NH Outside: Kayakers take a trip on the wild side – The Union Leader

The meditative rhythm of the paddle dipping into the water, right then left, and the warm sun poking in and out of white, puffy clouds put me in a hazy trance as the kayak slipped past the secluded marshlands of Berrys Brook in Rye.

I followed Brian Yurasits, a naturalist and our guide for the Wildlife Kayak Tour, hosted by the Seacoast Science Center at Odiorne State Park.

Providing experiences for both beginner and intermediate kayakers, these leisurely tours allow participants to explore Little Harbor and its estuarine waters where fresh water from rivers and streams mixes with salt water from the ocean.

Guide Brian Yurasits offers his wildlife knowledge to tour participants, with a few smiles along the way.

With the proper gear lying around and staff who are passionate about kayaking, the science center recognized a new program could educate kayakers about respecting and interacting with wildlife.

Kayakers are people who spend so much time out on the water, so they can act as our eyes out there, Yurasits said.

Proceeds from the tours support the centers Marine Mammal Rescue Team, which responds to sightings of seals, whales, dolphins and porpoises via their 24/7 hotline. Yurasits, who was brought onto the team a year ago to provide education and outreach, is one of two full-time employees.

We met Yurasits at the science center before being shuttled to the parks boat launch. There, we were provided with kayaks, paddles and life jackets. After a brief introduction to the equipment, Yurasits and tour volunteer Joe Miceli an assistant aquarist at SSC helped us into the water, where we paddled close to the shore, sharpening our technique.

A paddler on an earlier Wildlife Kayak Tour watches as a white-tailed deer swims by near New Castle.

Many of the 10 people in my group were Seacoast Science Center members, which is how they heard about the tour.

Im not a very experienced kayaker, said Noreen Polus, a local resident who often cycles near Odiorne, but being out on the water just gives you a whole different perspective. Its very refreshing.

Similarly, the Kindstedts, who live near Berrys Brook, will often hike along the sides of the watershed. For months, their youngest son, Hunter, has been begging his parents, Jason and Susan, to go kayaking. When they heard about the tour, they decided to explore the area from a new angle.

On the intermediate Wildlife Kayak Tour, paddlers are likely to spot a bald eagle, like the one seen here.

As we made our way into the freshwater marsh, we saw shorebirds that our guides were quick to identify. When we passed eider ducks bobbing above the water, Yurasits mentioned that this species was currently in breeding season, describing their babies as little floating puffballs.

He explained how the darting swallows overhead are considered day bats (and our good friends) because they eat mosquitos.

My favorite sighting was the majestic blue heron nesting high up in a tree. For several minutes we sat, a flotilla of kayaks, and observed the bird from a distance.

The tours coincide with high tide, ensuring easy access to the inlet. Because of Junes full strawberry moon (the first full moon of summer), we were able to venture farther up Berrys Brook than normal, making the heron nesting sight a potential discovery for the SSC.

On our way back out toward the ocean, Yurasits observed two slate-blue kingfishers zipping back and forth in the sky above us.

Glistening droplets of water fall from this kayakers paddle as he makes his way up Berrys Brook.

It seems like theyve been leading us down the river, he said to the group. Its their world and were just living in it. The constant buzz of wildlife around us underscored his point.

Rounding the point from the brook into Little Harbor, I noticed the shoreline transform as the tall marshland grasses gave way to barnacle-covered rocks. After maneuvering around thick kelp forests barely rising above the waters surface, we pulled our kayaks onto the shores of a secluded beach within the state park.

I admired the vast ocean in the distance, just past the Frosts Point breakwater at the mouth of Little Harbor, thinking about something Yurasits had mentioned earlier.

I was connected to the natural world from surfing and fishing, and I know kayaking can be that window for other people, he said.

NH Outside appears in the Union Leader on alternate Fridays. Contact Jill Armstrong at jaarmstr1@gmail.com.

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NH Outside: Kayakers take a trip on the wild side - The Union Leader