It was about five hours into his paddle that kayaker Gavin Metcalfe felt an unexpected visitor in his boat.
“Gavin has just found a mouse in his pants,” says paddler Evan Metcalfe, Gavin’s brother, in the opening of the video.
“There is literally a mouse in my pants,” confirms Gavin.
Five hours in paddler finds mouse in kayak
Gavin speculates that the mouse entered his kayak through a mouse nest at his home, where he stored his kayak in a woodshed. The mouse hitched a ride for five hours while he and his brother and father were paddling Lake Huron’s Bruce Peninsula on day one of a five day sea kayak trip.
After a morning paddle in waves, the Metcalfes paddled out to Flowerpot Island. It was on the way back to the mainland about four kilometers from shore that the mouse emerged from under Gavin’s kayak seat—and into his pants.
“My leg was itching and I went to scratch it and there was a lump in my pants,” Gavin explained. “I went to see what is in my pants and it moved.”
While the paddle continued on well for the Metcalfes with four more days of paddling, unfortunately the hitchhike proved fatal for the mouse who fell out of the pants and into the water.
“Sorry, pal. That’s not a good finish but I apologize. Better you than me,” Gavin ends the video.
Critter-proofing your kayak
Unwelcome paddling partners of the critter variety are not an uncommon experience for paddlers who store their boats outside. Take for example, this 2021 video of a paddler discovering a nonvenomous snake in her kayak.
At best, they make for a funny story or video. At worst, they can ruin your day.
Boats stored outside are most prone to hitchhikers, but the presence of unwelcome paddling partners can be mitigated by both checking the cockpit of your boat for mice, snakes, and other passengers before launching or using a cockpit cover on boats stored outdoors.
In addition, boats stored suspended rather than on the ground are less likely to see unwanted critters.
Still, storing your kayak in a garage and with a cockpit cover is ideal for both care of your kayak in the long term and protection from unwanted critters taking up residence.
Feature Image: Evan Metcalfe | courtesy Gavin Metcalfe
Poor guy. He just wanted to go along on the adventure.
I don’t think it was necessary to kill the mouse.
Had the paddler properly stored his boat covered in the first place, the mouse wouldn’t have gotten in there. In addition, why didn’t he inspect the cockpit before launching? I inspect the cockpit of my sea kayak even though my boat is stored in a garage. There could be a spider in there.
I volunteer for an organization that leads paddle trips. We store the boats outside uncovered. I have found garter snakes and tree frogs in the cockpits and have safely removed them. Next time, hopefully that paddler will check his cockpit before setting off on a paddle and killing an innocent critter.