watersprite
Paddler
Hi,
Though I've been lurking here for quite some time, this will be my first post (as far as I can remember, anyway), so I thought I'd introduce myself. I do already recognize some of the regulars here from other email lists and forums, so some of you might recognize me as well. Anyway...
My name is Melissa, and I live on the central WA coast. I've only been paddling for a little over ten years now, but from the very first moment I sat in a rented kayak and flailed away with the paddle, I knew that this would be a great passion of mine for the rest of my life.
Up to the point of my first kayak paddling experience, I'd been living in large, crowded cities all of my life; grew up in Seattle, lived in L.A. for five years, then in NYC for 15 years. I'm a musician ('cellist), so I lived where my music took me. About eleven years ago, my father was diagnosed with Leukemia, and I decided to come home to Seattle to help my mother take care of him as he went through various treatments. He only survived for another year, and I was glad to have spent that time with him after having been away for so long. I took an apartment in the city, and whenever I wasn't at my parent's house, I rode my bike all over the place; especially to places where I could ride along the water (riding down to the ferry terminal and taking the boats to various islands for rides was a favorite activity of mine).
One day, shortly after my father died, I was riding my bike near Lake Union, choking on the fumes of the city bus I was following, and I noticed a "kayak rental" sign at a building on the waterfront. I'd been admiring these beautiful little boats for a while, so I decided to give it a try. During that first hour of paddling, I dreamt of paddling coastal waters, and of paddling with whales. I dreamt of living in a place where I could wake up to the sounds of the surf rather than jackhammers and sirens, and I dreamt of paddling these lovely little boats for the rest of my life. The very next day, I went back to that rental shop and purchased a season pass, so that I could come in when they opened, take out a boat, and return it at closing time. For the next three months, I paddled every day, all day, and tried as many boats as I could find from three different rental shops around the lake. After just my first couple of weeks, I was paddling out through the locks and into Puget Sound. By the end of the summer, I'd purchased my first boat; a CD Caribou. I collected all sorts of other gear as well, until I was fully equipped for my next move...out to the coast. By the end of that year, I was renting an oceanfront home, and I've been here ever since (now I'm dreaming of moving to coastal Alaska).
Once I moved out here, I continued my every day paddling, exploring all the water I could find out here, from coastal rivers and lakes, to bays and the open coast. I met the resident Gray Whales, and I've been paddling with them for the past ten years. I've been living my dreams of that first hour in a kayak.
I still have my trusty old Caribou, but five years ago, my fleet grew when I built a S&G Arctic Hawk. About that time, I also discovered the joys of the Greenland Paddle, and from the first moment I dipped a GP into the water, I never looked back (ever since, my old Euro paddles have only been used by visitors who come to paddle with me now and then). Now my little fleet is about to grow again as I prepare to build my first Greenland style SOF boat.
I love to paddle everything from quiet wetlands, to rivers, to lakes, to everything coastal and a bit offshore. I even love to paddle in very lively coastal/offshore conditions where I find myself in that calm state of hyper-awareness; that "in the zone" feeling, as it were. While living in this area, in addition to paddling up and down the WA coast, I've also enjoyed paddling around the San Juan and Gulf islands, and various waters around Vancouver island. As mentioned above, my next dream is to move to somewhere along the SE/SC Alaskan coast; the more remote the better.
Finally, perhaps because of having lived in such noisy, crowded places most of my life, paddling has offered me a unique opportunity to seek a very special kind of solitude, so while I don't mind paddling with friends now and then, most of my paddling is solo.
Sorry for going on so long, but when I think about my love for paddling, it's difficult to control my sound-byte challenged condition.
Melissa
Though I've been lurking here for quite some time, this will be my first post (as far as I can remember, anyway), so I thought I'd introduce myself. I do already recognize some of the regulars here from other email lists and forums, so some of you might recognize me as well. Anyway...
My name is Melissa, and I live on the central WA coast. I've only been paddling for a little over ten years now, but from the very first moment I sat in a rented kayak and flailed away with the paddle, I knew that this would be a great passion of mine for the rest of my life.
Up to the point of my first kayak paddling experience, I'd been living in large, crowded cities all of my life; grew up in Seattle, lived in L.A. for five years, then in NYC for 15 years. I'm a musician ('cellist), so I lived where my music took me. About eleven years ago, my father was diagnosed with Leukemia, and I decided to come home to Seattle to help my mother take care of him as he went through various treatments. He only survived for another year, and I was glad to have spent that time with him after having been away for so long. I took an apartment in the city, and whenever I wasn't at my parent's house, I rode my bike all over the place; especially to places where I could ride along the water (riding down to the ferry terminal and taking the boats to various islands for rides was a favorite activity of mine).
One day, shortly after my father died, I was riding my bike near Lake Union, choking on the fumes of the city bus I was following, and I noticed a "kayak rental" sign at a building on the waterfront. I'd been admiring these beautiful little boats for a while, so I decided to give it a try. During that first hour of paddling, I dreamt of paddling coastal waters, and of paddling with whales. I dreamt of living in a place where I could wake up to the sounds of the surf rather than jackhammers and sirens, and I dreamt of paddling these lovely little boats for the rest of my life. The very next day, I went back to that rental shop and purchased a season pass, so that I could come in when they opened, take out a boat, and return it at closing time. For the next three months, I paddled every day, all day, and tried as many boats as I could find from three different rental shops around the lake. After just my first couple of weeks, I was paddling out through the locks and into Puget Sound. By the end of the summer, I'd purchased my first boat; a CD Caribou. I collected all sorts of other gear as well, until I was fully equipped for my next move...out to the coast. By the end of that year, I was renting an oceanfront home, and I've been here ever since (now I'm dreaming of moving to coastal Alaska).
Once I moved out here, I continued my every day paddling, exploring all the water I could find out here, from coastal rivers and lakes, to bays and the open coast. I met the resident Gray Whales, and I've been paddling with them for the past ten years. I've been living my dreams of that first hour in a kayak.
I still have my trusty old Caribou, but five years ago, my fleet grew when I built a S&G Arctic Hawk. About that time, I also discovered the joys of the Greenland Paddle, and from the first moment I dipped a GP into the water, I never looked back (ever since, my old Euro paddles have only been used by visitors who come to paddle with me now and then). Now my little fleet is about to grow again as I prepare to build my first Greenland style SOF boat.
I love to paddle everything from quiet wetlands, to rivers, to lakes, to everything coastal and a bit offshore. I even love to paddle in very lively coastal/offshore conditions where I find myself in that calm state of hyper-awareness; that "in the zone" feeling, as it were. While living in this area, in addition to paddling up and down the WA coast, I've also enjoyed paddling around the San Juan and Gulf islands, and various waters around Vancouver island. As mentioned above, my next dream is to move to somewhere along the SE/SC Alaskan coast; the more remote the better.
Finally, perhaps because of having lived in such noisy, crowded places most of my life, paddling has offered me a unique opportunity to seek a very special kind of solitude, so while I don't mind paddling with friends now and then, most of my paddling is solo.
Sorry for going on so long, but when I think about my love for paddling, it's difficult to control my sound-byte challenged condition.
Melissa
I wish ( I really wish,) I can make my life like that.
Anyone who spends their off-the-water time online discussing paddling with other paddlers who are also temporarily off the water has got to be showing signs of a great passion for paddling!
