DAY 3: Pictures and Kayaks

Today we split up into three different groups to do ‘Orientation Expeditions.’ My group learned about kayaking, and ‘the barn,’ basically the outdoor expedition center. After lunch, we went to the local pool, just a few minutes away at the Rec center. The pool was covered in a vacuum sealed bubble, so it was nice and warm. The twelve of us in the group all hopped into our kayaks and split up into smaller groups to work with instructors on different kayaking skills. We started by just getting into the water, then practiced capsizing, doing ‘wet exits,’ and different types of strokes. Once everyone was comfortable with that, we practiced sitting under water upside down for a few seconds at a time.

The ultimate kayak skill to start learning for the day was doing a roll (aka Eskimo roll). Before starting, we took a hot tub and breathing break, then headed back into the kayaks. It took me a while, maybe forty five minutes, but pretty soon I was getting close to doing the roll. One kid in our group, who was a very good kayaker, helped me with the last steps and finally I was able to roll! I then spent the rest of the time practicing and practicing again and again.

After coming back to campus, I had some time to talk pictures, which you can see below. I also got my photo editing software set up so I could make them black and white!