What makes kayaking fun?

[rasdoggy]

What is kayaking to you?

Is it a day on a river no matter what class of run with some friends?
A first D?
A personal First D?
Big waterfalls?
Manky creeks?
Multi-day trips?
Playin in the local hole bustin the new tricks?
Getting on a plane for adventure?
Watching the newest video with a cold one on a snowy night?

What is it, kayaking that is?

[Cutch]

Eddy Turns. Still the number one reason to kayak. There is nothing more graceful in a boat on a river.

[heliodorus04]

Having a boat where my legs used to be, the zen-like fusion of hull and body so that I'm a water-being

Conquering fears.

Having a playpark to jet to when it's 105 degrees out.

Throwing my boat around a wave.

Being out in the beauty of the high country.

Friends.

[erdvm1]

Adventuring with my friends..... When I run the $hit and they're there to see it........When I can't see the line and they show me the way........When I am getting worked in a hole and I can hear them laughing (which inspires me to stay in longer).......When there's trouble and I know that I wouldn't rather be on the water with anyone else. River folk make kayaking!

Oh and drinking "squeeze" at the take out.

[vaultman14]

kayaking to me is the unspoken bond all kayakers have with each other, the first time you roll up thats the best feeling ever, first waterfall, first thrashing in a hole, checking the flows in january just hopeing that something is running, and going to salida in febuary hahaha thats kayaking

[COUNT]

Definately all of the above. And I feel that I have to repeat the one about the bonds you make with the people on the river. It's amazing how close you become to people when everyone's trusting each other with their lives.

But also, the Escape. Nature provides us with a refuge from civilization/urbanity. For us, this refuge takes the form of that connection between man and water. It's amazing how everything becomes so much simpler when you're on the river; everyone's got each other's back and we're all just trying to survive while having as much fun as possible. Meanwhile the skills we develop allow us to see places and scenery that 90% of the world will never be able see outside of their screens and magazines.

All in all, though, I don't think anybody can say it's this one or that dozen things that keep us coming back for more. It's kayaking as a whole and everything we draw from it that causes us to be completely and inescapably addicted to the sport.

COUNT

[jeffro]

safety meetings

[WhiteLightning]

We all know about the feeling while you are paddling. It is the before and after that is more interesting.

For me it is the feeling of relaxed satisfaction I have in the car driving home at sunset, or at the campfire, the boater bar, or having some beer at the takeout after a good run paddling while you are still damp and have your river shorts still on. The flip side to that coin is the heart pounding driving to the put-in for a new or difficult (I'm not very good, so most everything is difficult) run, laying awake at night at camp wondering what the next day will bring on an overnighter, or any of that anticipation feeling you get.

[mccann]

taking the afternoon off today to go surf the spokane river in the snow by myself so i can wash off this week's dose of stress and get some of that good stuff on me

a good reason to go back to CO to hook up with the gang

a good reason for my friends to visit the NW

sweet anticipation

stern squirts, still my favorite move

how i met my wife

[howlie]

I will never forget my first combat role. I went upside down in a class III (I had only practiced my role in flat water at this point) and thought, ok here it is, my first attempt at roling in rapids. I kept cool, set up, and just before I rolled, my head hit a rock as hard as it can hit without getting knocked out. Still to this day it is the hardest I have hit my head in a river. However, I stayed focused, I set up again, pulled the paddle over my head, hip snapped, and bam...I was upright and still in the rapid. I yelled out the biggest hoorah of my life. I was hooked.

Later that day, I drank beers with my friends, we shared stories, and I knew from that moment on I wanted to do that same thing over and over again. It never gets old.