We shouldn’t have waited ’til middle-aged spread took over. Really, we should have started kayaking when we were younger. But we’re adventurers, and sometimes we still think we’re a couple of 16-year-olds.

OK, we like to tell ourselves we’re in good shape when we know we aren’t, but that little lie kicks us off the couch and into the great outdoors. Yes, it’s true, we slothed our way through the winter and now we’re wondering if our heavy heinies are going to sink these things that look like a couple of over-sized plastic water skis. Emboldened, off we go to try our big butts at kayaking, even though Kevin thinks maybe he needs  one for each foot.

Prescott offers four different kayaking lakes; all are perfect for beginners and there are kayaks for rent at three of them.

The idea of shoehorning our behinds into these skinny little kayaks made us wonder if we were out of our minds. But thinking back, we can remember our parents at our age, asleep on their favorite recliners, snoring above the excess volume of the TV. Motivated, we had made a promise to each other to hit the slopes in the winter and the lakes in the summer. We just hoped to god we wouldn’t find ourselves capsized in the pond rapids upside down, dining on local water plants and sucking on giant Arizona lake salmon. But with help, it was easier to get in and out of the kayaks than we thought; even tipping the scales failed to sink our minnows. And we managed to leave the salmon alone.

It took a few soft bumps onto the shoreline rocks before we figured out how to make the kayaks go in the direction we wanted, but once underway it was exhilarating! We noticed a family onshore snapping pictures of us while we were shouting and congratulating ourselves. EVERYBODY got in on the fun!

The ride was smooth and peaceful and we’re pretty sure our withered and atrophied arms got a decent workout. There was plenty of room onboard for our long legs and the seats were big enough to accommodate our wide loads. The serenity out on the water was a welcome relief after a busy workweek.

We felt so good afterward that I decided we should go right out and try every lake in the region. But there was an unexpected snow flurry and Kevin’s good sense convinced me to wait ’til another weekend.

To get a solid base of knowledge before we buy, we plan to rent several more times and then sign up for the Paddle Clinic this summer with Manzanita Outdoor. When we’re ready to buy, Manzanita will put together a $525 package that will cover all our needs.

We still daydream of paddling ourselves on a whitewater trip, even though we’re learning in a safe environment. Happy to be off the winter couch, we now anticipate taking white-knuckle adventures down the Salt, Verde and Colorado Rivers, as well as Lake Powell and the Blue Ridge Reservoir. Legend tells of a man who kayaked from San Diego to the tip of the Baja. Yes!

This is an exciting, energizing, get-the-blood-moving solution for us, and it motivated us to get up off the old couch. We’ve renewed our membership with the “Wild Bunch” for one more year.

Kayak how-to & where-to in Prescott:

Manzanita Outdoor

Equipment purchases

Frontier Village Shopping Center

Prescott 928-778-0980

Open Mon-Sat 9am-8pm and Sunday 10am-5pm

Prescott Outdoors, LLC

925-1410 & 925-8858

Rents kayaks (and canoes) on weekends

at Watson Lake and Goldwater Lake 10am - 4pm

Solo - $10 hour

Tandem Kayak - $15 first hour, then $10

Watson Lake

North on Highway 89, Right on Willow Lake Road

$2 car/truck parking

Goldwater Lake

South on Mount Vernon, 4 miles

May - October 7am - dusk

$2 car/truck parking

Goldwater Lake

Willow Lake

North on Willow Creek Road, Right on Heritage Park Road

$2 car/truck parking

Bring your own kayak

Lynx Lake

Weekend kayak rentals, $15, $30 & $40

South on Walker Road (Next to Costco), 2 miles

April - September 6am - 9pm

$2 car/truck parking