Girl Scout Kayaking!
By: Laurel Willis
On October 12 2019, my Girl Scout troop and I went on a 3 hour long Eco kayak tour at the Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing. Elkhorn Slough is a 7 mile long tidal slough and estuary on Monterey Bay. On the trip we learned about water animals, birds and natural habitats.
The air was cold and salty and the fresh breeze of ocean water drifted towards my troop as we got out of our cars. After meeting our guides, going over basic safety procedures, learning how to use the paddles and pairing up for the ride, we all got settled in our water proof pants, life vests and kayaks. With the taller partner in the back, one by one we climbed into our kayaks and started our adventure. I was a little scared of tipping over in the kayak as I climbed into the back but we were assured that we would be safe; tipping over in kayaks is rare since the water in Elkhorn Slough is typically calm.
In the depths of the harbor, where we started our tour, lurked sea nettle jellyfish whose soft glow you could see in the water. As we ventured out farther, sea otters played and swam with their friends while us Girl Scouts watched the cuteness in front of us. Paddling and steering the kayak was challenging. We had to work together to keep the kayak moving in a straight line or turn when we needed to follow our guide.
During our trip we got to taste pickleweed; a succulent that has grown along the margins of the Elkhorn Slough for at least 6,000 years. Pickleweed is typically green but turns red when it’s collected too much salt and is starting to die. It’s about the size and texture of a Cheeto, but does not have the same delicious flavor. Pickleweeds are slightly crunchy with a taste of salt and sweet pickles. Overall, they were pretty good.
Towards the end of the trip, our tour guide showed us how to create ocean “snot” by rubbing kelp together between our fingers. The tour was really fun and I learned a lot about kayaking and Moss Landing.
Over a year and a half later, my troop journeyed back to Moss Landing for another awesome adventure, but this time we took the Wildlife Kayak tour. When we first arrived, we got another wave of salty air; the sun was warm and bright and I knew it was going to be a beautiful day.
After meeting our tour guides and going over the basic safety procedures, we put on our life vests and “skirts” which kept us dry in the kayaks. (We used different style kayaks on our second trip which changed some of the procedures and safety equipment.)
While we were waiting on the dock to board our kayaks, I saw a small shadow in the water… It was a southern sea otter! The sea otter was very close to us, about two feet away and it opened its mouth to show us it’s teeth; which to my surprise looked very sharp.
This time, during our trip we got to eat sea lettuce; a thin, plastic feeling algae that is very salty. The aftertaste of the sea lettuce reminded me of kale, which I’m not entirely fond of but the sea lettuce wasn’t half bad. Sea lettuce is something you can eat straight out of the ocean but you shouldn’t eat a lot, unless it’s thoroughly cleaned.
We again saw lots of seagulls, pelicans and great blue herons, along with adorable sea otters and their pups. A harem of Harbor seals were sunbathing along the shore and we learned that they can dive down 1,500 feet and breathe underwater for 30 whole minutes! Towards the end of the tour, while looking through the eelgrass, two of my friends found eelgrass sea slugs which look like small, lime green banana slugs.
Kayaking was so much fun and I highly recommend going with your troop, friends or family. Kayaking was the highlight of my troop’s year and we are looking forward to going again!