Planet Walt

no longer a Minnesotan?

I'm not sure if I can call myself a Minnesotan anymore after today, as I discovered that I hate being in human-powered boats, which is a quintessential Minnesota activity. I think I was in a rowboat when I was a Boy Scout 25 years ago and disliked it. I definitely had not been in anything since.

So today I went on a sea kayaking class/excursion on Minneapolis' chain of lakes. Here's what happened:

• We started on Cedar Lake, and my back started hurting really bad on Lake of the Isles. Halfway across Lake Calhoun I could not keep the boat straight, so I had to be towed in to shore.
  
• After lunch we headed back across Lake Calhoun. Once again, I could not keep the boat straight, so had to be towed to the canal between Calhoun and Isles. The problem: my legs went past the rudder foot pedals.
  
• On Lake of the Isles I started paddling on my own again, but soon capsized! Who knows how it happened, but going in the drink was a serious shock to the system. Heartbeat 1: "Huh?" Beat 2: "I'm under the water." Beat 3: "My glasses are off." Beat 4: "Frak the glasses!" Beat 5: "Go UP, fool!"
  
• My glasses were nowhere to be found in the murky depths. Although 10 years old I do...did wear them quite a bit. Frak!
  
• After I calmed down the group set off, but I was too rattled to paddle so was towed for a second time. I keep zig-zagging behind the tow kayak, though, so after a while I started paddling again on my own.
  
• We made it over to Cedar Lake with no problems but the frakking boat started to pull to the left once again. (I was supposed to go right.) I fought it for awhile, and then just let it take me to the shore it wanted. One there I capsized again trying to get out (!).
  
• I walked around the shore to where everybody else landed; the leader went and towed my kayak in. Once I got my soaked shoes off I discovered that I had ripped off a big patch of skin on my ankle. Nice.
  
• It started to rain as I was walking back to my car after we returned all the gear to storage.

So, I'm glad I tried kayaking since I've been curious about it for a long time, but it ain't for me.

P.S. The other Minnesota must-do thing I don't like is going to a cabin in the summers, but that's another story for another day....

Posted by wrjacobs at October 11, 2008 5:59 PM