For my birthday recently; my family gave gave me a nice little kayak. That had been on my wish list, but as with many such things had been put off for more important things. I have used a canoe for about 40 years and am very comfortable with that, but kayaking is a new experience.
I called upon a friend of mine to go along with me on my first outing. Rusty has many years experience kayaking and provided valuable tips.
We headed out to a local river, the Middlefork, to put our kayaks in the water. It was very low, to the point that our kayaks bottomed out in several places; but was a place that I felt comfortable getting the feel of my kayak.
The day started at only about 30 degrees and was about 45 degrees when we got to the river, but warmed up over the next couple of hours.
I found that both getting in and out of the kayak is going to take some practice, especially when it is in water deep enough that it is floating free and not touching the bottom.
We took just a few pictures...........and they are right here...
Our kayaks sitting at the north end of a sandbar. We had carried them over the sandbar, because the water was too shallow and fast moving along it to paddle through heading upstream. On the way back, moving downstream, we were able to paddle through that area, except for a log jam that we had to portage around.
Rusty beside his kayak on a sandbar.
Me and my kayak along the same sandbar. This was the sanbar we carried the canoes the length of; and then relaxed and had a cup of coffee. The day was sunny, a bit cool, but very nice.
Rusty getting his kayak ready to launch from the sandbar. I had already headed off upstream and by this time, was beginning to feel a bit more comfortable in the kayak.
Rusty paddling upstream.
Me as we were starting back downstream. We had wanted to go further, but reached a shallow area where it appeared we had perhaps a hundred yards or so of quite shallow water; and the water was a bit too cold to be comfortable wading through. I did have a pair of boots, but not enough to keep out water for any extended wading.
Me heading downstream toward Rusty.
I called upon a friend of mine to go along with me on my first outing. Rusty has many years experience kayaking and provided valuable tips.
We headed out to a local river, the Middlefork, to put our kayaks in the water. It was very low, to the point that our kayaks bottomed out in several places; but was a place that I felt comfortable getting the feel of my kayak.
The day started at only about 30 degrees and was about 45 degrees when we got to the river, but warmed up over the next couple of hours.
I found that both getting in and out of the kayak is going to take some practice, especially when it is in water deep enough that it is floating free and not touching the bottom.
We took just a few pictures...........and they are right here...
Our kayaks sitting at the north end of a sandbar. We had carried them over the sandbar, because the water was too shallow and fast moving along it to paddle through heading upstream. On the way back, moving downstream, we were able to paddle through that area, except for a log jam that we had to portage around.
Rusty beside his kayak on a sandbar.
Me and my kayak along the same sandbar. This was the sanbar we carried the canoes the length of; and then relaxed and had a cup of coffee. The day was sunny, a bit cool, but very nice.
Rusty getting his kayak ready to launch from the sandbar. I had already headed off upstream and by this time, was beginning to feel a bit more comfortable in the kayak.
Rusty paddling upstream.
Me as we were starting back downstream. We had wanted to go further, but reached a shallow area where it appeared we had perhaps a hundred yards or so of quite shallow water; and the water was a bit too cold to be comfortable wading through. I did have a pair of boots, but not enough to keep out water for any extended wading.
Me heading downstream toward Rusty.
We were not able to go as far as I had hoped, but it was a great time spent outdoors and on the water. I gained some great advice on kayaking techniques and began to get a feel for my kayak. It is a Coleman Hooligan 85. It is only 8'3" long, which made it very easy to transport. I also found that it is very manueverable, much more so than my 15 foot canoe.
I look forward to the next kayak outing, with perhaps my collapsible spinning rod along to catch a few of the bass we spotted.
Until next time..........
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