Well now that my mountain biking career is off to a good start and I am sufficiently bruised and battered from some all-star falls and one fantastic over the handle-bars launch, I gave sport #2 a shot.

This past saturday I took a whitewater kayak clinic from Snake River Kayak and Canoe. My buddy Nick and I took the course together, since we are both complete beginners. Let me just say, I’m probably a little better than this little kayaking toddler, but NOT MUCH.

Our instructor, Mark Rector, started us out in the pool getting situated in the boats, doing wet exits, and practicing basic strokes, braces, and maneuvering. We then did a short roll class. For anyone that has never attempted a kayak roll, it is a bit trickier than it looks when you see someone do it on the river. I assumed as a chick, the “hip snap” would be a no brainer. I have hips and I know how to use them…. or so I thought.

This is what it is supposed to look like:

I assure you, neither of our rolls looked that smooth or effortless. After the pool we suited up and headed for Flat Creek, named rightly for being one of Jackson’s tamest waterways. The calm waters were perfect for practicing our pool moves with an actual current. We headed down the creek and practiced getting in and out of eddies, slicing carve turns, ferrying across the water, and a little bit of surfing. Then, about an hour later we rounded a turn and there it was, the mighty Snake River, raging in all of its post-epic-winter madness. I got a little nervous, and just like clockwork a few minutes after paddling into the middle of the Snake, I hit a wave the size of an oreo cookie, flipped over and swam.

A quick save by Mark and we were back on the river to the take-out. A great day of instruction, and a good first try at a fantastic sport with what seems like a very very slow learning curve (or maybe I’m just a very very slow learner). I definitely woke up with sore muscles I never knew I had, but had a blast.

For anyone interested in learning to kayak, Snake River Kayak and Canoe runs courses often, and you can book a private lesson anytime. They offer womens clinics, and multi-day trips as well.