Heroes on the Water

Yesterday, Karl and I participated in Heroes on the Water. The Northwest Kayak Anglers group sponsored their first HOW event on Lake St. Clair in Yelm, WA. Eleven soldiers from Madigan Army Medical Center on Ft. Lewis and 5 NWKA members came to enjoy a day of kayak fishing. The purpose of the event is "to assist these injured service members with their physical and mental recovery by introducing them to the therapeutic qualities of fishing from kayaks."

Our day started with a 3:30 a.m. alarm going off and a 4:30 a.m. departure to be there by the 6:30 a.m. rendezvous time. The weather forecast was mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and a daytime temperature of 65 F (17 C).

Around 8:30 a.m, everyone gathered for last minute instructions and then the teams were off to fish the morning session. I stayed ashore to help out where needed.

"Okay, listen up..."

And they're off!

Karl and Cindy

Karl and Larry

Brandon

Everyone returned to shore at noon for a sack lunch provided by the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary and then it was back to fishing for the afternoon.

Coming back to Shore

Around 4 p.m., it was time for a post-fishing barbecue feast. Earlier in the afternoon, I had to go pick up the food for the barbecue and oh my, my...did the truck smell good inside. The aromas made my mouth water.

Barbecued chicken and ribs, baked beans and potato salad were devoured by the hungry participants. It was delicious!

The "Mess" Tent

The day's activities wrapped up with the awards ceremony. Karl's team took first place in the team event, and two of his team also earned individual awards. Brandon had the most points overall and Cindy had the most trout points.

Karl's Team (from left) - Karl, Larry, Brandon & Cindy

Heroes on the Water Participants

It was a fun day and I hope everyone had a good time. The rain held off and the sun even came out for long periods. You can be sure we'll happily volunteer our time for this event in the future.

Thanks to Johnson Outdoors, Ocean Kayak, Clay Butler Guide Service, Northwest Adventure Center on Ft. Lewis, Backpackers Supply, American Legion Ladies Auxiliary and Slowmoe's Catering for their support of this great event.