Can you canoe?... or kayak?

At the beginning of this week I found myself with a few extra days off of work and a desperation to get away. When I get to this point, as I often do serving my time as an over-worked waitress, I find that nothing calms my mind or my spirit like being out in nature. It relaxes me, centers my thoughts and is somewhat of a spiritual thing as well. I've never felt as close to God in a church as I do when I'm out in his creation. So this week I was lucky enough to take advantage of a friend's offer to teach me how to kayak.

I left on Sunday morning and pushed through the 8 hour drive to Pine City, Minnesota with only two stops for gas, snacking essentials and a bathroom break. After a delicious dinner and a good nights sleep, me and my "river guide" Jake loaded up the truck with two kayaks and all of his camping gear. I am still in awe of how he got all of that stuff in the tiny compartments that those boats have.

My kayaking experience took place on the St. Croix River which runs along between Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is a beautiful, clean and well taken care of river with numerous camping areas along the banks. We put in at Thayers landing, I believe, and made it all the way down to Nelsons Landing on Monday. I think we decided it was about 20 miles or so. A pretty good chunk for my first time.

I caught on to the techniques of it all pretty quickly. The getting in and out without tipping, the paddling and turning. I'm still hopelessly awkward with it all, but I got it done. I knew I was doing it right because I could really feel the burn in my arms, back and neck toward the end of our first day. We had a good wind to paddle against for most of the day as well which didn't make it easier. I don't want to discourage anyone from trying something like this because I loved it and would do it again in a heartbeat, but my arms hurt so bad Monday night I thought I was going to be sick. :)

Tuesday's leg of the trip was only 10 miles but we did hit a few small sections of rapids. Those were incredibly fun and gave you an added power boost to your paddling. The river was a bit low in places which caused us to scrape over or ram into rocks occasionally and get out to walk a few times.

We saw cranes and eagles and a few deer along the way, stopped and looked at the Sandrock cliffs and just enjoyed the beauty of it all. I don't feel that many people realize how beautiful that area of the country is. Being from the Midwest I too am guilty of forgetting that there is more to it all than just farmland. It may be easier than I thought to find new places to explore close to home.

I am incredibly thankful to Jake for getting my hooked on kayaking and I can't wait to do it again. I am even considering getting my own boat! I came back to work today with a slight sunburn and a refreshed attitude, but I am still keeping an eye open for my next adventure.