This magic moment

Perfect night to kayak, I thought as we shoved off the riverbank. I had no idea how true that would turn out to be.

Dropped through the first chute and the boat was carving back and forth as sharp as a blade. One of those runs where the kayak is part of you, the connection being seamless.

We were playing in a short series of rock shelves, throwing our boats around, laughing and just messing around. The air was filled with the sounds of splashes, chatter and laughter. And then, it went silent.

I turned around and saw everyone staring at a tree on the bank, right next to the river. I followed their eyes and there were two majestic bald eagles, casually regarding us.

We encounter many kinds of birds on the water, but they usually scatter as soon as we come anywhere near them. It was almost as if we could reach out and touch the eagles, but they were unfazed.

You could make out every detail; the substantial body, great hooked beak and those fierce eyes – ah, those eyes. We have seen eagles before, but usually at a distance. In a high aerie or soaring above the trees. This was different.

It was an after-work event and we’re usually somewhat conscious of how much time we spend in each place on the river, knowing that the sun is dropping. But, no one moved. We just bobbed there and exchanged stares with the eagles for ever.

Finally, we paddled on. It took a while for the chatter to pick up because everyone was lost in contemplation of the experience.

There are few really magic moments in life. Being an adventurous group, we put ourselves in positions to experience more, but they are still fairly rare.

I’d bet everyone was thinking about it when they opened their eyes this morning. I know I was.