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Otter!
by Neil Rucker |
 Otters are among the most playful creatures in
the world, and that’s why we are always watching for them on the river. They are
unpredictable though, so you never know exactly what is going to happen when you sight
one. Sometimes you see a dark head perturbing from the water, only to watch it slowly
disappear beneath the surface, never to surface again where you can see it. Other times a
whole family group will feed and play for many minutes quite close to your canoe, pausing
occasionally to check out their visitors. The only thing that you can count on is that
they never stay around as long as you would like them to. However, there is always an
exception to every rule. On one particular occasion last year, we spent a couple of hours
with a group of new paddlers in some mild water close to the put-in working on ferrying,
peel outs and eddy catches. Then we gathered them up in a large eddy just before our first
real rapid. We had just begun to discuss the correct approach to this rapid when a large
otter climbed out on the bank just across the river. Naturally, we stopped the paddling
lesson and admired this beautiful animal. He was something of ham. He would lie on his
back in the short grass and wiggle like a kitten. Then he would hop up, run around in a
circle, and plop down again for some more wiggling in the grass. This went on for several
minutes, but we could hardly stop watching while he was being so entertaining. Finally, he
slipped smoothly into the water as only an otter can do, and disappeared. So, with the
performance over, we returned to the “lesson.” But no! our otter reappears, now
on top of a boulder where he shook the water from his fun and assumed various sunning
positions before finally sliding into the water. “So! Wasn’t that great fun?
Okay, now back to the rapid.” But it was not to be - not yet. Mr. Otter apparently
wanted a closer look at all these canoes seemingly stranded in an eddy, so he swam across
the river to our side and climbed up on a river snag some ten yards in front of our canoes
and began grooming himself. Really, it was too much. I shouldn’t say that. Even if
the instruction was slowed down a bit, this was the kind of experience you don’t ever
want to miss. Even so, I can understand why many actors don’t like to appear on stage
with an animal. The competition is awful. |
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