Raking the Lake
Our lake cove seems to have an unprecedented growth of weeds this year. It seems like they grew overnight. We didn’t use the boat for a couple of weeks and the first time we were ready to go out again we were amazed to see thick mossy weeds in the water around dock. This is problematic for the boat motor because the jet will suck them into intake manifold and the engine will shut down. To avoid this problem recent boat trips begin and end by rowing through the vegetation barrier.
We decided to clear a path for the boat by dragging a garden rake from a canoe. At times this experiment bordered on hilarious, but in the end it proved interesting and productive. At first our moves were uncoordinated. As I forced the rake through the dense soggy growth it worked as an oar, and would project the light weight canoe forward. To counter this move my husband had to back paddle against the force. Once the rake was heavily loaded we had to deposit the contents in a pile away from the dock. Our activity must have been a curious a sight for the neighbors.
After awhile a clear path emerged and we felt pretty happy with our effort. Even so, next year we vowed to run the boat engine back and forth through the early growth and nip it in the bud. Doing this will save a lot of time and energy. Their are a lot of little tricks to learn about living on a lake.
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist
