where women celebrate their ageless authenticity
Journey along with our resident humorist Nancy as she embarks on unusual adventures from A to Z. With the alphabet as her guide to new experiences, Nancy rates her excursions as a “Fourn-Yay” or “Fourn-Nay.”
Letter “K” – Keen on kicking up experiences with kids
When my husband and I retired a few years ago, our company generously sent us a catalog from which we could choose a retirement gift. There were traditional items like watches and jewelry, as well as home goods such as BBQs, knives and upscale pots and pans. However, as we planned to be active retirees, my husband and I each chose a bright red kayak.
I envisioned relaxing mornings gliding through marshy bird sanctuaries, afternoon paddles through canals, stopping for margaritas at the bars along the water, and maybe even discovering some new waterways to peruse.
That happened exactly once. Then, the kayaks were artfully suspended in the garage, serving as a luxurious home for generations of spiders.
Perhaps we’re more of the “you set it up and we’ll paddle” kind of people. So, when I saw that our Alaskan cruise line offered a kayak excursion, I signed up my husband, my 23- and 19-year-old daughters, and myself.
The excursion was billed as an award-winning tour in Ketchikan, Alaska, with the chance to see the Tatoosh Islands and the sea life on land, water and in the air. Cool! Well, maybe even COLD!
On the morning of the tour, we showed up in layers of weather-appropriate waterproof gear for the 2.5-hour trip. We were greeted by a guide who enthusiastically declared, “This is the most adventurous tour we have. Good for you for signing up for it.” My daughters gave me the stink eye.
After riding in a bus for 25 minutes, we were loaded into an inflatable boat to head to the beach on a remote island. On the beach we received the requisite safety briefing, donned the “skirt” to seal the kayak opening and proceeded to our two-person sea kayaks.
My youngest daughter quickly jumped into the front of my husband’s kayak, so my older daughter was stuck with me. She and I have somewhat of a history with kayaks. We were once on a turtle tour in Hawaii and the turtles must have been elusive that day as we easily paddled far enough to reach Japan.
Here we were again, older, but no more in sync than when she was 12. Fortunately, it was a beautiful spring day by Alaska standards with temps in the 50s, a few clouds and, most importantly, smooth water.
As we launched, I appreciated the two-person kayak that also came with a foot-activated rudder to help direct us without having to consistently make course corrections with our paddles.
Just as we started out, the guides pointed to some spouts nearby. Yep, we were officially kayaking with whales. Check that off the bucket list!
We proceeded along the edge of the islands as it was low tide and various marine animals like starfish, mussels, crabs and jellyfish could be spotted. On land, bald eagles perched in the magnificent trees high overhead. Meanwhile, we paddled past an island dotted with seals.
While the guides pointed out the wildlife and told stories about the people and the animals of the region, my daughter and I plodded and paddled along, trying to not be the stragglers in the back who would get picked off by orcas.
As I paddled, tips from a kayaking class I took 30 years ago came back to me:
There were times when my daughter and I were in sync, but mostly we just tried to keep up with the group. Of course, her confidence in our teamwork was questioned when my husband jokingly told her, “You’re doing all the work, Mom’s just sitting there.” Thanks a lot, hubby!
I’m happy to report we paddled our way through the islands and arrived at the beach a little tired, but mostly dry.
On the final night of the cruise, we talked about our favorite things and my daughter/paddle partner declared she liked the kayaking adventure the best.
Maybe she will be inspired to help me wrestle those red kayaks down from the garage so we can practice our paddle strokes and explore local waterways as I had planned. Or maybe we should get my husband to do the paddling while we kick back and relax.
Fourn-yay – It’s great to be outdoors and seeing places that you can only access from the water. Dress right, and you’ll be fine even if it’s chilly.
Four-nay – You need to be committed because there’s no wimping out once you’ve launched…paddling to the end of the tour is your only option.
Kayaking not for you? Here are some other K adventures to try: Karate, Kite flying, go Karts, Kick boxing, Kitten cuddling.
Got something fun on your bucket list Nancy should try? We’d love to hear your suggestions at intentfullyfit@gmail.com
*Please note: This adventure was fully paid for; this is not a promotion or partnership.
