A few months back, Landon and I decided that we wanted to start kayaking. We live in one of the South's most beautiful cities (Charleston), and there's water all over the place. In fact, on a really high tide, we could launch a kayak from our backyard into the tidal creek that's back there!
Since I grew up in Charleston, I've been around the beach my entire life. Years and years ago, I tried (with all of my heart and soul) to surf, but I just didn't have the balance for it. Landon's definitely an outdoors-y kind of guy, and he was eager to find something we could both enjoy. Enter our new kayaks.
I'm still not the greatest kayaker ever, but I've really enjoyed the times we've gone out so far this year--it's just warming up to Natalie-acceptable temps, so I've refused to go out on all but the warmest of late winter/ early spring days. Landon's biggest fear when we first got the kayaks was that I would get bored (read: feel suddenly wimpy) and stop paddling halfway through the kayak trip.* In case of any impending wimpiness, Landon and I have figured out how to easily attach my kayak to his for a quick tow until I'm feeling back up to paddling!
So, here are few pics we took on our most recent kayaking trip to the mouth of Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant and out into the Charleston harbor:
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| Landon launched second, so I waited patiently for him. |
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| A beautiful, beautiful day |
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| On the bird sanctuary island in the harbor looking back towards Mount Pleasant. We found out later that we shouldn't have been on the island--it would have been a $450 fine if we'd gotten caught!! Next time, we'll do some research before we leave the house... |
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| Okay, so there were some signs or something up there. A second look would probably have been smart! But really, do we honestly need a sanctuary for sea gulls??? We have more than enough of them already down here! |
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| I love living near the ocean! |
*He may have good reason to believe this as showcased the summer before my senior year of high school. I went to camp that summer at the place where I'd always gone to camp; I was especially excited because I was eligible to join the senior kayaking trip out to a nearby island for exploring and picnicking. On the way back, the tide was going out. I paddled and paddled and paddled and got nowhere. Eventually, I gave up and did what any sensible person would do in that situation: I bawled like a baby until the camp counselors came out to get me in a motor boat. Shame was my middle name for the rest of the camp session.
