Wow!  Well, I guess all that time I spend rubbing in how down here in Florida we can paddle while the rest of you all stay bundled up has come back to haunt me.  We've been getting pouring rain and flooding for the last almost 12 hours.  And to make matters worse its supposed to continue through tomorrow.  

A brief look at Weather.com reveals that the whole East Coast is having rains, snows, and severe weather.  So I guess all of us here along the Atlantic Seaboard are in the same boat...no pun intended.

Stay dry and warm out there.

Hey, I think in the morning I'll go paddle down the street!

As you consider picking up the sport of paddling in 2010, perhaps as one of your New Year's resolutions, you should consider all the reasons why people canoe and kayak.  While it is true that people paddle with a number of motivations, there is another side to this sport that is somewhat difficult to explain.  It has to do with the feeling we get while out on the water.  It might not be felt initially, as it could come with time.  But at some point in a true paddlers life when they push off from shore they know and feel it.  There is freedom.

In the last post I challenged all of you to survey this past year and see how you did when it comes to your paddling goals.  Many readers of this site, however, are only occasional paddlers and may only get out on the water a couple of times a year, usually using rental equipment. 

If you fall in the latter camp, why not pick up canoeing or kayaking on a more formal basis?  There are a lot of benefits of having your own gear, getting to know fellow paddlers in your area, and learning to paddle using proper technique.

Here's an article to help you figure out which type of paddling to pick up: Getting Started in Paddling.

Well, its been almost one year ago that I challenged all of my readers to set paddling goals for 2009.   The end of one year and the start of another offers us an opportunity to reflect on how the past year went and what we would like to accomplish in the next.   So how did you all do this past year as far as paddling is concerned? 

Did you get out on the water as much as you wanted to? 

Take that overnight paddling trip you've been dreaming of? 

How have your canoe or kayak skills progressed?

Setting written goals helps you to keep focussed on what is important in your life.  If you're on this site, I assume that canoeing or kayaking must rank somewhere in your list of priorities.  You should therefore have some annual goals you want to acheive in this sport and work to attain them. 

Read more: 5 Goals Every Paddler Should Set