How I did it: One day, while flipping through National Geographic Adventure, I saw a picture of someone kayaking in a blue-tinged glacier cave. It was so beautiful and looked so exciting, it ignited in me a desire to kayak. A year and a few months later, I saw a poster for a kayaking course hanging in the library in which I work. I dragged a friend along, we went to an introductory meeting, let ourselves be flipped in a kayak in a pool, ended up on a lake, then ended up on a river.

If you're not planning to make kayaking a major hobby, taking a course probably isn't necessary. But I enjoy structured environments where I can learn things I probably wouldn't pick up by trying to do something myself, so I really appreciated being surrounded by people who knew what they were doing and could offer advice. I would not have figure out how to ferry across the river (without major struggles), how to turn into an eddy, or how to peel out of an eddy, etc. Taking a course was informative, fun and I got to meet a lot of great people.

Lessons & tips:

• Do not be afraid to tip over, especially if you want to try white water kayaking.

• Do not try kayaking on your own if you are inexperienced and unfamiliar with the area in which you are planning to kayak.

Resources: The Wilmington Trail Club in Wilmington, DE

www.wilmingtontrailclub.org

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May 10, 2011, 08:51PM PDT | 1 comment | 9 cheers