One man's rush to jump on the kayaking bandwagon

Due to my previous back issues, I had only been in a kayak twice in the last 3 weeks. I decided to sit out this year's kayak race at Wrightsville Beach. I did watch and take some photos.

After the race, I decided to paddle the 6 mile course myself. Let's just say that had I competed, I wouldn't have done all that well. Maybe next year.

Falls lake is not what it used to be. It's full of new islands, old islands are now peninsulas, the marina now has dry slips, and many of the boat ramps don't quite reach the water. Not only is it hard to find a place to put in, it's just depressing.

There's red clay everywhere. It's not just mud. It's clay. It is nearly impossible to remove from anything it touches. After hours in salt water and countless water hose rinses, my kayak has red clay smudges that don't wash off.

Where's this global warming that's going to lead to the worst hurricane season in history? Where was it last year? How hot does it need to get to get at least a decent tropical depression? Any thoughts, Mr. Gore?

Forget my job, my wife's job, our friends, our lives - I need to move to the coast.

I really am on some kind of bandwagon. There are kayaks everywhere around Wrightsville Beach. Not only does Salt Marsh Kayak have a lot to do with it, but there are a lot of people bringing their own boats.

When I've previously taught myself how to do something, I wondered if my ah-ha! moments were blatantly obvious to anyone with experience. I had one of those moments today when I realized that my PFD provides great back support.

During the week, I spend between 12 and 15 hours a day sitting in meetings, sitting front of a computer, or sitting in my car. On weekends, I jump in my kayak and expect my body to do something useful. Sometimes, if I've been able to keep up with my nightly stretching, my body is up for it. Other times, it just won't cooperate.

I drove down to Wrightsville Beach last night after spending most of the day in the car. I didn't sleep well and woke up fairly sore. I took a long, hot shower and did what I could to stretch everything. It must not have been enough. While setting my boat down in the water, my back let me know I missed something.

I tried stretching it out and even got in the boat to see if I could paddle it out, but each breath hurt. After a hour or so laying on the floor, a few Advil, and another hot shower, it wasn't any better and I was ready to give up on kayaking at all this weekend.

After a few hours, I was bored and decided to take another shot at adjusting all the straps on my PFD. I put on my PFD and it came as a bit of a surprise when my back finally relaxed. After a few minutes, it actually felt good enough to give paddling another shot. I was able to stay out for a little over an hour.

In hindsight, it's obvious. PFD's make pretty good back braces.

I'm getting closer. Hip flick, head comes out last. If only I could actually do it consistently.

After 2 hours of thrashing around, with the boatupside down more often than not, there was a little bit of water in the day hatch. User error. The hatch cover wasn't completely on. The front and rear hatches were totally dry. I love my boat.

Jean joined me on Falls Lake for a quick paddle. Hoping to avoid mud, we put in at the dam. That was a mistake. Hauling the kayaks down the hill isn't too bad, but hauling them back up is too much. It was odd seeing Jean in my Tsunami instead of what I now refer to as the Danny DeVito of kayaks.

The water level at Falls Lake is significantly lower than I've ever seen it. It's really scary to see all of the stumps and rocks that were just below the surface, just waiting to put a hole in my boat or my head.

My new Snap Dragon Ocean Trek skirt fits perfectly. Not having a clue what I was doing, I was a bit worried that the skirt was too small for my boat. I was sufficiently smited by the usual suspects who pointed what should have been obvious. It's a lot easier to get it to fit when you're actually in the boat.

I also took the time to attach the front and rear hatches to the boat. I still need to figure out a way to attach the day hatch cover.

On my way back from my trip to Canada, I was hoping to find some real kayak stores around Seattle. I was looking for something other than the rec and whitewater stores we have here. I wanted to find places that had real sea kayaking gear.

I guess I should feel lucky here in Raleigh, NC, but I don't. I have Great Outdoor Provision Company and three REIs close by. But I want more. I want a place that sells kayaks that don't come with a fishing rod and multiple cup holders.

We stopped at Seattle Raft & Kayak and Northwest Outdoor Center. It wasn't quite retail heaven as I'm not a fan of Werner paddles, and that's all any store in the Seattle area seems to have, but it was close. I was able to see and touch things that I've only previously seen online. I didn't buy anything, but I did confirm that Snap Dragon considers my gut to be "extra large". That's what their fit guide said it was, but I had to try one just to make sure. When the temperature here drops below 95 degrees, I'll order my all neoprene skirt.

I was impressed with Northwest Outdoor Center's location on Lake Union. I'm sure I'm odd in thinking this, but I'd rather paddle among these beavers and otters than these.

Looking back on it, I should have gotten something while I was there. I went to the most impressive kayak stores I'd ever seen and I got nothing. But, Jean did get a t-shirt.