It's not where you paddle...

“Looked like a nice trip,” said the email from a kayaking friend who had viewed a photo album I just posted. “One of the best I’ve been on.” “Really? It didn’t look as exotic as some of the places you go.” It wasn’t, but there were two things that didn’t come through in the pictures. First, the conditions were awesome. The air was warm and Lake Michigan provided enough waves to make it interesting without making some of the less experienced paddlers nervous. More importantly, the group chemistry was amazing. Pull together a party of any size and you’ll probably get a cross section of society. That is, it’ll include some issues people, complainers, and others who detract from the experience. This group was pure fun people making the event extraordinarily enjoyable from beginning to end. It’s not so much where you paddle, it’s who you paddle with.