Dave and I had a Nat Geo moment last week. We witnessed a necessary battle for survival that didn’t end well for one of the participants involved. 

If you’ve never visited the Granite Dells in Prescott, Arizona, go—because it is one special place. The Peavine National Recreation trail provides spectacular views of the dells and Watson Lake and is one of the few Rails-to-Trails projects in Arizona.

Last week, Dave and I enjoyed a different perspective of the dells—from Watson Lake via kayak. Unfortunately, our kayaks are sitting up in the garage in Canmore, AB. No worries. We rented a tandem kayak as early available (8 am) to photograph in the solitude of morning light and avoid crowds. Mind you, a sunset paddle would also be excellent.

Watson Lake was created in 1915 upon completion of the Granite Creek dam. It bears the name of the president of the Hassayampa Alfalfa Company of Indiana, whose hope was to build a canal system in Lonesome and Chino valleys—using the lake as the source for irrigating thousands of acres of grain. Unfortunately, the irrigation plan failed—the unlined canals consumed too much water to be effective. (source: Prescott Journal Miner, April 7th-17th, 1915.) Happily, the City of Prescott bought the reservoir and surrounding land in 1997 to preserve it as a national recreational area.

Upon entering the lake, we were greeted by a cacophony of ducks, geese, and heron. 

Along the shoreline, the water became mossy and green. Large boulders towered above us, some precariously balanced—resembling people, animals, claws, spacecraft—whatever our imaginations provided.

There were multiple coves to explore, each providing a private habitat for waterfowl and wildlife. It was so calm and peaceful—until it wasn’t.

Enter our Nat Geo moment. As we rounded a cove, we spied a heron, seemingly fixated on something in the water. He ignored us completely, focused intently on his prey. Dave and I soon became unwilling bystanders to a life and death struggle, complete with bone-crunching battle sounds. Not surprisingly, the heron won. To the winner goes the spoils.