It's snowing...get out there and

...quitch-yer-bitchin. Today I dedicate this entry to my dad, Juan.

Jordyn starting out strong and with a smile

On his way to the airport to catch his plane to Mallorca, he surprised us by stopping by to bring me some hugs, drugs (actually some supplements :), and just to say hi-goodbye.  We got a chance to share a couple of laughs, swap some recent stories (after all we had just had dinner Thursday night), and break some bread.  I told him he was pretty lucky, because Jordyn and I had just stopped in to get some boots and gaiters before we set out for a snowshoe trek.

Actually he was really lucky, although I now think we were, because we were originally heading to Elk Mt. today for ski, but the impending snow storm and late start to the day made us rethink our plans and keep them a little more local.  It almost seems like we should be more excited to ski when it is snowing out, but I find it less enjoyable.  It's akin to getting rained on in a kayak or having someone throwing dirt on you while mountain biking.  So, Elk: we'll see you next weekend.

But as I was watching him truly devour a wrap that Jordyn had made him, we got to talking about the weather in Mallorca versus PA.  Mallorca was dealing with a cold spell lately but they were climbing out of the upper-50's today and into the mid-60's.  Needless to say he was looking forward to it, but then he hit me with a mini rant that I whole heartedly agree with.

He said how he had begun to loathe the complaints that everyone dishes out about the weather.  Sure 70 degrees is nice, he went on, but so is always having a couple of hundred dollars in your wallet.  The truth is that it's not always there.  He went on to state, in a rather emphatic way, that he refuses to be one of the mood vampires sucking the life out of the room with his disdain for the climate and weather.  He said (in Mallorquin), "It's not like there's anything I can do about it so there is no reason to be mad, frustrated or anything less than excited.  Now if I make a mistake or do something bad, then I have a right do be mad....but if it is out of my control then the best thing I can do is make the best of it."  I laughed and told him to hurry up, because all of his hot air was going to melt the snow and then we wouldn't be able to go snow shoeing.  Then he laughed.

So get out there and have some fun today folks.  Snowing...great!  Raining...great!  Hot...Awesome!  Find the right gear, the right activity, and in the immortal words of Dave Matthews "Dont burn the day away."

5 months from 6 days ago...

...Jordyn and I will be slipping our sea kayaks into the little traveled waters of the Northern Susquehanna just below Ostego Lake in Cooperstown, New York. In the mid-Atlantic states, it's called the "Mighty Susquehanna." It's the largest river lying entirely within the United States that drains into the Atlantic Ocean and the 16th largest river in the United States. The River's 27,500-square-mile watershed covers parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York. This is about 43 percent of the Bay's 64,000 square miles of drainage basin.

Where did this idea stem from?  Who knows.  A little bit of boredom, a strong sense of adventure, and a test of wits both mine and my wife's.  Initially, I was just thinking about how little I knew about the Susquehanna River.  Every time the news comes on and the mention the Susquehanna Valley, I was like, "Huh...what is that exactly?" I wondered if other people thought the same thing? So I started my dive into the information superhighway and started bookmarking Wikipedia sites, photos, books, etc. I even found a cool online journal about "Two Jay's" who had completed the identical trip I was conjuring in my head whilst I was researching.

It didn't take long, after I had read the journal, for my ideas to formulate into a pitch to my lovely lady Jordyn...and at the slighest twitch of enthusiasm- I started envisioning our triumphant and heroic meander down the Sus-e-Q!

Since August 2010, I have spent a large amount of time reading about the history of the river itself and the area known as the Susquehanna Water Shed.  I've aquired online journals, news articles, maps and anything else I could get my hands on to either learn more about the region, equip ourselves with the proper gear, and convince Jordyn's parents that everything should be "just fine". 

Over the next could of weeks, nay months, I will blog here about our planning for this trip including gear lists, purchases, and gear getting adventures.  We are also sure to have plenty of mini adventures along the way as we prep our boats, bodies, and basement for the great launch.