Tomcat's Outdoor Adventures: Kayaking

I started out canoeing as a kid, with frequent trips down the Schuylkill River. Years later, I took my first kayak outing on Lake Erie with Puma. Not much later I bought my first kayak and have enjoyed it ever since. I soon took regular paddles on the Schuylkill River once again.

When I moved to Maine, the paddling opportunities were nearly endless. With 6,000 ponds and lakes and another 30,000 miles of rivers and streams, Maine is a paddling paradise. My most common destinations were the Piscataquis River, Moosehead Lake, Sebec Lake, and numerous other smaller lakes and ponds.

Paddling towards Mt Kineo on Moosehead Lake

Paddling down Penobscot River

Loons with a chick while paddling Lake Onawa

I left Maine for Colorado which offered very limited flatwater paddling. After five years in Colorado, I returned to the East in the middle of the Adriondacks. The Adirondacks are a paddling paradise much like Maine. I hit the water at least 15 times my first summer there. The Adirondacks contain about 3,000 lakes and ponds as well as 30,000 miles of streams and rivers. I often encounter wildlife while paddling in the Adirondacks and have seen countless loons, beavers, lots of turtles, water birds, and even a swimming moose. I often combine paddling with fishing.