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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Paddling On Pend Oreille Outfitter Offers Variety Of Kayak Tours On The Lake - Some By The Light Of The Moon

Rich Landers Outdoors Editor

Power or paddle - you can take your pick, or mix the two, on Lake Pend Oreille.

Kayakers have forged a bond with a couple that has turned a junked boat into an elegant charter vessel. The marriage has created another way to enjoy the stunning scenery of the 43-mile-long lake.

The sea kayaks are supplied by Josie Merithew, who became Idaho’s first licensed flatwater kayaking outfitter when she founded Full Spectrum Tours in Sandpoint three years ago.

“When I first started, there were very few kayakers on the lake,” she said. “Now there’s a whole community of kayakers.”

Most of the clients for her sea kayaking tours have been novices, she said. And some of them have an appetite for gourmet food and luxury.

Merithew offers several options for kayak tours. But after two pilot trips last year, Merithew is offering 12 full-moon “power and paddle” trips this year.

The trips start aboard the Shawnodese, a vessel reborn from the scrap heap when Curtis Pearson salvaged the 40-foot hull and started from scratch in a two-year restoration.

The boat, with its mahogany-lined interior, combines riverboat elegance with the luxury of a private yacht.

For $46-$65 dollars apiece - the price depends on the trip and food services provided - a group of paddlers can have the Shawnodese and a fleet of sea kayaks and guides at their disposal.

“Most people in the last three years have been total beginners,” Merithew said. “We have open- and closed-deck kayaks so paddlers can chose whatever feels most comfortable.

“Most people are amazed at how easy it is.”

And if, for some reason you poop out on the paddling, you can always sip wine or hot chocolate on the deck or in the cabin of the Shawnodese.

Pearson and his wife, Linda, are making the Shawnodese available day or night for tours ranging from wedding dinners to wildlife-watching excursions.

Merithew similarly offers a wide range of possibilities, including sessions specifically for kids, teens and seniors, plus kayak rentals.

But the full-moon trips are a beam above the rest.

“Sometimes we see bats,” said Merithew. “Sometimes a fish jumps in the dark. But mainly, it’s quiet. Just the sound of your paddle dipping into the water.”

The trips are scheduled for three days surrounding each full moon in June, July, August and September. Paddlers get onto the lake aboard the Shawnodese, then launch from the boat to be in prime position when the cheese oozes over the crags of the Cabinet Mountains.

“Quiet is the main attraction to go with the moon and the unbelievable show of stars,” Merithew say. Even for people who are have been on the lake many times, this is a different time and space.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo