5 January 2010
Five years ago, after hearing me talk about it for most of our marriage, my wife decided she wanted to get certified in scuba diving. She's loved it every time we get a chance since then. Both of us are licensed motorcyclists. We both enjoying camping (although she likes to DRIVE to the campsite while I don't mind hiking / backpacking). My best friend keeps trying to get me to go skydiving. I just can't bring myself to do it - and really don't have the guys or desire. For all that, I strongly encourage folks to try new adventures and recreational activities. This week I thought we'd discuss a few, what it takes to start out and some of the better locations.
SCUBA
Or snorkeling. One or the other or both. Obviously this is something I enjoy. I started swimming when I was four and took my swim lessons in Ocean City, Maryland. I actually took my swim test in the ocean. Diving, depending on your level of training and how much money you want to invest in your own gear, can be enjoyed from depths as shallow as ten feet or as deep as 300+ feet. I've been to 130 feet (give or take a few feet because I'm never going to admit to going past the PADI recreational depth limit) and it was interesting. The challenge is that the deeper you go (typically) the less bottom time you get. There is a TON of new stuff you can see beneath the waves:
- Fish
- Plants
- Aquatic mammals
- the collage of mixed life that exists beneath the water and no where on dry land
Getting started can cost you as little as $200 in gear or it can cost you upwards of $3,000 if you want to go "top shelf" and buy ALL of your own new gear. A decent starting set up not including a wetsuit is running in the neighborhood of $1200.
SKIING
This isn't something I've ever done: not on snow anyway. I've been water skiiing but, as I understand it, they are drastically different. One person told me that falling on snow hurt more than falling on water. Obviously that person never fell water skiing at 40mph. My father-in-law cracked a couple ribs doing that. Balancing on two skis is not difficult - side to side - but it's the front to back balancing that can be a challenge. If you don't have strong legs and flexible knees this probably isn't something you want to try. Then again, as I type this, 2/3 of the country is experiencing temperatures below 35F, so you may not have a choice.
SNOW TUBING
I've been tubing on the water, as have all my kids. My wife has recently started talking about taking our son to a nearby resort to go snow tubing. Truth be told, we've been snow tubing at the same times we've gone sledding across the past few years. The added bounce of the tube when you hit bumbs and gouges can make the ride more interesting than just a simple sled. The tubes that are manufactured for water-tubing will also work on snow but having a cloth platform across the top of the tube opening is better on snow. You really don't want anything bumping into the ground (hard) while you're riding down a packed snow hill.
SNOWBOARDING
This one is quite beyond me even though I did skateboard a lot as a younger person(I worked hard to say "kid"). Balancing forwards and backwards as well as side to side with your feet fixed on a single, albeit wider, board is a bit more challenging that skiing can be. Rather than depending on your knees and thighs you do a lot more work with your ankles and calves. Some padding is a good idea because if you wipe out on the snowboard it's staying attached to you and your feet / knees / legs are moving together in the same direction. Hopefully the rest of you is going the same way. The good news is that if you're any good surfing or skateboarding you have a good chance at enjoying snowboarding. Nothing else is exactly like it.
MOUNTAIN BIKING
Although my first exposures with this were in the law enforcement environment where cops were riding bikes to patrol and the bikes had to be robust in their design to put up with all of the terrains the cops might travel, I first thought of it as a recreational activity when a police officer friend of mine completed the training and then started riding his bike all the time - because he enjoyed it so much. The incongruity I found was that "mountain" biking isn't. A Mountain Bike is almost ideally suited for traveling the terrain in many cities. No, it's not the best thing for stricktly on-the-road travel, but if you're going up or down stairs, ramps, parks, running paths, etc it's far better than most "race" bikes. Additionally, it's capable of carrying more gear without being overloaded or off-weight. Depending on where you might decide to go biking, you might also want to have food, drink, a sweater, raincoat, etc.
SKYDIVING
For some folks this is the ultimate thrill. For me it's the ultimate challenge that forces me to admit I'm a coward; or I just have higher levels of common sense than some. My best friend and partner in this website, Chuck Bennett, is an avid skydiver. As I understand it, the thrill of free-falling overwhelms the fear of going splat. Once you've mastered the basic skills of getting out of the plane, falling properly, and opening your 'chute, apparently all that free fall time can be a lot of fun. Lessons are available coast to coast and if you want to experience this without actually jumping out of a plane then you can find a vertical wind tunnel. Imagine this: enough wind blowing to hold you up - so that you feel like you're falling through the air even though you're hanging in it. Cool, eh? Yeah... and if you fall it's only ten or fifteen feet - not 12,000+. If jumping out of planes sounds like your bag of tea, have at it!
EXTREME CAMPING
I like camping. I like driving up to a campsite, setting up and getting comfortable. I also like driving into a park, pulling my backpack on and hiking for miles before setting up camp. What I've never considered doing is strapping on a 1-quart canteen and a knife and walking out into the wilderness. I LIKE the idea of having a tent, sleeping bag, water, food, etc. This Extreme Camping thing sounds a bit too much like austere survival to me. No shelter unless you make it from what's laying around. No food unless you snare, hunt, fish or capture it (or scrounge it out of the ground). Nothing to wrap yourself in. No fire unless you can make one without a match or otehr artificial flame. I have a couple friends who do this once or twice per year. Um, yeah. I don't think it's one I'd like to try out but if you think it'd be a fun challenge, have at it!
Happy Trails!