It’s here!  It’s here!  IT’S HEEEEEEEEEERE!  Pardon me, friends, but I can barely control my glee, because – paddling season is here!  I adore pretty much all paddlesports, but kayaking is my first and most enduring love, and I was starting to develop a twitch after only making it out on the water once last year.  (As old friends may recall, we spent pretty much every moment we could on the hiking trails last year, churning through the 52 Hike Challenge, which was a lot of fun but which definitely got in the way of kayaking.  It also didn’t help that we had such a wet summer last year – most weekend days saw a steady downpour, and when the weather was actually nice enough to get out, the boathouses were closed due to high water from all the rain.)  But as I said when I recapped the #52HikeChallenge, that was not going to be the story of 2019.  As Steve and I prepare for a weeklong ecotouring adventure in the Pacific Northwest, we are taking every chance we can to get those paddling muscles into shape.  And since last weekend was the first weekend the boathouses were open – some of them, anyway – we loaded up our gear and headed out as soon as we could.

We’d planned to put in from our favorite spot – Fletcher’s Cove, just upriver from Georgetown.  But it was closed due to – what else? – high water.  So we hurriedly scrabbled together a Plan B and headed off to check out the Wharf Boathouse instead.  The boathouse staff were duly impressed (or maybe amused) when we rolled up all holding our own paddles and with 3/4 of us sporting our own PFDs.  All we needed were the kayaks and a PFD for Steve.

For the first time, Nugget and I got a double kayak.  Last year, I kept him close to me in a single kayak, but at four, he’s old enough to follow directions and to understand that he needs to do what I say around the water in order to stay safe.

Peanut’s an old hand in the double kayak.  Can you even handle how bored she is?

We put in right at the Wharf and started paddling right away.  I loved the little blue and yellow ferries they had for transporting people across the river (which was very narrow at this particular spot).

That view!  I’ve never seen the Washington Monument from the water before – what a cool perspective.

Waved hello to the big yellow water taxis.  Nugget is the only one in our family who has ridden on one.  (How? you ask.  His nanny took him on an outing to National Harbor.)

There was also sightseeing for Mommy.  This boat is the Sloop John B.  Singing happened.  Around Nassau Town we did roam…

We headed to the nearest bridge, which was the boundary point for the Wharf kayak fleet, then turned around and went as far as we could in the opposite direction.  It was a lovely day out, and wonderful to feel the sun – but I have to admit, I couldn’t forget that I was paddling an urban river, the way I do when we’re at Fletcher’s.  I spotted a few pieces of debris in the river and it just felt busier and less pristine than the upriver area where we usually paddle.

Anyway!  We turned around again and headed back to the dock, but not before detouring briefly to check out the D.C. fire and police boats.  Nugget is obsessed with the Alexandria fire boat and we visit it about once a week, so he was delighted to see Fire Boat 201’s big city cousin.  The biggest of the fire boat fleet we saw was the John H. Glenn, Jr., and as we waved and turned our bow away we had NO IDEA how soon we would see that fire boat again – but the very next day, as we were walking the waterfront trail down in Alexandria, the John H. Glenn, Jr. came puffing along up the river, passing within 20 feet of our beloved Fire Boat 201 with streams of water spouting from every hose.  We were pretty sure it was some kind of a challenge.  Reports that we started snapping our fingers like the Jets and the Sharks are not exaggerated.

Heading back to the dock, checking out that view one more time.

And there we are – back to shore.  It was a short hour of kayaking, but felt so good to shake the dust off and be back out on the water.

The kids were decently good – good enough, at least, to earn a nice long stomp ‘n splash session in the fountain right by the boathouse.  Nugget enjoyed using his paddle to redirect the water sprays at the adults.

All in all, a successful first time out on the river, with many more to come!

Pssst – if you’re curious about our equipment:

• Me: Werner Camano paddle, Stohlquist Flo PFD.
• Steve: Werner Camano paddle, rented PFD.
• Peanut: O’Brien kids PFD, youth paddle purchased on Amazon and no longer available.
• Nugget: Speedo toddler PFD, youth paddle purchased on Amazon and no longer available.

Now back to daydreaming about the next paddle…