The Perfect Glide

One Day of Paddleboarding

The Jeffery Pines and the sandy beach on Lake Tahoe’s northeastern shore recede.

My paddle’s blade, submerged at a right angle to the lake’s surface, grabs the cobalt water.

I pull and stand in one fluid motion that propels me and my 11-and-a-half-foot paddle board further out onto the lake. I find a cadence, shifting from reach to plant to stand, then repeat.

Small ripples on the water catch my gaze as they stretch and squeeze the view of the lake bed’s granite boulders.

Each time I paddleboard, the feel is different.

Some days waves heave and drop the board so that keeping my balance demands that my whole stance soften with constant motion. Other times a strong headwind pushes against my course testing my endurance.

But, today under an endless blue sky, on a lake surface rippled by boat traffic and slightly wrinkled by the breeze, I’ve found the perfect glide.