I can see why paddleboarding is such a popular sport. It's relatively easy to learn, but the curve to proficiency is immensely challenging depending on conditions. On Saturday we started from Penney Lock, on the Maryland side of Potomac. Some fishermen coming in told us to be careful, because the wind was gusting over 15 miles an hour. Paddling first under a stone underpass, we came out into amazing conditions. The wind was whipping straight down river.  As we turned our noses up river, we had an amazing battle.

When the wind abated I made some progress but as soon as it picked up again I was stopped dead. Nonetheless, we made our way to the base of Seneca Breaks, a granite escarpment with lots of whitewater.

One hour of hard paddling upriver was followed by about a 20 minutes return trying to stay upright with the wind flat at our backs. Way cool.