I was never enthusiastic about outside adventures but I do
want to share about a subculture in adventure that I have tried this weekend in
Clarion River-Pennsylvania. To be honest I have never learnt swimming, and, I fear
going too close to any rivers or lakes. But on Saturday I have tried for the
first time in my life Kayaking, for seven miles and two and a half hours long.
Aside from adventure and enjoyment there were few life lessons that I have
learnt from this adventure of mine.
Kayaking is a water sport that involves paddling using a
double-bladed oar and a small boat known as a kayak. The first one and a half
hour when I started kayaking was one of the best moments of life, but as we
started at 4pm we had to reach our destination before sunset, and last one hour
was very tensed as we thought we lost our way and it was getting dark.
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| A picture I captured while kayaking across Clarion River |
First lesson I have learnt is Overcoming fear, fear of going
on the boat in the water, I went in with my life jacket but once I started to
peddle, I was so full of adrenaline and confidence that I had already taken my
jacket off because it was restricting me to move my hands freely.
The lake was a way to escape from the world, no internet
connection, just trees, water and you in the middle of the river,
Second lesson for me was to improve myself from steering the
boat in the right direction, there was no shortcuts, I had to learn it.
Similarly, in life we need to direct ourselves in the right direction choose
the right path and do what is necessary.
Another important life lesson I learnt from this trip is
there’s no going back or quitting, once you set out on the path you cannot turn
back, you must keep on going, no matter how difficult it gets. It got difficult
after an hour but I still had to keep on going to reach our destination.
Similarly, our life doesn’t go as we plan, we lose jobs, we get bad grades, but
we have to accept our failure and work hard.
I really enjoyed this post because it is so real. That was a very big this for you to go out and trying something new that is terrifying to you. But now you are not a scared and have probably found a new hobby. I also really liked the picture you took, it is absolutely beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYes I do think I found a new hobby, I will probably go back again to try it once more.
DeleteI love your last paragraph and how you related kayaking to life experiences. I have been kayaking once and it was a blast! I hope to go kayaking many more times next summer as I hope you do too.
ReplyDeleteI wrote this journal, couple hours later after kayaking, and that is the reason I was able to write down my experience of kayaking. I hope I will go many more times.
DeleteI always felt like kayaking was a really beautiful way to get rid of stress and appreciate nature.
ReplyDeleteIt was a wonderful way to forget the world and just enjoy the nature, I hope you go for kayaking soon!!!
DeletePretty cool area indeed. The Clarion River runs right the area i am from in Pennsylvania.
ReplyDeleteWow, it should have been amazing to be from such an area, where there's less hustle and bustle of the city and more peacefulness.
DeleteI love how you drew a parallel between kayaking and life lessons. I agree with you that in life we have set backs and we have to overcome those set backs in order to grow and reach our goals. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI was able to compare it with my life because I never go out for adventures like this, but when I went for kayaking I realized that kayaking was just a life lesson for me apart from being an amazing experience.
DeleteNice, I like your braveness, being in a water is crazy specially when you don't know how to swim. I think learning how to swim is necessary for you life because you never know what is gonna happen to you in the future.
ReplyDeleteI also think that some activities like swimming, running are very important, you might never know when you'll need it. It is also very helpful to keep you fit.
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