Sunday, September 1, 2013

I Love Kayaking!

Do you love kayaking? Marianne Somes is one of many paddlers with disabilities who have been making good use of adaptive kayaking programs offered by DCR's Universal Access Program this summer in Massachusetts. If you feel hesitant or fearful about kayaking, read on!  If you love kayaking, can you say it better than this? Thanks Marianne for sharing your passion for the outdoors in this Guest Post!

Hello to all you wonderful people out there! My name is Marianne Somes and I love being outdoors. I love kayaking as it is so freeing and relaxing. The kayak I use is a Kestrel 120 OC with two small pontoons on the back end for extra stability. Kayaks are very stable boats to begin with and the addition of the two small pontoons to this boat makes it extremely stable.

I have been kayaking for years now with adaptive programs. I would live on a kayak if I could.


My passion for kayaking is clear when my smile is so huge and I am totally relaxed the rest of the day. It really is a very nice way to get stress relief from life's everyday trials. It's also an awesome way to get some exercise. I love paddling and taking on white caps on windy days. I even go on cooler days dressing in wind pants and a sweatshirt. The waves relax me beyond belief. Sometimes I spend all day kayaking if they are not booked full up by other people. Some quotes from the wonderful people who I go kayaking with are “ Marianne, your smile is so big.” “You were born to boat!”, and “You just go for it!” . I feel like I don't have a disability when I'm on the water. Of course I also feel as if I'm on island time, laid back, peaceful, and relaxed.

I strongly recommend trying it as the people who help and run the adaptive programs are extremely friendly and ready to accommodate anyone who might want to try kayaking out for the first time or assist someone who already knows the particulars of being on the water. Hey, whatever it is you do in life make sure you get some time outdoors, for it will really speak to you and I'm betting it will bring you peace!

No comments: