Not so long ago, I departed my bicycle in a most dramatic fashion. The bike stopped rather abruptly; I continued over the handlebars.
For a moment, as I hurtled through the warm late-summer air, utterly at the mercy of the juggernaut of my own 20-mile-per-hour momentum, the sensation was not unlike falling into the sweet spot on a wave. That instant when your stern lifts, your kayak accelerates and you relinquish all power to the unstoppable force of the water. A fly on the windshield of a freight train; weightlessness and awful anticipation.
Then my body hit the unyielding pavement, and the impact registered a simple truth: I should have gone paddling.
WHY THE KAYAK IS THE BEST WAY TO EXPERIENCE THE OUTDOORS
It isn’t just two-wheeled activities that are trumped by boat and blade. sure, avoiding the gruesome task of scraping gravel out of road rash is compelling incentive to head for the water, but there are a host of other reasons kayaking is a superior vehicle for outdoor adventure:
The View
It just doesn’t get any better than from the water. Paddle within arm’s reach of the coast for an intimate perspective, or head offshore to feel humbled by the big picture.
Comfort
Foul weather is a fact of outdoor life, but our boats and equipment shelter us from the worst of it. Once you slip on a drysuit or paddling jacket and seal yourself into the cockpit, even the dirtiest downpours are all but forgotten.
Wildlife
Maybe it’s the silence of the hull slicing through still water, or the unthreatening profile of our slim crafts. Certainly it helps that our playground is the rich littoral intersection of land and water. Whatever the reason, frequent wildlife sightings are one of paddling’s finest perks.
Headwinds
Okay, even kayakers whine about the wind. But try tackling a stubborn blow in a canoe, or worse, stomping on your pedals into a soul-crushing headwind on a prairie highway.
Escape
Hiking is pedestrian. Cycling a more efficient, yet still earthbound, enterprise. But to paddle is to transcend. Kayaking grants entry to a secret world, unseen by those trapped on terra firma.
Kayaking is more than mere hobby; it’s absolutely vital. In that light, it hardly seems a fair yardstick for other out- door pastimes. So despite scarred elbows and mangled shifters, I still ride my bike—to the local launch, kayak in tow.
Adventure Kayak editor Virginia Marshall now keeps vigilant watch for potholes.
This article first appeared in the Early Summer 2014 issue of Adventure Kayak Magazine. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine and get 25 years of digital magazine archives including our legacy titles: Rapid, Adventure Kayak and Canoeroots.
