i am NOT an athelete; Part 2

In an effort to remain young and fit, Wally and I have embarked on some athletic endevors. If you recall, last winter was cross country skis and snow shoes. I eventually was able to be up more than I was down and it was fun.

This summer has seen us riding bikes and hiking.

I don't have any really good pictures of me tipping over on my nephew's bike while visiting in Victoria. I also cannot find the photo of me flaked out in the hotel after climbing to some ridiculously high waterfall while vacationing in Portland.

And I do not have a photo of me in the kayak at Waterton today but let me tell you about the adventure.

This morning we loaded up our kayaks for an adventure in Waterton. This was to be the maiden voyage in our new "toys". I call them toys because they are flat bottom lake kayaks, chosen specifically for me because I am not an athelete and these kayaks are designed for calm, flat lake water. They are "virtually impossible to tip" and easy for the beginner kayaker.

Cameron Lake is one of my favorite spots. I was excited to try out my new boat. When we got out on the lake, we realized it was really alot bumpier than expected. Although there was not a breath of wind in the parking lot, the further we got out into the lake, the rougher it got. I managed to stay afloat and get myself and my equipment back to shore without issue. But I was disappointed and so Wally and I decided to go back down to the townsite and try the lake down there.

It was perfect! We paddled around and I felt like I might have finally found something I could really do! The water was like glass and the mountains were beautiful. I paddled along the shoreline with all the other kayakers and canoers. There were even a couple of toddlers in little red kayaks having a water fight with big supersoakers. It was a beautiful day and I was having a lovely time.

Wally enjoyed himself, as well. He was rowing like a pro and leading the way all afternoon. As we rounded the point and left the Prince of Wales Hotel behind us, I decided I wanted to adjust the little footrests in the front of my kayak. I headed for the shore and pulled myself up on the pebbled beach. I was making my adjustments when Wally came up beside me. He was getting hot so he wanted to take off his shirt. We got all adjusted, rehydrated and got ready to push off and carry on. Wally pointed to the other side of the lake where the mountains were now shading the water and we decided to try that route before we paddled back to the truck.

When I had packed up in the morning I had made sure I brought lots of water to drink, some fun snacks, fresh fruit and a change of shoes in case I didn't want to wear my wet water shoes on the ride home. Too bad I didn't think of a change of underwear and pants and a shirt and maybe a towel!

Yup; I tipped the untippable kayak.

Lessons learned:

1. Mountain water is COLD.

2. It takes about two hours for my columbia "quick dry" pants to kinda dry out a bit.

3. Cotton t-shirts don't dry well at all.

4. Underwear stays wet.