Turning 29 on Kentucky Lake

On the morning of January 4th, 2026, I chose to leave the cold air of east central Missouri and travel to Kentucky Lake near Benton, Kentucky, to celebrate 29 years on this beautiful planet. Now, this wasn't a spontaneous trip on my birthday, but rather, a return to the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, a place I had fallen in love with during the summer months of 2025.

After a 4-hour drive, I arrived at beautiful Kentucky Lake, where temperatures were in the mid-40s. As I began taking "The Banana" off my vehicle, an older man with his small dog came up to me, and asked about my kayak and shared stories about Louisiana and how he had seen some wild Alligators! When I told him that I had kayaked in the most alligator-infested lake in Texas, he thought I was nuts! He may be onto something...

After the gentleman left, I carried the banana a few hundred feet from my vehicle, down to the beach. I laid the kayak down next to the water, where 43-degree water temperatures awaited my arrival. After laying the kayak down, I stood motionless for a while and took it all in. The trees surrounding the lakeside were not grand and beautiful, but rather dormant. Boaters talked at a boat ramp in the distance. Cell data was nonexistent. Life was perfect. It was just me and the water. A few minutes later, I thought of a cool idea. I have always seen people pose with their touring kayaks. I had yet to do it. That said, I picked up the old girl, raised her high in the sky, and took a self-portrait. Afterwards, I carefully put her back down on the rocky, sandy shore and pulled the bottom part of my pants up to my knees to get ready for launch. As soon as my feet hit the water, I could feel the cold of Kentucky Lake. That coldness didn't bother me as I had grown up in Southern Wisconsin and faced much more brutal cold.

As I entered the kayak and set off on Kentucky Lake, I reminded myself that today was not about putting a lot of miles down, but about enjoying life. An hour into the session, I came across a really unique tree growing horizontally, likely caused by bank erosion. I found this astonishing as the roots and base were exposed, still hanging on for life with no signs of weakness.

Somewhere along the way, a group of pelicans found their way towards my kayak. Shockingly, few of these pelicans showed little concern for me, which allowed me to trail them. It was a pretty cool experience. I then began to notice other birds flying alongside me, some choosing to relax beside me. Even beautiful green-headed Mallards bathed near me. To say the entire experience

was relaxing would be an understatement. As the sun began to set on Kentucky Lake, both the water and world became quiet. Reflection kicked in. I realized that I was 29 years old, in a 15-year-old touring kayak, surrounded by calmness and wildlife on a lake in Northwestern Kentucky. How fortunate must I be? In this moment, I was reminded of the heartbreak, tragedy, and both personal and

professional frustrations I had overcome over the past 3 years. As crazy as it sounds, I let out a big smile. Not an imposed one, but rather a real one. I had begun smiling because I realized what I had become and that I was something that I could truly be proud of, rather than frustrated with. I recall taking a selfie and sending it to my mother, saying something along the lines that I was

happy and content with life. As I continued to paddle, I noticed how clear and calm the lake truly had become when I saw condensation trails from airplanes reflecting off the clear waters. In all my years of kayaking, I had never seen this before and thought it was absolutely cool! Not long after, I was snapped back into reality from my euphoric

state as I heard beeping. I looked around and saw two gentlemen along the shoreline with metal detectors. As I paddled towards them, it didn't sound like they were having much luck finding things. Shortly after, they got into their boat, which then stalled in the middle of the lake, leaving them stranded as they couldn't get the engine to start. Realizing darkness and cold were soon to be upon us, I slowly started

kayaking towards them in case they needed help. Thankfully, however, the engine finally kicked over, and off they were back to the boat ramp. Not long after, I made it back to the beach I had set sail from prior. I could finally feel the cold of the air and quickly mounted my kayak onto the vehicle as darkness set in. I looked up the closest Culver's and celebrated with a Cod Dinner & Concrete Shake. What a way to celebrate turning 29!

Getting Culver's and marking out over a Menards IN KENTUCKY!

About the writer: Michael Thornton graduated from Rose State College, majoring in Emergency Management. Currently, he is the Director of Warren County Emergency Management and an Oklahoma Certified Emergency Manager. In 2024, he was awarded the OEMA Innovator Award for his severe weather operations in Tillman County.