I started 2012 woefully out of shape brought about by some pretty bad habits consisting of beer, pizza and sitting in front of some form of digital entertainment. I was at least more social back then and got out of the house, however that still consisted of the same bad habits only at another location. The closest I got to the outdoors was playing Minecraft. When I found myself out of breath just climbing the stairs to my second floor bedroom, I had the good sense to recognize I was not in a good place physically and quite literally made an overnight change to start exercising.
By that summer I was much slimmer, but even better was that I had more energy and a desire to do something more active. I started by joining outdoor groups for camping or backpacking. One activity I did for the first time was kayaking on the lake and I really began to feel a new passion taking shape. The learning curve is not that difficult, once you learn how to get in and out of it. A few comical tumbles into the water is all it takes. The rest is learning where to dip your paddles to pull yourself in a straight line and to turn or slow down. The arm and shoulders take a little longer to appreciate what you are doing.
I was quick to order my own kayak, direct from Amazon as well. A big impulse buy. A 12 foot long impulse. I was pretty excited for it to arrive since I was dying to know if it would be shipped in a box or just have a shipping label stuck right too it. (it was wrapped in plastic). When it arrived, I had no where to put it in my tiny condo so it sat next to the couch.
I’ve done sunset paddles with storms in the distance, long several miles of paddling, overnight trips and early mornings with coffee just floating wherever the water wants me to float.
I have not kayaked in a couple of years now but I have been thinking about it lately. My kayak has been unceremoniously parked in my backyard, cast off to the side of the porch and I am back to a poor shape with little in the way of exercise.
Maybe I should find someone to take along, someone who would be new to it and they can enjoy it as I did. If you have thought about it you should check for kayak rentals and pack a lunch and plenty of water for a day on lake. If you need any reason to get you paddling, here is what you could be missing:
You can also watch a short video I made from an overnight kayak trip from Hoover Dam to Willow Beach on the Black Canyon Water Trail.
