Part 2 of Pass the Pepper Now, you would think it would have been the last piece of information that caused me pause, being that a city man such as myself only owns things that have their origins in denim. However, being as green as one could get in the world of Paddling, I had a long list of What If, and How’s to be added to it-75% of them about Bears, naturally. Matt listened to my hypothetical and hyperbolic concerns and reiterated that 1) This trip was, according to Paddle In’s Andy Cummings, who (full disclosure) has been a friend of mine for some time; an easy trip that would be a perfect learning experience and 2) That I would not only learn some amazing new skills, that I wouldn’t be eaten by a Bear on his watch…unless I brought jeans. This was to be the realization of three years of friendly harassment to finally get me in the canoe to learn and share in the passion that the Paddle In family has been telling me about for years. I had sat on the sideline, using the same old tired excuses of work, money, and lack of knowledge to avoid these trips while other mutual friends of ours jumped at the challenge. So, finally, I agreed. Not skeptical at the prospect of achieving the things that had been promised, but at the feeling of being wholly unprepared for what awaited me. I was excited though, and found myself embracing all of the things that are truly great and cheesy about trying something new. I over packed, made a few needless purchases that I will never use, and almost forgot my rain jacket as I headed out the door. But I made it…swimming in a pair of awkward cargo pants and sporting the bloodshot eyes of someone who hadn’t seen the front side of 5am since early morning hockey practice; I was as ready as I ever would be. -to be continued Photos courtesy of Nicolette Hoang
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 13:39:28 +0000
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