A picture is worth a thousand words...

As soon as we got back from our first incredible kayak voyage, we began planning a three-day excursion for Labour Day Weekend.

Shortly after that, I started trying to find a way to bring my camera.

Half of my joy in writing a blog from the North came from the fact that I had amazing photos to share. I felt that whatever was lacking in my words was supplemented by having images to go with them.  If only I could capture the feeling of kayaking... A picture really _is_ worth a thousand words, and even though a picture can't feel and smell and taste the same as being there, you can't deny the fact that it helps.

Once I realized that a waterproof case for my camera was going to cost me as much as (or more than!) a new camera, I decided to "bite the bullet" and buy a good quality waterproof camera. After some research I settled on the Pentax Optio. It's compact, virtually indestructible and was supposed to take really good quality pictures.

I bought my new little friend a life preserver.

Don't laugh- they really _do_ make PFDs for cameras... Ì didn't want to spend all this money on a camera only to lose it overboard! I also bought a flexible super mini grip tripod so that I could attach it to the front of my kayak (in case my hands were too occupied to hold the camera).

On our three day excursion I planned to put it though its paces...

Our new kayaks on their "maiden voyage"

Here they are... two Necky Chathams, ready to go. Hopefully we're ready too! We've put a fair bit of "water under our belts" already and this is our story. Just to preface- we _do_ live in kayak heaven- Nova Scotia is full of amazing bays with crystal clear water, beautiful wildlife, pristine shores and tiny islands... the coast is typically portrayed as rocky and forbidding, but it is incredible how many secret shelters and tranquil coves are out there. Thanks to a wonderful crash course at ECO (East Coast Outfitters Kayaking) and a lot of previous experience in a canoe, we have a few survival skills (basic paddling, self rescue, rolling etc.). We have also camped in the wilderness a lot over the years, so the whole "what to pack and how" question was a lot easier than it mighty have been. And the evolution of gear since then is unbelievable! We were blown away with what modern technology has to offer the wilderness camper now. Between pinpointing our location on a GPS and planning our trip through a cell phone app, things are ridiculously easier now than they were back when Sean and I started out rigging up the canoes.

I was going to begin this blog a while ago and write after every adventure, but I've been starting a teaching career at the same time, which leaves very little time for blogging! My plan now is to write an entry with some of my photos of each of our first few adventures and then hopefully update this a little more regularly. Kayaking has saved my sanity over the last two weeks where I have begun to teach full time...

Our first real "solo" adventure began one saturday morning when we put our kayaks in the water not far from our house on Prospect Bay. We hit the water early enough to catch that "early morning calm" and discovered (thanks to a google earth preview) a boat graveyard. It was positively chilling to kayak up into an old wreck and feel the weight of history all around me. There were three wooden boats, all of which were at least the size of the Hector in Pictou. We have no idea where they came from, what their history was or anything about them, but I can tell you that when I kayaked into to belly of one of the boats, with the wooden ribs sticking up on either side... I just knew that there was a story there.

The whole day was spectacular, with calm waters and gorgeous, clear blue skies. we were sold on the whole concept of kayaking and the freedom we had now bought with our new kayaks.