This time last month I took my good friend Anouk Govil back to my home town in Connecticut to show him how we do things back north. The pair of us are studying at university in New York and I met Anouk here, he originally comes from Los Angeles. It wasn’t just the fact that Anouk was a fellow student which forced us to bond, but also because we were both in a very different culture to that which we had come from. And so when we were off for Easter last month we headed up to Connecticut for some adventure. Anouk had never kayaked before, a very common pastime back home and if you haven’t done it before, here are just a few reasons why you should.
On Your Own
There is something really nice about the autonomy when you go kayaking, everything is under your control. Even if you go in a group, the direction of the kayak, the route you take, the speed you go, it is all down to your body and your oar. When people take Canadian canoes out they are usually in pairs or threesomes, which means that you need to work in sync with others, with a kayak it is just you controlling the vessel.
Peaceful
Unless you are kayaking for sport, the hobby of kayaking is just such a peaceful endeavor and gets you out into the great outdoors. Sat on your kayak you can drift down the river at a pace of your choosing, watching what is going on around you, listening to nature and being soothed by the gentle flow of the water. When I was living back home in Connecticut I used to go out kayaking every morning without fail and watching the sun come up over the river first thing in the morning set me into a peaceful and calm mood for the rest of the day.
Extension
You may not feel it at first but once you get used to the kayak you find that it feels just like an extension of your own body. Twist your hips left or right and the kayak goes too, lean forwards or backwards and you can switch things up as well. I love this connection between body, kayak and water and it is one of the biggest reasons why I enjoy this sport so much.
Safe
Kayaks are lightweight and incredibly durable which is great for anyone who has concerns about getting on the water. If you head down some waterfalls then there is really nothing to worry about at all, the buoyancy of the craft will ensure that you are fine and the absolute worst cases scenario is that you roll over, if this happens you simply slide out of the kayak, flip it over, get back in and away you go.
If you have never kayaked before then I would implore you to give it a try at your soonest possible opportunity.
