I was under the impression March came in like a lion. Maybe that’s for southern climates?

Last Saturday, the final one for April, turned out to be a day to take a short journey northward to Cold Stream Pond in Enfield with paddling buddy Dr. Robert Causey. He showed up on my deck ready to take on the elements, and his goal was to paddle this beautiful piece of water. I knew this is where he wanted to go because he’s had the itch ever since we explored its shores this winter.

Always game to visit new places and paddle new waters, I signed on to the idea. The flurries of the morning had disappeared, and there were patches of sun about. The forecast was for increasing winds, but we figured we could cope.

No one ever said the winds were going to be near hurricane force!

As we suited up at the public launch site, low clouds spit something frozen at us, then rushed off to the east. On the water the overhead performance was repeated a couple of times, and as we paddled northward along the westerly shore the winds picked up – and up, and up.

As long as we hugged the lee shore we were fine. But more than 100 feet from shore it was quite a different story. We stopped on the only sandy place we could find at the northern end of the lake, about three miles from our launch site. It was very pleasant and sheltered. A bite to eat and a drink, some quick exploration and we were set to resume our journey

The 35 mph winds around the next point put an end to that. After getting blown onto some rocks in the shallows we decided to head back the way we came and sought the shelter of the lee shore again.

I checked out the lake to the south through my binoculars and was greeted with nothing but white! We had no choice but to hug the shore. Even there the tailwind practically sailed us home on a free ride. It wasn’t a day for amateurs, and I wouldn’t have been comfortable out there with just anybody. I know Causey’s skills and abilities and that he’d have been able to lend me a hand if I’d needed one, and I’d have been able to return the favor if he was in need. It’s always safer to paddle with a partner than to venture out alone.

Which brings me to the theme of the fourth Paddle Smart from the Start Safety Symposium that will take place from 5-9:30 p.m. Friday, May 21 at the YMCA in Bangor – when you head out on the water, be safe and informed. If you paddle, are thinking about paddling, might paddle or know someone who is thinking about it, be sure to be at the “Y” or be square.

There will be a wealth of information available – from hands-on assessment of equipment, clothing and life jackets, to safety discussions, navigation, GPS, communication to boat repair. Want to talk birds? You got it. How about risk assessment? You got it! Want to sit in a kayak? Do it in the pool! Curious about what type of kayak is best for you? Just ask! What makes the tides? Check it out! Want to talk canoe and kayak racing? You’re on! Interested in knowing more about rescue skills? You got that too!

I’ve been associated with this symposium and the folks who’ve organized it for four years now, and there isn’t a nicer bunch. What’s better is they want you to know more about paddling safety. The more you know and practice, the safer you’ll be out on the water. Remember, it’s what you don’t know that’ll hurt you.

The evening’s demonstrations and talks are free and there’ll be some awesome door prizes and raffle items. Come join us for an informative evening. And be sure to say hello to the sponsors who are making this great event possible: Master Sea Kayak Guide Karen Francoeur of Castine Kayak Adventures; Brad Ryder, owner of Epic Sports; the Bangor YMCA; the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; the Department of Marine Resources; the Marine Patrol and Penobscot Bay Sail and Power Squadron.

The list of speakers includes: Neil Comins, professor of physics and author of “Heavenly Errors” and “What if the Moon Didn’t Exist?” Shelly Johnson, author of “Sea Kayaking Maine” and “Sea Kayaking: A Woman’s Guide;” Chris Corio, a Fields Pond Audubon Center Volunteer and columnist for the NEWS; Mark Goff, a Registered Maine Sea Kayak Guide; Paula Lund, president of the MaCKRO racing organization; Dick Parker, Master Maine Guide and GPS guru; Earl Baldwin, owner and builder of Baldwin Boats; U.S. Coast Guardsmen; and yours truly, Registered Maine Guide. Keep an eye out for Master Guide John Rice, who’ll be running around helping Goff to keep the evening’s events flowing smoothly.

