Seems like work gets in the way of a good time lately. That and life’s other inconsistencies have piled up to impede my need for the solitude of an escape to nature.

I got an evening last Saturday to paddle a bit on Pushaw Lake. The 40 days and 40 nights of fog and drizzle had ended and a bright object was visible in the western sky. I half expected to see a dove do a fly-by with an olive branch clenched tightly in its beak.

As it turned out, after dodging personal water crafts, I found some solitude near the eastern shore on a small island and lingered to watch swallows by the dozens swarm over the water picking up a last-minute snack before heading to bed for the night. Some actually picked their snack right out of the surface film, leaving behind ringlets on the water. A couple of loons guided me back to Moose Island where I took a bearing for my return to Gould Landing.

As I nudged my kayak onto the sandy beach I couldn’t help but compare the bath-water warmness to the frigid temperatures of the waters of Narraguagus Bay where I’d paddled the week before. Besides being able to dip your toes into the warmness of the lake water another nice thing about paddling on ponds is being able to flush off the salty brine of the ocean. I took the opportunity to rinse out the cockpit and sponge down the deck and hull, all the while standing comfortably in water up to my knees – and my feet didn’t turn blue!

The next day I had to make a quick trip down the pike to the Boston area. Turned out to be a bit of a nature trip in and of itself, mind you. My father and I spotted three deer, several osprey on and around their nests near the Kennebec River, a hawk, a turkey vulture and one opossum waddling around their Winchester, Mass., neighborhood. It was the first ‘possum I’d seen in the area, and I’m pretty sure it’s the first one outside a zoo I’ve seen. Maybe they’ll be making their way into Maine in the coming years, thanks to Global Warming.

Symposium coming up

I received a press release the other day from Carpe Diem Kayaking and Aquaterra Adventures in Bar Harbor. Mel Rice wanted me to tell you about the Downeast Sea Kayaking Symposium that will be held Sept. 7-10

Rice wants you to know that this is a chance to work with some of the best kayaking professionals in the country, including Greenland champ Alison Sigethy, Shawna Franklin and Leon Somme who circumnavigated Iceland with Chris Duff, Peter Casson, Steve Maynard and others.

We’ll be offering full and half-day classes for paddlers of all experience levels – everything from introductory skills including rescues and strokes, to rolling, Greenland skills, tidal currents, navigation and even coaching. We’ll be offering a whitewater class and an open canoe course as well.

If you are at all interested now’s the time to sign up because Aug. 1 is the last day you can do so at a discounted price, $475 for all four days. After Aug. 1, the price goes up to $495 for all four days. For those who want to attend, but can’t make all four days, full-day classes cost $135 and half-day classes cost $70.

Check out these Web sites for more information: www.carpediemkayaking.com or www.aquaterra-adventures.com and look for the subcategory “symposium.” You’ll find daily schedules and links to biographies of the folks who will be sharing their love and knowledge of kayaking with you. For more information call Carpe Diem Kayaking & Aquaterra Adventures ad 207-669-2338 or 207-288-0007

New water filter

A few weeks back I had the pleasure of sitting in with Epic Sports crew as they learned about several products from product representative Michael Schmidt.

One of those that caught my eye was the latest water filter offering from Katadyn, the Swiss company that claims to be top dog when it comes to individual water purification systems and products. Check out their Web site and you learn they have been developing water filters, chlorine- and silver-based sterilization agents and mobile desalinators for travel, outdoor, camping and marine applications since 1928.

The Katadyn Vario water filter has a glass fiber element and a ceramic filter. You can choose which one you want to use depending on the conditions and turbidity the water. It has a charcoal element to eliminate odors too., The fastest and easiest pumping happens with the glass fiber filter, up to two liters of filtered water per minute and it’s practically effort-less.

It has a 1 micron ceramic pre-filter that is cleanable, an activated carbon granulate medium with AntiClog Technology and a 0.3 micron glass fiber element that does not need to be cleaned.

Like the MSR filters it is compatible with wide-mouth Nalgene bottles and threaded water bladder s so you can twist it on, pump and fill your water bottle. Using the glass fiber element you can filter 530 gallons of water depending on how cloudy it is.

I was impressed at how easy it was to pump compared to other filters I’ve tried.

The Vario also has a unique feature that allows the internal carbon to be replaced – reducing chemicals and always keeping water tasting fresh.

While you’re looking at this item out at Epic take a look at Micropure purification tablets that are said to be safer than iodine and registered by the EPA to effectively control cryptosporidium, viruses and bacteria. And check out Katadyn’s Klean, an alcohol-free hand sanitizer that kills 99.9 percent of germs including bacteria, viruses and fungi.

Yet another stove

Ever vigilant for a bargain in outdoor gear and needing to break up the four-hour drive from Boston to Bangor exactly in the middle, I pulled into the L.L. Bean outlet store in Freeport on Monday afternoon. (The parking lot was nearly full!)

I’ve got a rule that any bargain I find must be just that, a bargain. I’m pretty savvy about brands and prices for gear, so an item must pass that test first. Second (this one’s not a prerequisite) the item has to be the only one on the shelf. I’ll usually latch onto it and carry it around the store as I look for other orphans before making a final decision.

So when I spied a Primus Micron stove on the rack the other day I grabbed it, despite my wife’s good-natured eye rolling. She knows I have several other light stoves. I get the same response when I look at fleece clothing. I’ve lost count of what I have as she has with the shoes and tote bags. So we both got a chuckle as we trudged to the cash register – she with a pair of shoes and a tote, me with a stove.

Anyway, this little stove’s the tiniest one I have yet, and when I get a chance I’ll put it to the test. I know it will be able to claim the least amount of packing space. It fits in the small titanium cook kit I have. And at 3.3 ounces (96 grams) including the built-in igniter it’s likely the lightest. Output is rated at 6,200 BTU per hour and burn time is 11/2 to 3 hours on an 8-ounce gas canister.

I’m slowly putting together a complete, one-person kitchen, complete with fire starters and lantern that I can carry in a soft-sided lunch box. I’ll let you know how that goes at a later date.

In the meantime I’m going to try to get in some paddling time. See you on the water!

Paddlers invited to explore bog

This just in: The Friends of Unity Wetlands summer outing series continues with a paddling trip at Carlton Pond and Bog at 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 4.

The peat land bog, emergent marsh and open pond offers extensive waterfowl habitat and is partially protected and managed as a Waterfowl Production Area by the Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. Friends of Unity Wetlands serves as the local steward for the complex, as well as for the Sunkhaze Meadows parcels in Benton and Unity.

Organizers urge you to get there early and have your boat in the water and ready to go at 8 a.m., that way your chances of spotting wildlife should be good. You’ll be returning to the launch site around 10:30 a.m.

The Carlton Pond WPA is one of only a few areas in the state that provides nesting habitat for rare black terns. Another rare species, the war paint emerald dragonfly, is also found here.

The launch site is on Bog Road, a dirt road accessed from Route 220 in Troy. Bring your own canoe or kayak and PFD, and insect repellant, sun protection and drinking water.

Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. For directions to the launch site and to sign up, contact Jennifer Brockway at 948-3766 or FUW@unitymaine.org. For more information about Friends programs and activities, visit their Web site at www.friendsofunitywetlands.org or the Wetlands Education Center at 93 Main St., Unity.

Jeff Strout’s column on outdoor recreation is published each Saturday. He can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.