Sometimes an adventure is right at your fingertips. You just have to know how to find it. Right now, time and funds are limited. But our kids are little and now is the time to seize the day.
Waiting for “the right time” to travel is like waiting for the right time to start a family or buy a house. Some of the things in life that are best for you, just have to be priority.
Sometimes there is no right time. Sometimes, it is the only time. The only time they will be 2 and 4. The only time we can still fit a family of 4 in a 2-seater kayak. Now is the best time to seek adventure.
We don’t have to go far to find an adventure. With 2 little boys, it is shedding a whole new light on our home turf. We are exploring our well-stomped stomping grounds all over like when we were kids ourselves.
Anyone, anywhere can do this. You just have to put your mind to it and keep your heart in it. You don’t even have to know a place all that well.
Take the time to think simple. Take our latest excursions for example. They came together for an experience our boys will never forget.
First, a day that we tested our limits. The kids were rested and stoked about taking a kayak adventure out to the beach, so we tested it out.
We had piqued their interest, so we paddled out to a barrier island at a state park. They made the paddle across the river and were excited for the board walk out to the beach.
With a backpack full of snacks and water, and their energies still high after the mile board walk, we kept going, up the beach, taking breaks under the mangroves to keep them rested, but intrigued.
We explored every nook and cranny and make our way another mile up to the jetty. They were seeing a whole new world. They forgot their little legs had never even gone this far.
Even through the 2-mile trek back to the kayak and the paddle back across the river, they kept talking about all of the new things they had seen. Their taste for adventure was piqued. We pushed our limits and tested their endurance and it was a win.
The second and third trips, although weeks apart, were exploratory Sunday paddle trips. Testing out routes that we hadn’t paddled in years.
Launching for different local spots to see how feasible things were with the boys. Although none of them terribly different that the others, we were experiencing them from a new point of view.
Which routes were kid-friendly? Which had periodic beaches to pull up to for taking breaks? Which were safer with less boat traffic? Through exploring these routes, we found a small beach landing on the river side of a barrier island.
We pulled up, hiked around, and quickly realized this section of the beach was fairly remote.
Seems like this little cut through may not be very well known. The beach in this section was very difficult to access from any other way. Hmmm….this calls for another trip.
One slightly more calculated . . .CAMP OUT! Our own taste for adventure was taking over. We were absolutely more excited than the boys!
We strategically planned minimal camping gear and ended up landing on a weekend with PERFECT weather. We loaded up a couple dry bags and a small cooler, piled ridiculously high on a surprisingly tippy kayak . . .what could go wrong!
At least we had a solid idea for the best launch point and route from some of the previous scouting trips!
We were off. Waves were a bit bigger than usual, but we’re fairly experienced on the water and in kayaks so we were comfortable, even with the kiddos.
Getting to our secret landing point and crossing over to the beach with our gear wasn’t too bad. We found the perfect spot and enjoyed the time just being away from it all.
Since we didn’t see a single other soul for the 18 or so hours we were out there, the boys enjoyed not having to wear swim suits and getting to pee where they wished.
It’s just that easy. A night under the stars and an early morning sunrise. Nothing new, yet all new. I’ve scoured nearby beaches and every water way in this area over the last 20 years or so and yet I regard this local adventure as one of the best I’ve ever had.
My point: Even if you have been there, done that, do it again. With a fresh pair of eyes. Look for the things you never saw before. Experience the details you took for granted. Sometimes even the most traveled roads can take you to destinations that you never saw coming.
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