One man's rush to jump on the kayaking bandwagon

It was the smell that did it for me. That lingering mildew smell. The smell of something that hasn't been dry in months. According to my mother, I'm allergic to mildew.

Heath, Susan, Jean, and Kathy were all very excited about kayaking in Glacier Bay. I wasn't so sure it was something that I would enjoy. That water is cold.

We headed down to equipment shacks after breakfast. We put on the rubber waders, the rain jacket, the PDF and headed for the beach. We carried the heavy boats down to the waterline. Heath and I were in a double, Jean and Kathy were in a double, and Susan was in a single. The guide helped my adjust the rudder, and then pushed us out into the water.

The boats were nice and wide, but I felt like I was going to go over at any minute. Knowing that the water temperature was in the mid 30's didn't help. I was convinced that if I fell in, I'd die.

Then it started raining.

I was cold, anxious, and tired of hearing Heath complain about my inability to use the rudder. I hate rudders. I hate tandems. The back seat is for steering and the front for complaining about the steering.

We paddled across Barlet Cove and then came back. We were not out long, but it was way too long for me.

We took a boat tour of the bay and while we were out, we stopped to pick up some kayakers. They seemed quite happy, but then, the insane usually are.