That fall reprieve we just had sure was nice. One day it didn’t get out of the 70s. One morning I stepped out and it was 52. In three days I did six hikes.
Then, this morning I woke up and it was not 52 degrees and the humidity was not 20 percent. I still took my morning half-hour hike, but I found my thoughts had strayed …
To paddling.
We haven’t talked about paddling lately. Truth be told, I’ve gotten out of practice. I had both my kayaks out over Father’s Day, but for the benefit of others. I haven’t personally dipped a paddle since … well, it’s been too long.
To get back in the spirit, I’ve pulled some videos of paddle trips past. Don’t worry: there’s no rambling dialogue, no waxing, not much audio at all. Each is mercifully short, just 90 seconds of paddling from 10 different spots. And while some of the footage looks like it was shot in the 1940s on a Bell+Howell Super 8, it’s all within the last six years. Stick around to the bottom of the column and find information about paddling the spots you’ve seen.
Who knows, maybe the next time we see you it’ll be on a blue trail.
You might be a backpacker …
Are you backpacker material? You might be closer than you think. Traits you’ve cultivated under fluorescent lighting might translate nicely to the natural world. And if they don’t, don’t despair (just keep reading). Take a look:
You think on your feet. Your biggest survival skill is your ability to think on the trail, to pay attention and use your head. So in the office, let’s say it’s time to move a project forward; you might work a pro/con list on a path or two, then send the project on its way. On the trail, when you reach a fork, you look in each direction, checking first for a blaze that translates to :”Go this way!” (easier, really, than in the office, yes?). If there’s no blaze, you might need to travel on a ways to see if it is a spur or the real path forward. “Reading” the trail—like reading options in the office—gets easier with experience.
Planning a backpacking trip: unpacking the logistics
Before every backpack trip, we hold a trip planning meeting. We call it a “trip planning” meeting; in truth, the trips are pretty much already planned. It’s more of a “trip explanation” meeting. We go over basic logistics: carpooling, the route, the campsites, where we’ll find water, the weather forecast, any special precautions to take — for instance, if it’s an exposed route, bring extra sunscreen; if there are multiple water crossings, bring water shoes; if there are bears, bring a bear canister.
Get Out! Your Nudge for Weekend Adventure
Summer officially arrived at 6:06 a.m. Thursday, but it sent an advance team early in the week: temperatures in the mid-90s. Thus, our focus for the weekend is wet and wild. Or at least wet.
Some events on tap that will keep you close to water:
Firefly Viewing, New River State Park, Laurel Springs. Saturday, 9 p.m. Double your chances of staying cool by not only being near water, but exploring at night as well. Details here.
Take the fear out summer stream crossings
Just because summer arrives Thursday (at 6:06 a.m.) and the temperature this week already has hit the mid-90s doesn’t mean we’re going to stop hiking. We’re just going to adjust our approach. We’re going to make sure that, for the next three months or so, the majority of our hikes include one of two things: