Cottonwood Lake Kayak

 I wanted to get out in my kayak since it happily was not raining. First I went to Rabbit Slough, but for some reason, it seems like all of Alaska had decided to go there too. The little parking lot was full and cars and trucks were parked all along both the road past the gate and the road before the gate. There were at least 30 cars there. I figure it must have been some sort of hunting group out there. I didn't see any boats on the water, but there were many trailers attached to those trucks. Figuring I'd be hearing gunshots the whole time I was kayaking, I turned around and headed for Cottonwood Lake instead. It was very cloudy but not terribly cold and also, completely calm. I paddled all the way around the lake, with Bella barking and whining and fidgeting the whole way. I don't know if she loves or hates kayaking, but she was kind of driving me crazy!  It was like kayaking in a big box of Mexican jumping beans. I think she scared every duck, loon and grebe that reside on that lake with her incessant barking. I pulled into the spot where you access the portage over to Finger Lake with the intention of getting out and walking Bella up the Portage trail. It's always muddy there but today was the worst I've ever seen. It was thick black mud with no way to reasonably get my kayak close to dry land. While I was contemplating how to do it, Bella took a flying leap right out of the boat into the mud and sank up to the middle of her life jacket. She scrambled through the mud to shore. I had her on her leash, so the only way I could get her back was to pull her back through the muck to the boat. Then I lifted her up by the handle on her life jacket, and put the dripping wet pile of mud back into the boat. Now of course, I was soaking wet and just as muddy as she was. Once back out on clear water, I lifted her out again and had her take a short swim in the lake. Now she was at least clean, but still soaked. I continued on around the lake, taking shortcuts back to the parking area instead of following close to shore as usual. All is well after hosing out the boat and throwing everything I was wearing directly into the washing machine. 

It was a little aggravating, but it still beat staying home doing housework or yard work.