When I was three years old, I remember wandering off into nature, getting scolded, grounded, and probably figuring out a way of doing it again. Now I am 47 years old and I still love to find new places to wander on the weekends on my Hobie® stand up paddleboard. Wanderlust, or is it SUPlust?
Wherever you live in the world, if you break out a map, you are guaranteed to find water. I have always been fascinated with geography, physiology, bodies of water, wildlife and the state of Arizona.
People wonder how I can find water here. Happily, I did.
When I began paddling in 2009, I figured this would be an interesting way to be outside and get exercise, and now it has led to a fascination, an exploratory lifetime adventure, like SUP’n with Louis and Clark.
This past weekend my husband Nate and I experienced #36 on The Arizona SUP List, Ashurst Lake close to Flagstaff.
It is a beautiful, small, natural high country lake (the majority of the lakes in this state are dammed and manmade) at 7,113 ft. And Humphreys Peak, the highest in Arizona, was in view as well, at 12,633 feet.
Our friends Matt, Joe, Sophia, Ali, Daryll, Monica, Mikey and Melanie joined us. The trip was filled with paddling, laughs, sunsets, lounging under the pine trees, eating fresh trout from a neighboring fisherman, and roasting Monica’s delicious marshmallow concoctions.
We experienced cool summer temperatures, welcome rain, wind and plenty of sun, and we enjoyed every precious moment together. Healthy foods, morning sunrise walks around the lake, quality friendship time, and peaceful starlight sleep.
We had three large campsites next to each other, with lakeside meadows of shaded trees and large rocky outcroppings to make the terrain diverse and a slight challenge. It was a team effort getting our SUPs to the water safely for a group paddle. There were iSUPs, race boards, recreation and touring boards. We use all types of SUPs on our adventures.
Other wonderful highlights included enjoying the lake view while relaxing in hammocks. We watched stealthy ospreys dive for fish all day. The water was clear and cool.
Not having an agenda and shutting down technology always ranks high in our weekends filled with nature and good friends. Adventure #37 coming up… ticktock.
