2022 DC Kayaking ending soon

Strictly speaking, only three more weekends remain in the 2022 DC Kayaking season. Sunday, October 30 is likely the last day for kayak rentals in most of of the Washington, D.C. area. Some locations outside of the District may remain open into November, weather permitting.

Autumn weather is unpredictable

Fall weather is fickle, as we saw on the weekend of October 1. Occoquan’s Penguin Paddling ended their rental season early.

We have reached the time of year when you go out in the morning, wearing shorts and flip flops, and think “Oh dear. I need jeans, shoes and a hoodie”. While this is my personal favorite time of year to paddle, that is not the prevailing sentiment of our customer base. This seasonal shift leads to us having too few customers to justify remaining open. This year, our decision was bumped up due to the impending precipitation and wind conditions we anticipate this weekend from Hurricane Ian. While we aim for mid-October to remain open, we have already seen our amount of guests drop to where it does not make business sense to remain open. The foul weather of the hurricane will further impact the volume of our business for the remainder of the season.

Emphasis added because after months of humidity, those days when the sky is clear and the air is dry are just the best.

The dckayaking.com map is updated as of October 13, 2022. There seems to be more red on it every week. Keep checking in into November.

Fountainhead Regional Park in Fairfax County is scheduled to be open through November 11. Annapolis Canoe and Kayak has year-round rentals though a wetsuit or drysuit is required as the water gets colder.

Kayak cleanups

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Four Mile Run Conservatory Foundation has three more scheduled kayak cleanups for 2022:

• Sunday, October 16, 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
• Sunday, November 6, 9:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, November 19, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Registration is free – I participated the last two years and enjoyed both the stewardship and the kayaking. Unfortunately, Four Mile Run can use all the help. Nevertheless, this is a fun way to help make the community a better place.

Sign-ups are open 2-4 weeks prior to each scheduled event.

Disappointing kayaking-adjacent news

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Berliner, just a minute or two walk from Key Bridge boathouse, is closing October 23. PopVille first reported the bad news on October 7. The beer hall under the Whitehurst Freeway has been open since 2018. Building renovations are the culprit. I’ll miss this après-paddle destination.