My Souvenirs from 29 Miles- 2 days – on the Green River
I’m taking some crap from daughter because she says kayaking is redneck.
Meh.
Anything done by rednecks is redneck –
- riding horses
- golf
- hiking
- biking
She won’t be convinced otherwise, enjoying nature by paddling a river that runs through a National Forest isn’t exclusive to rednecks.
Some of the kayaks in our group cost $1000+ and the gear was top of the line stuff. Including the photography gear. The price of something doesn’t make it any more/less redneck… afterall, mud bogging isn’t a cheap hobby.
I know I packed my finest:
Rocks or Water – Kayak powered by Maker’s Mark Bourbon
Damn clever name if I do say so myself! And adding the logo to the side of my kayak was pure genius – because when there are 30-40 kayakers, it’s impossible to remember names. Now I’m either “that Sixty guy” or “Maker’s Mark guy.”
OK, back to the redneckness of kayaking rivers. She does have a point when she says camping on the side of the river is a pretty redneck thing to do.
And it was damn fun.
The unrednecks stay in campgrounds with running water, showers, and flush toilets. And loud music, televisions, and motorcycles.
I made some more Kayak Memories:
- saw an awesome spring fed grotto that we entered by kayaking past massive sand walls. The spring was coming from below the bluffs on the back part of the grotto. Bone-chilling cold water on a 98 degree day. Breathtaking. Literally.
- kayaking 30 feet back into a cave – tons and tons of rock a foot above our heads.
- camping within yards of the opening of a cave.
These memories will be with me. My souvenirs: a broken nail and blister will go away. And I’m fairly certain I will be able to extend my fingers again.
29 miles in about 8 hours paddling with a current that varied between “shit this is sloooooowwwwww” to “nice flooooooooooooow.”
Going Like 3.625 (mph). And loving it.
riding horses can be redneck….hiking too…golf no…and biking no. Kayaking and camping a definate YES. Its just a side ofyou I didn’t know you had-its a little surprising.
Redneck golfing is done while riding a horse. Redneck bikes have a Budweiser cooler.
$1000.00?!? Tell me something. Does paying that much for a kayak make it go any faster? Does it come with an auto-paddle option? AM/FM/CD? A motor? Laurie and I are planning to buy a couple of kayaks when our first time home buyers. Anything over $400 better come with a built-in coffee maker.
Sounds like you had a lot of fun. I’m jealous.
@Kirk: good to hear from ya. Yes, actually, the more expensive yaks do go faster because they have better design (thing barge vs speedboat) and they track straighter. $400 is a good entry point. Anything cheaper and yaks are flimsy and won’t withstand VT cold unless you keep them in a heated space. Plus the cheaper yaks are unstable. I highly recommend yakking. With your body problems, you might want to rent before you buy.
Love to do nature stuff. I haven’t tried kayaking yet but it’s in my list. I’ve done several white water rafting “adventures” though from class 2 to 3 rivers and it’s always exciting.
Promoting Team spirit among students : One idea is to take students on camping trips this not only will promote team spirit but will also allow students to appreciate and respect nature.