Have you ever gone kayaking in the dark? I am here to tell you that it is a fabulous experience, especially if you are on a river so you can’t really get lost.
As many of you know I love sunsets. I take lots of photos of sunsets and sunrises. So when I learned of a trip through REI to go kayaking at dusk it sounded right up my alley. You probably also know, if you have been reading my blog over the years, that I love adventure and if a trip has something a little different (spelunking, scuba diving, climbing really high trees) I’m all in. I also love bats. I have, ever since I was little, growing up in the country outside of Eugene, Oregon. My brother and I would sleep out on our lawn, discuss the stars and when the bats came out, toss things into the air to see if they would zoom closer to us. Kids!
I’ve had amazing experiences with bats…having hundreds of them fly at break-neck speeds past my head (never hitting me) while sitting at the entrance to a cave in Guatemala, to having a little (adorable) vampire bat climb up my shoulder and hang out as a bunch of us sat around a fire in the northern rainforest of Guatemala. They are such amazing creatures and so necessary for the health of our planet.
Dusk on the Consumnes River
The group trip with our REI guides, Justin and Yancy, started as the sun was low on the horizon. We carried our kayaks down to a tranquil slough that flows into the Consumnes River.
Putting In
Pushing off towards the Consumnes River the world around was full of birds flying this way and that. A slight breeze ruffled the leaves in the trees. It had been a 90 (F) degree day but the temperature on the river was perfect. Just around a bend sat a Great Blue Heron, apparently unconcerned with our colorful kayaks and soft chatter.
As we paddled, everyone spread out and just enjoyed the tranquility of the evening. Sooner than I wanted, we arrived at the bridge where we would shortly see (apparently) upwards of 40,000 bats emerge. So as dusk deepened and made the sky pastels, we quietly chatted, maneuvered for best positioning and waited.
Bat Spectacular
We started swatting at a few bugs and I swear that prompted the bats to emerge.
While the massive swarm (of 40,000) didn’t seem to happen in any type of explosive way, it was still fun to be there on the water enjoying nature do its thing.
Kayaking in the Dark
The light eventually became too dark for us to really distinguish them any longer, so we began our paddle back in the ever increasing darkness.
Kayaking with REI on the Consumnes River was really relaxing and enjoyable. I didn’t want it to end, even though we had been out there for 2 hours. Our guides were well prepared (even had lights on their kayaks as we paddled back in the dark so we couldn’t lose them…on the straight river ;-).
If you are a REI member you get discounts on trips like these, as well as the much coveted dividend at the end of the year. REI is an earth-positive company that I have been a member of for years. Here is the first line of their philosophy statement on their website: REI is a national outdoor retail co-op dedicated to inspiring, educating and outfitting its members and the community for a lifetime of outdoor adventure and stewardship.
One last parting shot. After bringing our kayaks back up to the truck I took one last photo of our great guides.
Have you gone kayaking in the dark? Where? With REI or another great group? Share in the comments below.
Happy adventuring!
~Gretchen
This looks amazing!! My daughter loves bats, I would love to take her on something like this!
Fabulous – It was so relaxing and fun – it could probably be done anywhere – just need the sun to set, have a kayak and a river! 🙂
That looks like so much fun. I love to kayak but I’ve never done it in the dark. I think my kids would love to have an adventure like this one. I’m not too sure about the bats though… But what a great experience.
Your pictures really bring it to life. And wow – the bats! Magnificent. Although I am not a confident kayaker, this does look like fun.
River and lake kayaking are great as the water is flat and you spend most of your time watching nature.
I’ve kayaked but never in the dark. I did however go surfing in the dark but that was hard and a little scary. I think that my kids would love an adventure like this. Just not too sure about the bats… Thanks for sharing.
Many of the people on our paddle adventure hadn’t ever been in a kayak. As long as you can swim your fine on flat water. The kayaks can be super steady or really flippy depending on what you want to do in them. The ones we had were steady and zipped along with each stroke. Super fun.
I have never heard of this! I love to kayak but never considered doing it in the dark.
Looks like fun, but kayaking in the dark is scary, I watch too much movie Anaconda, lol
Looks like fun! I love night paddling when we camp on a lake!
I think those bats would make me very nervous!
Bats are great – they keep the mosquitos at bay. They really aren’t interested in humans.
Kayaking in the dark sounds like SO much fun! I always love to get outside and try new things!
Wow! This looks amazing! I’ve never gone kayaking at night. Love your pics!
I am going to share this on Facebook. I feel like this is something my kayaking friends and I need to do.
Thanks! It was a great trip. REI has them all over. Kayaking in general is so wonderful.
I have gone kayaking in the dark! In Puerto Rico on a florescent lake. It was beautiful
Oh my gosh – how fun! Where was it – might have to add it to my list!
This looks fantastic in a “I’m happy to read about it but don’t want to do it” sort of way. Lol. I’m a cry girl and not sure how I would respond to the bats. 😀
Bats are harmless. They want bugs, not us.
Looks like a pretty cool trip down the river, especially in the dark. I don’t know if I’d be up for some of the other adventures you mentioned, but this one sounds like fun!
I’ve experienced bats at dusk before, but never kayaking. This looks amazing!
I would love to try a (steady) kayak at sunset into the dark, sounds pretty cool.
Oh, my!!! No – bats are my least favorite animal in the entire world (loooong story), but kudos to you for enjoying them the way you do. This is an adventure not likely to be my on bucket list, but I loved reading about your excursion. I never knew there were nighttime kayaking adventures such as this.
This looks like a lovely trip, but I am not sure I would enjoy the bat part! 🙂 But, I am sure it must be nice and peaceful.
Oh that looks fun! A new experience for sure! I’ve seen bats in the wild but never when they wake up and fly as a swarm like that.
This sounds like an amazing adventure, but I confess I am not a fan at all of bats!!!
This sounds like an amazing adventure, but I do confess that I hate bats and would not want them flying toward my head!
This seems like such an amazing experience! I’d love to do this. It must be such a different kind of adventure to go at night!
omg this looks like so much fun!
What a fun activity! I would love to see a bunch of lightning bugs or fireworks at night too.