It’s been a long winter here in Indiana. Between teaching, coaching, and finishing up grad school…Life has been busy. I had hoped to get some serious snow-kiting in this winter, but the snow never materialized locally (though it was plenty cold). We had snow, but never in sufficient amounts or with the needed winds. It also didn’t help that a couple winter trips to Michigan and Florida fell apart last minute.

I’m starting to realize that kiting requires some pretty specific conditions in order to make the dream come alive. Three hours north (and beyond) in Michigan, it looked like they were ripping it up on the snow. I follow @motor_city_kiteboarding on Instagram and that guy is pretty much always out kiting. It’s becoming very obvious to me that a change in locales is needed for me to continue progressing as a kiter.

With that being said, I managed to sneak out for a decent paddle last weekend at my go-to spot, Chain O Lakes. The ice had just cleared off the lakes and the birds were starting to get noisy. I had the lakes to myself and my thoughts. I ended up paddling about 6 miles through the upper portion of the chain. There was a ton of wildlife out enjoying the spring thaw. The beavers must’ve been very busy over the winter. I noticed several new dens and in the channels there were tons of trees which had been downed by beavers.

This was my first SUP without my faithful Sparky on-board and his presence was sorely missed. Stay tuned for more fun as the weather turns and we settle on a new locale which features more kiting and surfing options.