Re: [Paddlewise] Wilderness: Isolation or Adventure?

From: ralph diaz <rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com>
Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2000 15:08:49 -0700
> One of things I remember the most was coming out of the woods to my pick up
> point next to a highway.  What a stark contrast it was to see cars zooming
> by at 50 mph and people all around.  It was almost like a sensory overload.

Funny I get that feeling just paddling for a few hours in the waters off
of Manhattan.  This is particularly true if paddling in the relative
isolation of an area like along the Palisades cliffs on the Hudson just
north of the George Washington Bridge where you may not see a soul for
hours if paddling mid-week. It is such a shocker to see people again or
get into traffic heading back home.

It is one of the great things about urban paddling.  Not only is it
close but also you can feel a million miles away with a few minutes of
casting off from a dock or shore.

I always have felt that isolation and adventure is often as much a state
of mind as it is a physical reality.  There is no question that paddling
or hiking in many places like Alaska or the Caribbean can be
breathtakingly wonderous but if you can also find something akin to it
much closer to home in the waters of NYC or Washington DC, San
Francisco, etc.

ralph diaz
-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter
PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024
Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com
"Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not
to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************
Received on Wed Apr 19 2000 - 12:10:03 PDT

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:30:23 PDT