That Outdoor Feeling: Adventures On Land and Sea

One of the best things about retirement is being able to travel. I have traveled a great deal for work and pleasure. I've been fortunate to visit every state in the U.S, as well as more than 29 countries. But the one type of travel I haven't done since my Girl Scout years is camping.

My mode for the past 40-some years has been "give me a bed and a shower, not outside on the ground with dirt and bugs, and even bears in some places!" But as I started checking out new things to do with time on my hands, I was pleased to discover two organizations that offer inclusive outdoor adventure experiences. All of the trips I've participated in have been well-organized with great staff and volunteers and good healthy food. Don't worry, there always seem to be Oreos around in case you need sugar.

I've always loved the water, and now that I live practically on the water in the San Francisco Bay Area, I've discovered that I love sea kayaking, canoeing and river rafting. San Francisco-based ETC (Environmental Traveling Companions) offers trips that offer participants to the wilderness and to develop an environmental stewardship ethic. They run sea kayaking, river rafting and cross-country ski adventures. They have an accessible base camp on the south fork of the American River in the foothills of the Sierra.

I have kayaked the caves in Mendocino County and on Santa Cruz in the Channel Islands. I've experienced thousands of sea otters and paddled through a giant shimmering smack of jellyfish in Monterey Bay. Yes, I learned that a group of jellyfish is called a "smack!"

This past year, one of my best experiences was camping and canoeing on the beautiful white sand island of Espiritu Santo on the Sea of Cortez in Baja, Mexico. Most of ETC's water sports trips are camping, with the ski trips, of course, having indoor accommodations. Although ETC trips take place on the west coast (and Costa Rica in 2020), people from anywhere can register.

Minneapolis-based Wilderness Inquiry (WI) is a nonprofit organization that provides opportunities for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to experience the great outdoors. WI has trips all over the world. They have a very nice accessible base camp on the Wisconsin shore of Lake Superior where daily kayaking excursions go to the Apostle Islands. I spent four days there, kayaking by day and tasting local beer and wine by night.

The other WI trip I took this year was camping and canoeing on Whitehorse Key in the south Florida "10,000 Islands." We paddled to this island and slept on the beach with waves lapping at our feet. We carried in food and water, and were the only humans on the small island. Before paddling to the island, we visited the Everglades and saw birds of all types, plus alligators, of course.

Here is contact information for these organizations:

Wilderness Inquiry www.wildernessinquiry.org Call ( (800) 728-0719 or (612) 676-9400 to request a trip catalogue.

ETC Environmental Traveling Companions www.ETCTrips.org Phone (415) 474-7662