I Finally Learned to Paddleboard

Ever since I first watched my sister paddleboarding on lakes in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, I wanted to try it.  It was only this summer that I finally got that chance.  

I from many people that it was super hard but I knew I wouldn't find it as hard as most people who try it for the first time because I have experience surfing and kayaking. 

I wasn't ready to go out and buy a paddleboard without knowing if it was something I wanted to do or not so when I overheard some people at work talking about lessons at the Mira Provincial Park, I had to learn more. 

Long story short, I signed up for a lesson, headed out to Mira after work one fine evening in July, learned the basics before paddleboarding for an hour on the Mira River and fell in love!  With paddleboarding that is.  While I love surfing and kayaking, by the end of the summer, I realized that I actually like paddleboarding even more! 

I left work and drove to Mira almost every Thursday evening to hone my paddling skills. I surprised myself and was able to stand up on the board the very first night, but not for long.  By the end of the summer, I was an old pro, paddling out further and further each time and getting strong and more stable on the board.  On the last night, I stood up on the board the entire lesson!

Most evenings were calm on the water but there was one that stood out from the rest for being particularly windy and choppy.  I didn't have any difficulty paddling out but coming back was another story!  No matter how much I paddled, I just couldn't get the board to turn around to head back to shore.  I just kept drifting out toward the island.  The instructor yelled directions to me to try but nothing worked and eventually, I had to be towed in.  Let me tell you, I got quite the workout that evening!  I was exhausted when I got to shore but was glad to have gotten a lesson in what can happen when high winds come up!

I think it's pretty safe to say that I will be attending these lessons next summer too if they're offered.  Or maybe I will just go out and buy a board of my own!