There is a saying (I have no idea where it comes from) that says what you do on New Year’s Day sets the tone for the year. Well, for the past several years I have started my New Year’s off with a paddle. The Birmingham Canoe Club always holds a “feast on the beach” at the take out property the club owns on the Mulberry River and it’s a nice little paddle if you put in at the park in Garden City and paddle to our property. This year the weather was an issue. Cold and a steady drizzle that started during the night. That meant rising water levels. But, I really NEEDED to start my New Year off with a kayaking trip so I went. I was not alone. There were seven others who were as a crazy as I was. One of them was my nephew who was kind of “coerced” into going, but he loves me and kayaking. Here is a little movie trailer I made to commemorate the trip. Most of the video is of Andy Lee, because it’s hard to take video of yourself. And, I get excited on trips and forget to take video and get focused on playing on the waves. There was no feast on the beach, a) because of the steady rain, and b) as the water rises the beach kind of disappears. However, we did enjoy hot chocolate in the parking lot.
Why paddle the rain and cold? I don’t know. I find peace and balance on the water. It lets my mind go and for a few hours I am in control of where I’m going and what I’m doing. I know, I know…I’m always in control of that. But, really, are we in control? The river is the one place where I work on answering that question. It challenges me physically and mentally. It’s close to running, but very different. Just for the record I did the Resolution Run the day before at Red Mtn. Park, another special gift to our area. Running let’s me hash out the frustrating parts of my brain in a physically exhausting way.
I will be posting more videos now that we have “local water”. There are no commercial outfitters on most of the rivers I mention here, but the Birmingham Canoe Club does organize trips and offers classes in the Spring. You can also check out the Alabama Cup Racing Association, which hosts all of the canoe and kayak races coming up in February and March. Anyone can come watch those and learn more about our local paddling scene.
I hope you did something to set the tone for your year. Obviously my tone is going to be getting outside!
helen2o 