Hood River, Oregon
‘I try to do at least three sports in a day.’ So says Moe Dixon, one of my new friends in the Gorge. I may not be up to as many as three a day, but I’ve debuted in two new sports this week, so I’m working on it. The other day I went mountain biking for the first time, and today I had my first experience in a kayak.
We went down the same stretch of river that was in full flood earlier in the week. The waters have subsided somewhat, but the run was still a Class 3, which I believe means moderate difficulty. (Class 5 is tough but you’d be unlucky to die. Class 6 is extremely tough and you’d be lucky to live.)
It was a lot harder than it looks. Just trying to get the inflatable kayak to go in a straight line, and forwards rather than backwards, was quite a challenge. I zig-zagged inelegantly around the river like a drunken duck.
But everyone has to start somewhere. It was fun, and with a few decades more practice I might even manage to steer straight…