East Coast Homecoming

In my heart I'll always be an East Coaster no matter how long I stay away.  The granite state was a great place to grow up, always will be, but just doesn't have everything I need these days.  My family is still here, so I'll return to re-connect and spend time with them whenever possible.  In early July, my little sister is getting married in southern Maine so I decided to make a good long visit home, celebrate her union, catch up with old friends and re-visit the area where I learned to paddle.

When I left New Hampshire I considered myself a good paddler.  I had solid rough water experience in sea kayaks, I'd travelled around the East Coast paddling different areas and I was proficient surfing the coast.  This was back before standup paddling was re-invented so to me, sea kayaking was the most fun I could have on the water.  This was before I paddled the heavy conditions on the West Coast and before I'd ever paddled a canoe with grace.  Today, I still consider myself a good paddler, but my technical understanding has grown leaps and bounds and my skills have been refined.  Returning to the area where I first wet my paddle is pretty nostalgic and exciting and to standup paddle everything this time around makes the return even that much sweeter.