I tried stand up paddle boarding!

I finally did it! I tried stand up paddle boarding, and it was awesome! I’m not lying when I say I’ve been wanting to try it for close to six years! I know, what was I waiting for? I think I was partly nervous I’d fall flat on my face…basically face plant on the board…and then roll very ungracefully into water. Or bypass the face plant part and just fall sideways…very ungracefully into the water. Either way I would look like a mess and probably in front of a huge crowd of laughing onlookers.

I’m happy to say none of that happened. I didn’t fall once! There also wasn’t a crowd of onlookers. I was pretty much alone on a large portion of Rollins Pond with only a loon to keep me company. The water was so calm that it looked like glass and I was able to catch my reflection multiple times. Every time I’d think, “Holy cow. I look like a pro!” Yeah in my mind it was a pretty fast transition from clumsy Caroline to professional stand up paddle boarder.

I even became bold enough to take my camera with me. In hindsight that was a dumb move, but I got cool pictures. Well, more like selfies of me squinting while holding a paddle. Haha. It makes me think a waterproof case might be a good purchase at some point.

It seemed easiest to kneel on the board and then once I was about 10 feet from shore I stood up. I noticed that I easily found a comfortable spot for my feet and quickly got into a rhythm. Overall, I was surprised how much easier it was than I thought it would be. I even managed to paddle out a few feet with each of the girls for a picture and to let them experience it too.

Kris tried it out too, despite not being nearly as interested as me. He didn’t fall either. Although I stopped watching him when I heard the ice cream truck driving past our campsite. Sorry Kris!

I’m teasing. I got some pictures of him too. But we really did leave him for ice cream. He met us at the ice cream truck still wearing his life jacket. Apparently the girls were disappointed that he was still dry. I think they assumed one of us would have fallen in. Nope, we’re both pros now!

Now I’m counting down until we have a bigger house with more storage space. I’d love a paddle board but think I’ll rent them for awhile until I truly know what kind I want to buy. From what I understand there are so many different options out there. It’s also not high on the priority list of things to spend money on. Let me know if you have a paddle board and can offer any advice of what type to purchase.

Let this be a lesson. Don’t be afraid to try something new. You might realize it’s not as hard as you thought it would be 🙂