Paddle Boarding, Kath's 30 for 30

Over the weekend Kath and I rented stand up paddle boards from the University of Utah Outdoor Recreation Program. They offer low rental prices on pretty much any outdoor equipment you can imagine, it's fantastic. 

We decided on paddle boarding, because it is part of Kathy's 30 for 30 bucket list. More on that later, keep reading.

She and I opted for the inflatable paddle boards, since we weren't' sure how we could transport full size ones on our car.

* For the record, inflatable is the way to go. Once they are blown up they are sturdy and surprisingly heavy, just like the regular boards.* 

Sunday morning we drove up to East Canyon Resevior and found a great spot off to the side of the road to park. This meant we didn't have to pay the $10 fee to have beach access from the road, but it also meant we had to hike down to the beach....

Upon first inspection the trail down to the beach looked fine, but then we remembered all the equipment we had to carry. Well, when there's a will, there's a way and we found a way.

The beach isn't THAT far, right?

Let's do This!

Well, after a very treacherous hike down, and after only a few "F" words we made it to the beach a little discouraged and disheveled. We rolled out the paddle boards and felt even more deflated (pun-intended) as we realized it was going to take us years to blow the boards up. 

So with grumpy attitudes we got to work, and to our surprise they both inflated within a matter of minutes. Our day and our marriage was saved!

Pumping, not just for nursing women anymore!

We spent the rest of the day out on the lake, which we had practically to ourselves *note, see no one behind me in this pic* The only thing that was missing was food- we didn't think we would love it so much and stay all day. We fueled with bananas and almond butter, and dates wrapped in coconut all day. Oops. Regardless, we both mastered standing up and paddling. We also paddled on our knees and occasionally rode around them like they were our own personal canoes. It was a riot and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Me

Kath

We're Doing It!

The reason we decided to try paddle boarding, having never done it before, was because of Kathy's 30 for 30 bucket list. She decided about 2 weeks ago that she wanted to accomplish 30 different and varied tasks before her 31st birthday which is November 7th. 

The list includes items such as;

• Eat at a Michelin Star restaurant
• Compete in a Triathlon
• Paddle Board
• See a Broadway Play
• Meet with a Financial Adviser

etc....

I really admire this idea and I admire Kathy for thinking of such an awesome idea, following through with it and really setting some challenges for herself in the next few months. Not everything on the list is easy to do, and not all of them have to do with entertainment.

I believe it will help make Kath's 30th year the best yet, and she'll enter 31 being a more well rounded, well versed individual. Go Kath!