Success is a subjective feeling, and sometimes it comes from the smallest accomplishments. Even though my family has completed several multi-day backpacking and kayaking adventures– including some amazing ones this past summer– it wasn’t until I took the kids on my own that I really experienced the rush that comes with a significant accomplishment.
between the stacks near Jesse Island
It was an easy day-paddle done on a lazy afternoon from the Brechin boat launch. The sun shone, and the wind kept us cool as we skimmed the smooth sea. We paddled through the Jessie Island sea stacks and along the shores of Newcastle Island, and stopped for a fun playtime in the grassy park. I’m sure the kids will remember it as an afternoon with Dad, watching some racoons playing on the shore; as for me, I’ll remember it as the day I did it on my own (I can hear moms everywhere laughing).
pinkie-swear
The success was in handling the kayak and the children at the same time. My Current Designs Libra is a staggering 21′ long and 115 pounds. In the water, it’s a behemoth to paddle, but manoeuvring it on land is another story, and getting it onto my 14.5′ Jeep is hilarious. But, after buying a set of kayak wheels and installing some Hully Rollers on my Jeep, I figured out how I can load and unload the kayak with the help of Hemingway (5 years old). When I transition to the stern once I’ve put the bow onto the rollers, he holds the kayak and stops it from rolling off.
Long live the small victories.
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- Jesse Island off the starboard bow
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- two kids, one sea star
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- Reach for it
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- cookie monsters like to ride the waves too
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- between the stacks near Jesse Island
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- taking shore-leave
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- sea star, sea star by the sea shore
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