This post is sponsored by REI but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
Reaching my full potential has always been important to me. I’ve always wanted to travel, learn new things, master my existing skills, and have impactful experiences that add to the richness of my life. Since embracing my new role as a mom, I found that most or all of my time was devoted to my daughter, which left very little time for me. I’ve recently been focusing more on self-care and doing more of the things I love so that I can be a better me and a better mom for my daughter. Getting out into nature is one of the things I love to do. When I came across the opportunity to participate in an REI adventure, I was thrilled! REI offers a massive variety of awesome experiences, from Learning How to Ride a Bike, to Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
I chose a Kayaking adventure that was taking place locally and I had a blast. This was an introductory level workshop, entitled “Learning How to Kayak” , where I learned about gear, the Kayak itself, paddling, safety, and rescue. The experience was well paced and I felt that the instructors provided a great balance between giving support and instruction and allowing each participant enough independence to find their own groove.
My Experience
Upon arriving to the outing, I met the instructors Brendon, Anna, and Rachel, and my peers for the day. We stood in a circle and introduced ourselves by stating our names, expressing what we hoped to gain from the experience and sharing a recent adventure we had taken or one we hoped to take in the future. Among our group was a hunter, a couple headed to kayak in Alaska, two adventure loving sisters planning to paddle their way through wild rivers of Brazil, and other people excited to learn a new skill. We played a name game where we had to remember the names of each person ahead of us in the circle. It was a really fun way to break the ice and get to know one another prior to our group activity.
Next, we got prepared for our adventure by putting our belongings in dry bags, putting on our life jackets and receiving instruction about our kayaks and how to operate them. Once we got some of the basics down, we learned techniques for entering and exiting the kayak from the water. After launching out , and receiving instruction about steering our kayaks, I actually got the hang of what I was doing. It was great to see everyone else becoming more comfortable in the water as well!
We toured the island at Stone Mountain Park on our kayaks and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. Amid the red and gold falling leaves, calm ripples of the water, a tall pipe organ, called a Carillon, played a hymnal as our group traveled down the lake. We could barely soak in one “wow” moment before another happened. Colorful geese on the left, a majestic hawk on my right, and Stone Mountain itself, offered a view that was unbelievable.
With the perfect balance of stillness and zen, we also got the opportunity to shake things up a bit. Our group played a game of tag, called Zombies and Dinosaurs, that challenged half of our group to paddle with outstretched arms, forcing the use of the body’s core to help propel the kayak, while the other group primarily used their arm strength to drive the motion of their kayaks.
During another of our activities on the water, one of the participants flipped her kayak. Our instructors used this as a teaching opportunity and showed us how to conduct a water rescue. We also had the chance to watch our instructor perform a roll over and a self rescue, as our outing was coming to a close.
This truly was an amazing adventure and a great workout as well! I took on something I had never done before and excelled because of the instruction, support, and comradery. I learned so much through this experience with REI and I can’t wait to do it again! I’ve got my eye on their “Wilderness Survival” and “Camping Basics” classes… I urge everyone to try out an REI experience, below are just a few of the reasons I think REI experiences would be great for you:
Personal Sense of Accomplishment/Increased Confidence
- I believe that any time a person gains a new skill or masters an existing skill, it adds a notch on their confidence belt.
- Completing a task successfully adds to one’s personal sense of accomplishment and subsequently helps to power their self confidence.
Great Group Activity
Although rolling solo has its benefits, I believe that participating in group activities make for extraordinarily rich experiences and are beneficial in many ways:
- They provide opportunities to bond with people who are close to you.
- Group activities sometimes allow you to meet new people and rely on them to help reach a collective goal
- There is safety in numbers. If something happens to you while you’re alone, you may be the only one who knows about it.
- Groups often provide a greater level of accountability and support or encouragement.
Local Experiences
- Participating in a local activity helps you to understand more about the area you live in.
- Local adventures are usually more affordable than ones that require travel, lodging, etc.
- The proximity to home encourages people to make local adventures recurring ones or build them into their routine.
Multi-Level Outings
- Some adventures can be very intimidating if you lack specific skills to make you successful at them. Taking a beginner level workshop helps you get acquainted with the basics.
- REI offers Intermediate and Advanced level workshops for people who are looking to build on their existing skills and meet new challenges.
Click here to find a class near you, today!
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