It wasn’t intentional, but I’ve ended up trying a number of the traditional “adventure” sports recently: ocean kayaking, rock climbing, and sailing. I’m still not quite as extreme (aww) as I could be, but I’ve had a lot of fun!

A couple weekends ago, I gathered a few friends on the spur of the moment and went kayaking in the bay. (I actually lived across the street for a couple years, but never went while I lived there.) After a great breakfast at Town’s End, we threw on life jackets, jumped into our kayaks, and headed out on the bay. We paddled by AT&T Park, the Bay Bridge, and the bow and arrow, among other sites.

After that, I went rock climbing at the Stanford climbing wall with PKNT. Some of us (ahem) aren’t students any more, so we had to sneak in, which was a minor adventure of its own.

I’d done some light rock climbing before, but nothing on a wall. Nick knew what he was doing, though, so he taught us and belayed until we were comfortable enough doing it ourselves. It was a lot of fun, but it was also really intense. The adrenaline kicked in immediately, and by the end, my nerves were shot.

Finally, I’m going sailing tomorrow morning. I’ve been itching to try it for over a year, and the weather’s been so great recently that I couldn’t resist. If it goes well, I might have to bite the bullet and sign up for classes so I can get certified and take a boat out on my own. Fingers crossed…