[Paddlewise] "First longish trip with my girlfriend..."

Now you paddlewisers! It is time TO GET OUT OF CLOSET!
It is time to tell about FAMILY TRAUMAS and GET PERSONAL
(if you´re thinking we are not getting very too much out of subject, 
which is paddling, of course)...

How humiliating or stupid or funny a) your( first?) paddling 
experiences have been b) what has it done to your relationships?
Share it with us, if it is not too intimate and personal. OK?

Personally, I do still feel like a piece of s##t because it took some 
time to take my lady seriously and have some rest (three days, oh my 
god!  what an a##!)
  
Your´s, Ari

From: Ari Saarto  ( asaarto_at_lpt.fi) 

>BTW: our first longish trip with my girlfriend started with a quiet
>sulky silence during the first 90 kilometres.. still together after
>that experience.

From:          "Brian Heifner" <bheifner_at_Rational.Com>

Hah hah! I can beat that. The first day of our first trip actually
involved tears. The trip started on the North end of Vancouver
Island at Port Hardy. We were on a 6 day guided trip, with people that
we had met only the night before in a park in Port Hardy. (Yes it
was a professional outfit. They turned out to be quite good).

Any way, after several miles we stopped to eat and stretch. As we
were getting ready to go the guides suggested we put on warmer clothes
as we were going to get into the wind. The next three hours involved
running from point to point against the tide and against the wind.
It was hellatious, the wind was screaming, the swells were crashing over
our bow.

I didn't mention that we were in doubles. Jackie was in the front. At some
point she made some kind of remark, it was probably about dying or something.
I started laughing as I was having the adventure of a lifetime. Sure
I had thought about dying, but it was us against the elements! Jackie
turned to me and stated *very* fiercely "I'm not laughing!." It was about
then that I realized she had tears flowing down her face. She had been
quietly sobbing for the last 45 minutes. It was either the thought of
dying, or the thought that if we lived she was going to
have to do this for the next 6 days. Remember this was our first trip.

The rest of the trip was a total blast, and we were hooked on sea kayaking.
Regarding that first day, the wind was probably only 15 to 20 knots, and
in the big doubles we had the waves really weren't all that bad. At the time
we were in hell. Jackie and I now see the wind and waves as a fun
challenge - as long as we don't go out in really bad conditions. As a side
note we got married almost a year ago.

Brian H.
Portland OR.

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