A Note to the Reader It’s late March, 2001, and Ed’s gone down to Albany for a book fair. Brenna’s left Jack in charge of the shop while she takes a day off to go kayaking at a favorite local pond. It’s a welcome change from the hectic job of sorting out the gear for their trip up north—a job they’d only just begun last time, and one which looks like it’s going to keep them busy for some weeks to come.

 
Our story continues…

 
Chapter Five

 
Brenna walked out to the barn to get the kayak. It hung suspended from the hand-hewn beams, cradled in two webbing slings. As Brenna unhooked the slings and lowered the boat onto her shoulder, she remembered how they’d gotten it in trade for a complete set of the 11th edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. It had been a good trade. Each party to the bargain had gone away convinced he’d gotten the better of the other.

Brenna still thought they’d gotten the best deal. Putting the kayak down on the grassy margin of the drive, she wiped off the winter dust with a damp sponge and then checked the old boat over. It certainly was old—a Seda Vagabond touring kayak, she guessed it had been built sometime in the late 1970s. Thanks to careful storage and gentle handling, though, it looked pretty good. The green gelcoat finish on the deck had dulled a little, to be sure, and the golden Kevlar hull was covered with small scratches, but both hull and deck flexed under the pressure of her hand without cracking. Better yet, the double seams were smooth and tight, with no sign of loosening or delamination. The old kayak was still an elegant, functional craft.

Continuing her inspection, Brenna knelt on the grass, pulled off the nylon cockpit cover, and stuck her head inside to be sure no mice had set up housekeeping. The cockpit cover had done its job. Nobody was home.

That hadn’t always been the case. Once she’d thought the cockpit cover was only for traveling. Then—it was years ago now—she’d been halfway through a release-swollen Class III drop on the Sacandaga, just above the railroad bridge at Hadley, when she felt something crawling up her leg. …. Read more…

 
Hooked? A new chapter in our serial adventure novel, Trip of a Lifetime, will appear every Sunday. If you’ve missed a chapter, or if you’re coming aboard for the first time and want to catch up, just use the hot-linked title to go to the archives.

 
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A REMINDER This is a work of fiction. All the characters are figments of the imaginations. It’s NOT a paddling guide. If you’re planning a trip on the Albany River—or any other body of water, come to that—consult the most recent edition of a good guidebook and be sure you’re thoroughly familiar with all applicable regulations. While maps of Ontario show some of the waterways mentioned here, the places depicted in our story exist only in our minds—and in yours.