Today was fun packed with two atypical activities. This morning Wyatt loaned me one of his kayaks and we paddled around the river for a couple hours. Several years ago Wyatt was kayaking all the time, so he is a wealth of knowledge about the sport. Thankfully he passed a lot of this information on to me, which is especially useful because I'd like to buy my own boat soon.
I started riding in his smaller boat and without a seat. Within five minutes my back was KILLING me and then my legs started bothering me. I felt trapped because there was no way to reposition myself. I did not like the feeling and even considered jumping out of the boat for a minute to relax my back and legs. I threw my legs over the side which helped a little, but it wasn’t as fun as I had hoped.
Less than a half-mile from where we launched we turned around and switched boats. What a difference a seat makes. From the moment I sat down I was comfortable and relaxed. To make the ride even more comfy the 15-foot kayak has a rudder. This makes turning effortless with the push of a pedal. On the second trip we paddled a couple miles, maybe more, I’m not sure.
Before we loaded the kayaks I tried the big boat without a seat and was met with the same discomfort I had earlier. In fact, my back started to spasm after only 50-yards of paddling. Lastly, Wyatt put the seat in the small boat. With the seat in place, I paddled a hundred yards like a pro.
Moral of the story; test kayaks before you decide to buy and kayak seats are 100% necessary equipment!
This evening Andrea and I met up with Olga and Josh for a few games of sand volleyball. Not only do I like the game, but I enjoy spending time with good friends. Those two are hilarious and a lot of fun to be around. It might be my imagination, but I think we might actually be getting better!
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