I bought a kayak!!

[Eden]

I'm so excited. I'm taking it out for a paddle on a local very gentle river (it's been diked for the most part, so it's always slow moving and calm) and I'm looking for lessons that will be a good fit for me. I got a very small light one that is still considered to be a performance boat - I think it's an amazing little boat for the money. I can't put much in it - even at my size I'm relatively close to the weight limit (125lbs) and I wouldn't take it on rapids/waves/really rough conditions, but that all suits me just fine. It's super, super light at 26lbs, so I can handle it and car top it myself easily. Still doing a happy dance

This is the one I got - A Current Designs Raven (with this color scheme even)

[Blueberry]

Very pretty!! We love to kayak - but sadly not locally (we're more salt water kayakers and we live 2 hours inland). I'm still on the hunt for lessons too - there are things I would like to know how to do - but in the meantime, have fun!!

ETA: Just looked at your flickr stream - you have some fabulous photos!!

[GLC1968]

Yay! It's a beauty!

We bought ours a few years ago and our favorite place to Kayak is in the San Juan's up your way. there are just so many cool places to see and camp. We've been with groups of friends multiple times. Locally, we've done mostly lake kayaking and one river (on rented kayaks). We did take lessons in the Columbia, too. We have a great local resource for lessons but they are here in the Portland area. I don't know any outfitters up your way, but I'm sure there are plenty to choose from.

[solobiker]

Congrats!! We have kayaks too. We were able to put them to better use when we lived up near the Great Lakes. We do hope to move to the PNW in the next few years. Have fun!

[emily_in_nc]

Congratulations, Eden!

I miss our kayaks so much -- we sold them due to our move to Belize. We had lovely Wilderness Systems touring kayaks. I am a lightweight, so your new boat is intriguing to me. I gotta go google it because kayaks are in our future for sure, and lightweight works for me!

Have fun!

[nilstha223]

Great to see excitement.
I will also buy and share.

[north woods gal]

Good for you, Eden. We live on a quiet lake with a small feeder stream that we can paddle up for at least a mile. I'm an experienced paddler and do all my work in a solo canoe, but my husband had never paddled before he met me, so we got him a kayak. We also have an extra kayak for guests when they visit.

As long as you stay out of the fast stuff and/or heavy waves, you'll do fine in a kayak. Very intuitive kind of craft to paddle and stable, since it sits low in the water. Actually, the hardest part is getting into and getting out of one. That can be a little tricky, at first. If you're ever in the area, bring your kayak.