemingly endless heat of the Arizona desert. We breathe in the cool, damp, and clean pine-scented air of the Mogollon Rim, and it’s almost intoxicating. After paddling by the 410-foot-long Spillway Dam and all around the east end of the lake, we start back toward the marina and launch ramp. The sun is trying its best to punch through the cloud cover, so we begin paddling up the long western arm of the lake to get in more miles.

While this large osprey appears to be doing the same. [photo by Ron]

Meanwhile, this Great Blue Herron has its eye on an abandoned, half-eaten fish.. [photo by Ron]

One big gulp, and it is down the hatch. [photo by Ron]

Lee takes a short break from paddling. [photo by Ron]

But after about 15 minutes the gray skies suddenly erupt and unleash a soaking rain shower across the lake, as we scramble to get our raingear on, not an easy task in a kayak. That 30% chance of rain is catching up with us once again as we try to make it to the end of this long, narrow arm of the lake before the weather decides to get really serious. Wait! Was that thunder? We continue onward, paddling in a northwest direction as the rain gradually lets up. Another clap of thunder but it’s still pretty far away, and we see no signs of lightening. We always see a few ospreys on the lake and a bald eagle or two, but today we’re seeing more ospreys than usual. At times, we spot 5 or 6 at a time circling overhead, carefully watching the lake surface for signs of fish below and occasionally diving sharply downward to the surface and snatching a small fish in their razor-sharp talons. Most of these dives are misses, but occasionally an osprey connects with its target and once in the firm grasp of those talons, a fish has virtually no chance of escape. Game over and it’s mealtime.

Our newest kayaker, Michelle, in her Oru kayak. [photo by Ron]

Time to don raingear now. [photo by Ron]

Norma raingear almost matches the color of her kayak. [photo by Ron]

Sally joins us after a long absence. [photo by Ron]

We finally spot a large adult bald eagle high in the top of a dead tree. Suddenly, it takes flight, circles around the lake in a wide arc, and lands high in another dead tree further down the lake shore. We also see a couple of juvenile bald eagles high up in another tree. There certainly lots of raptor activity on the lake today. Apparently, they’re spreading the word among all their friends that the fishing is great on Woods Canyon Lake. Eventually, we see what we think is the same adult eagle standing on a big tree stump right at water’s edge and eating a large fish. Highly unusual behavior, since eagles and ospreys typically take their prey high into a tree branch to consume it. Unfortunately, we get a little too close, and the eagle suddenly takes flight, surprisingly leaving its half-eaten lunch behind. But a nearby great blue heron soon takes notice of the situation and quickly moves in to finish off the back half of a large trout. It tosses the fish into the air to properly orient it to its large beak, and down the hatch it goes.

Chuck appears to be in a log jam. [photo by Ron]

While this bald eagle gets closer to the water. [photo by Ron]

And decides to have lunch.. [photo by Ron]

Anna watches as large raindrops pelt the water surface. [photo by Ron]

As we near the end of this long western arm of the lake, we begin looking for a good takeout point where we can safely exit our kayaks for a quick snack and rest break. Before long, however, we hear the sharp crack of another even louder thunderclap. We quickly change our minds about beaching the kayaks and decide to make haste for the marina and launch ramp instead, just as a safety precaution. But the skies are beginning to clear up a little, as we approach the marina and opposite end of the lake. So, we slowly paddle all around the dam area of the lake once again, before finally deciding to call it a day. By about 1:30 in the afternoon we’re all back at the launch ramp, exiting our kayaks and loading up kayaking gear for the long drive back home.

Lee and Ash appear to be having a discussion. [photo by Ron]

Paddling back to the launch ramp and marina. [photo by Ron]

Despite some initial dire looking weather and eventual rainfall on the lake, overall, it’s been yet another great kayaking adventure on the Rim Lakes of Arizona spectacular Mogollon Rim. But none of us are any too anxious to leave this cool, refreshing weather behind and return to the blazing heat of the desert. But eventually most do just that, while several of us opt to stop for a relaxing lunch at El Rancho in Payson, Ted Tenny favorite restaurant after many a long summer hike on the Rim. Here is to you, our dear friend Ted, the Arizona Trailblazers #1 hiker and published author. Your many years of steady leadership as both a hike leader and as club webmaster have played a major role in the continued growth and prosperity of the Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club. You are the best Ted! We all love you.

More of the rugged shoreline along Woods Canyon Lake. [photo by Ron]

A pair of ravens perch high in the top of a dead tree. [photo by Ron]