Is there a full moon? Then it's time to hit the kayaks! By Judy Green -- Bee Staff Writer Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, August 18, 2005
Lapping water and dipping paddles may be the only sounds kayakers hear if they take a full-moon tour this weekend on a lake or along the coast. Away from city lights, they can expect to see the bright lights of Venus, Jupiter, Scorpio and Sagittarius - even by the light of the moon.
Paddlers of all abilities can enjoy nature's monthly bright light on Lake Tahoe through a tour planned by Kevin Hickey of Tahoe Adventure Co. in Tahoe City. The cost is $60 per person.
Company owner Hickey said first-timers often are amazed at how easy the sit-on-top boats are to maneuver after a short lesson. "Ninety-nine percent of people fear it's too hard, and most are surprised and wonder afterward what they were worried about."
Tahoe participants will meet on the beach for outfitting and a short paddling lesson before slipping a single or double kayak into the water and following the guide to make basic turns. Depending on the group, Hickey will guide participants out about a half-mile or farther, paddling a total of about two miles.
"We start out at just before sunset," Hickey said from Truckee. He expects the air will be cool and the sand warm from the day. The water will be calm and quiet as the wind dies down and other boats button up for the night. Kayakers can anticipate watching the sunset's colors glowing and changing as the sky fades to dark.
Although visibility will be fair in the moonlight, Hickey attaches green glow sticks to the bow and stern of guests' boats, and red ones on the guide boats and paddles, for safety.
After about two hours on the water, paddlers go back to shore and warm up with hot drinks and snacks.
Visitors Love To Adventure With Us
"We recently went to Lake Tahoe for R&R. I love to hike and decide to hire a guide for one day. Tahoe Adventure Company was wonderful their customer service and guides are very professional. Our guide Robin new about all the flowers, trees, wildlife and brought a book so we could look up flowers, fish, trees and more. She even brought a picnic along for the day! I would recommend Tahoe Adventure Company for anyone interested in hiking, and water activities. When we return for future summers in Tahoe we will be booking more hikes with Tahoe Adventure Company!" -Tracy M
"Thanks for the kayak and sail package. Me and my friends had a wonderful time. Loved every bit of it, including the lunch. Our trip started with kayaking and though all of my friends were doing it for the first time, everyone could do it easily and our guide, Sean was really cool. Sean allowed us to have fun the way we wanted to and never rushed us. I would highly recommend this to my friends." Ben C.
Micah was our tour guide on the kayak tour on July 3rd on the Sand Harbor Kayak Tour and he was great! He was friendly, knowledgeable of the area and had a great attitude. The lunch was delicious and fresh. We couldn't have asked for a better kayak tour. -Tara and Howard
"This was my first visit to Lake Tahoe, and my experience with the people at the Tahoe Adventure Company was great from start to finish. I received prompt responses from both the online info request and a phone message. Our starting point on the lake was easy to find, and the people onsite were immediately helpful and informative and had everything we needed. Robin was our guide - laidback, friendly, helpful, and full of tips and info!!! Our group of seven family members had never done this before, but we had a blast!!! We will definitely use them the next time we are in town." Tom S.
-- Tom S.
"We did the Sand Harbor Kayak tour with Tahoe Adventure Company. Emma Hoffman was our tour guide. This tour was worth the money. Emma guided the tour well, was informative about the history of the place, friendly and kept us engaged. But what I am happy about is something bigger than that...Myself and my husband are beginners in kayaking. We were struggling with balancing the Kayak and suddenly our kayak toppled down. Emma took charge of this unexpected situation and immediately helped us! She stayed calm and guided us step by step as to how to get back on the kayak and got us back on kayak. Without her, I don't know how we would have managed! Because we are very new to this. Thanks, Emma! A guide's or Company's worth is known especially based on how they handle unexpected situations! Also, Emma helped our group Cliff jump by jumping along with us. Without her lead none of us had the guts to jump by ourselves. I am glad I chose Tahoe Adventure Company for this tour and glad that Emma was our tour guide. I’d come back to Tahoe adventure company again for both summer and winter activities. They ensure safety along with providing adventure." -Viv N.
-- Viv N.
"First time to Tahoe and first time on their trails, so we got a guide. John with Tahoe Adventure was awesome. It was my wife's first time mountain biking and he was very helpful and patient with her. We saw some incredible terrain, and were able to hike up to an area to get a great view of the lake. Incredible trip!" -Trip Advisor Review
