Sea Kayak Narrative

When we arrived in Alaska the first thing that entered my view was a mountain peak that stood in front of the airport. The white blanket that covered the peck was something I was not accustomed to seeing, snow. The white shined bright against the cool grey of the mountain as the rays of the sun reflected off the snow. The trees created a sea of green as we head towards the NOLS ranch. The expedition was going to be through NOLS, an organization focused on outer leadership. It had not set in yet that I was about to embark on a sea kayaking expedition for three weeks, nor did I realize the impact the trip would have on me.
The instructors were absurd if they thought we were ready to kayak on our second day in the field. Before we could start, we first needed to experience capsizing. Being in the water always left me at ease ever sense I almost drowned 6 years ago. The taste of salty water was still engrained in my brain along with the sense of helplessness, as I tried frantically moving my arms, my desire to live controlling my body. As we floated towards an instructor I asked my partner for her name, thinking a conversation would get my mind off the situation. We then …show more content…
My sense of touch was key in finding the strap as I followed the image of the cockpit in my head. When I felt the spray skirt unhook, my legs forcefully pushed off from the kayak. That was the easy part, the hard part was getting back into the cockpit. My legs repeatedly kicked as I try to push myself onto the kayak. My powerful push caused me to flip the boat over. As I dipped back into the water, my frustration started to grow. This time tried slowing down and creating a plan of attack. As I went in for a second try, I could feel my legs and arms getting tired as I try to come in an angle and focus on control rather than power. This time my body was able to slide back into the comfort of the