By James Yarsky
My wife bought me an inflatable kayak on my sixtieth birthday. She did this because I could not connect with Washington DC or Southwest in any meaningful way. I missed my beloved Brooklyn, you see. But I always loved water and so I took the kayak to the launch point at Anacostia and that was it. Since then, I’m in the water every day that I am not at work despite the season or the weather. My wife knows me pretty well.
I take my dog, Annie, with me. She is a hound dog mix who likes the smells. Every day, when I grab her life vest to put it on her she looks like a puppy even though she’s almost fourteen years old. Just two old timers paddling their way through life. When the water gets particularly choppy, she turns around from facing the bow of the boat and requests reassuring pats on the head. Which I give. She is a dear friend and asks for so little.
My inflatable kayak wore out after a year and a half and I bought a proper (used) kayak on craigslist. That’s been our boat ever since. It’s fast and it tracks beautifully and it can handle all of the seasonal obstacles that come with kayaking in DC and Southwest. For example, this year was particularly icy during the winter and I was able to paddle quickly and glide up onto floating ice sheets. It was great fun and the rugged plastic bottom of the kayak fared well under the duress. There are numerous places in DC from which to launch a kayak and all of them have their unique attributes.
Lately, I’ve been walking my kayak to the various points of entry in Southwest and Southeast. I attach wheels to the boat and pull it up to the small dock on the Anacostia near Nats Park. I think we’re a fun site for the neighbors – an old man walking a dog and a boat. I can head up the Anacostia River past the boathouse or I can head toward the Potomac and paddle around to the Washington Channel and pull the boat out at the Haines Point dock. Or, if it’s open, I can pull the boat up to the kayak landing on the Wharf and enjoy a shorter walk home.
There are often magnificent birds to enjoy on the trip including bald and golden eagles, herons, cormorants and gulls. I never thought I’d be a bird guy but there it is.
Mostly though, it’s the water. It’s the motion of the water or it’s the manner in which the wind and the tide affect the journey or it’s the way the sun bounces off the water or it’s the sheer size of the water when you’re in a small boat. There is something humbling about the experience. Every time. Every time.
If you don’t own a kayak, I suggest you try it out. You can rent a kayak at the Wharf for a reasonable price. It’s not for everybody but it is a singular feeling to be out there. And when your stroke improves, you may find yourself challenging your body and your mind in ways you never thought of before.