Pizza and soda will be on sale so don’t worry about going away hungry. You might leave in a new life jacket or waving a new paddle, who knows? You will go away a little smarter.

Now that I’ve told you about being safe in a boat, let me tell you about standing up in a canoe. It’s not what your mother told you to do, I’m sure.

But it can be done. And when you take along a 14-foot or so aluminum or wooden pole you can propel your canoe up and down stream. If you’d like to learn how, give Warren Cochrane a call at 695-3668 or come on down to Kenduskeag Stream in Bangor by Valley Avenue Sunday (May 2) and for $5 you can get a lesson on just how easy it can be. Poling a canoe is fun and it’s probably the most efficient way to get back up stream, once you learn how.

Cochrane is pulling together some of the top polers in the country for the 15th Canoe Poling Championships and this clinic, so even if you don’t want to risk getting wet, you’ll have a chance to see the experts zing up and down stream around a course set up in the river.

Harry Rock, 11-time national champion poler and author of a book on recreational poling, will be here. Warren and his son, Chip, who have taught poling at the Maine Canoe Symposium and Wooden Canoe Festival and other places will be there as well. Chip is 11-time National Canoe Poling Champion, too, and the competition between Cochrane and Rock has helped to raise awareness of the sport.

If you’re interested, call Cochrane and bring your canoe (14 to 18 feet), pebbled palm gloves, sticky-soled water shoes and a life jacket as well as $5. Call 695-3668 Saturday to get details and to register if you want a lesson. Otherwise, look for the people standing up in canoes on the stream and after lunch watch the hotshots race each other.

My Maine Outdoor Adventure Cub friend Kathryn McGloin sent me a note the other day to remind you about the next MOAC meeting May 4 at 7 p.m. at Epic Sorts in Bangor. Bill Johnson and Cathy Fessendon will present a slide show on their kayaking trip to Belize. They drove from here through Mexico in “Vincent the van,” hauling sea kayaks and gear, McGloin said, taking a “shortcut through Guatemala on the way home.” Sounds like a fun presentation. The meeting is open to the public. If you’re interested in meeting other folks who love to recreate in the outdoors, MOAC may be for you. Check it out.

If you’re a guide or educator and have an interest in the natural history of our coast, you may want to mark your calendar for June 5-6 and plan to be in Freeport for the fourth Maine Coast Natural History Seminar at the Stone House. There will be seminars on Leave No Trace, Native American canoe routes in the Gulf of Maine, kayaking the Gulf of Maine, sustainable tourism, sea bird restoration efforts, aquaculture, the lobster industry, and local food and farm connection along the coast.

The cost is $50 per person for the two days.

To learn more contact Michelle Garcia at 807-3191.

Speaking of Leave No Trace, 11 windjammer captains completed certification at a LNT Awareness Workshop organized by the Maine Windjammer Association at the end of March in Rockland.

The captains often bring small groups of guests ashore to enjoy island walks and lobster bakes. Capt. Brenda Walker of the Isaac H. Evans said, “We have always instructed our guests and crew members on low-impact short visits. We bring our own firewood for cookouts, avoid walking on fragile ecosystems and we leave the beaches cleaner than we find them. This workshop helped reinforce the techniques the windjammer captains have consistently been practicing for decades.”

It’s always great to hear that there are more folks out there practicing LNT techniques and keeping an eye on our coastal environment.

In keeping with the clean environment mode, the 13th National River Cleanup Week is taking place May 16-22. In Orono Paul Stern, program manager at Maine Bound at the University of Maine, is coordinating a cleanup on the Stillwater River on Friday, May 21. There will be canoes available for those who want to make the attack by water. Volunteers are needed to walk the banks between the dams near Stillwater Avenue and Main Street.

The campus Facilities Management will help dispose of debris taken from the river. Trash bags will be available at the rendezvous site at the Steam Plant parking lot between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Stern’s advice for anyone joining the effort is to dress appropriately and bring gloves. Footwear should be appropriate for wet areas.

Call Stern at 581-1794 for more information.

Jeff Strout can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.