We got inflatable kayaks for Christmas. It’s now July.
So my son and I, the only adventurous people in our house, jumped in the car and headed off to try out the new kayak. We had grand plans. I felt I had done my research, but I was a little nervous because I had also read that inflatable kayaks were dumb and any TRUE kayaker would have a trailer or a rack and would have a fiberglass kayak and inflatable ones were just glorified pool toys.
So…social media, thanks for that confidence.
But my ten-year-old doesn’t know that, and we weren’t about to abandon our great adventure. So we threw “Bob” in the back of the car, grabbed some McDonalds breakfast sandwiches, and headed up the mountain to the nicest little lake I know.
I chose this lake because I’ve never seen people out on and if inflatable kayaks are really uncool, maybe we’d be safe from the judgment of the real kayaking crowd. Thirty minutes and one wrong turn later, we sat in the parking lot of the community boat dock reading the signs in bold print:
PRIVATE LAKE – MEMBERS ONLY – VIOLATORS WILL BE TOWED
Did I mention that my boy is a rockstar and he took it like a champ? I asked if he wanted to head deeper into the mountains to just play in the river, but he replied matter-of-factly, “No, I’d like to try out the kayak.”
Now, let me remind you there’s no cell service in them thar hills, and the only other hidden mountain lake I knew was an hour drive south through the tail of the dragon. So, I sighed and resigned myself to what I had known all along was left but didn’t seem nearly as glamorous as a private lake in the mountains.
I drove home.
Not, like, to my house home. I drove to the lake right behind my house. The one we drive past on the way to school every day but have never been to? Yeah…that one. And at a stoplight, I checked the map and remembered that our little town actually has an entire park dedicated to swimming, boating, and watersports. *cue nervous laughter* Oops!
So there we were, blowing up our kayak by hand, surrounded by kayakers and paddle boarders, and boaters. And do you know what? Not a single person made fun of us or laughed at us.
In fact, some ladies with blow up paddleboards (apparently NOT dumb or mid to have one of those because we saw five) answered all my questions and they were absolutely fabulous and excited for us. Nothing like the social media troll I had encountered earlier this week.
We pumped up our kayak, tossed in some water bottles, and successfully launched “Bob” on his maiden voyage. It didn’t even matter what we looked like doing it. We were kayaking! Then we spent an hour paddling around enjoying the cool breeze on the lake, the bumpy waves created by passing ski boats, and the giant blue herons soaring in circles overhead.
The kayak was perfect. My boy was perfect. It was all perfect.
And the best part was, we didn’t have to drive hours or pay a dime. We literally just needed to step out our door and try something new.
So there’s my lesson: Forget what everyone else is or isn’t doing, and remember what you have right in front of you. Summer fun might be closer than you think!
(PS. If your parents DIDN’T buy your family kayaks for Christmas, fear not…we have a whole guide to Knoxville Summer Water Rentals and I can guarantee there’s a place near you.)
