Kayaking the Coast

     The best part of every Paddlesport Industry Association Conference is the opportunity to paddle.  Of course this year’s conference in Panama City Beach, Florida isn’t any different and we were able to get out and paddle.

     A group of members, all paddling enthusiasts, gathered on the beach for a day of kayaking.  There was a mission to this paddling trip as we were on a Geo-Cache hunt.  I have a GPS and know how to turn it on and see how it tracks my path.  I obviously don’t look at it often enough to realize when trees have obscured the view of the satellite and it is no longer tracking my trail.  When this happens the GPS is no longer of use to me so most of the time it does not accompany me on my explorations.  I chose not to use the GPS while kayaking but relied on other’s and their directions as to how close we were to these caches.

     This idea of geo cache hunting was fun for me.  I love to have a purpose, mission or destination when I’m doing something so this adult treasure hunt intrigued me.  We made our way across a busy channel and then paddled along the shore of Shell Island.  The island isn’t shaped like a shell so I was extremely pleased with how it got it’s name.  Numerous shells dotted the shoreline and while some people are satisfied with purchasing shells I have an addiction to collecting them.

     The serious treasure hunters were armed with their GPS’s and before long we made our way onto shore.  We were close to the geo cache but we were having difficulty finding it.  Finally someone got the idea to dig and sure enough, there the treasure was.  We went and found another cache before heading back to the beach and calling it a day.

     A fun day it was.  Searching for treasures like modern day pirates while paddling a kayak underneath the warm sun.  The only way it could get any better than that is if it was in the Boundary Waters or Quetico Park.  Keep your eyes on our website for geo-cache opportunities in the summer of 2008 and have some fun of your own.