To kayak, or not to kayak... that is the question.

Kathy & I have been talking about it for a while, but before we went hunting for a good deal on kayaks, we thought it best to take a test run.

Our friend Diane told us about a restaurant in Olympia on the water that rents kayaks, so about a month ago we tried out their breakfast/kayak package. For both of us it was our first time in a kayak.  Even though it was a little tippy at times, we enjoyed our outing. I still wasn’t quite convinced this would be one of our favorite things-we-do-together.

One week later test #2 came while I was visiting family in Florida. My brother in law Chris (a former Port Angeles High teacher) took me out for a kayak spin in the Intracoastal Waterway along the Treasure Coast. He promised no alligators, and he came through on that promise.  I really liked how stable his kayak felt, and I was starting to feel a bit more confident. I have tipped over one too many canoes in my life and am not a good swimmer... I was hopeful kayaking was potentially more upright.

So, last Saturday morning our hunt was on to find some end of season deals on kayaks, and thanks to some advance scouting by Kathy, we fared very well. By that afternoon we were paddling on the Sound… yes, we have become kayakers!

OK, I can’t say this is a great lifetime achievement. But if there is any life lesson to be found in this, I would suggest to you: It’s good to practice getting comfortable to step out of our comfort zone. You just might find something unexpectedly nice.

Happy paddling!