A Healthy Obsession

Kayaking is a sport I picked up at midlife. And while I wouldn’t exactly say learning to kayak was part of a midlife crisis, it did represent a departure for me, as I had never self-identified as an athlete. After my mother bought me a kayak as a housewarming present, I found myself paddling every day I was at my camp, irrespective of the weather. Some days more than once. Sometimes on my own, other times with my husband or kids. Or even my mom. Kayaking is a perfect sport for people of all ages. I like that the technique is elegant and easy to master, and I appreciate the absence of a competitive element. Other paddlers have never sped by me wearing fancy designer outfits, sporting smug looks on their faces. I enjoy paddling by other people’s waterfronts to ogle their camps as much as I welcome venturing out to remote destinations and feeling at one with nature.

I had the good fortune of working remotely last summer from my rustic camp on Otter Lake, which is just south of Old