You could zoom down a mountain river gorge as white-water mist pummels your face. Or maybe you'd rather navigate the serene waters of a placid mountain lake at sunset. Perhaps paddling in the shadows of urban skyscrapers is your cup of tea. If you seek thrills, you might enjoy an aerial maneuver in the pounding surf of the Pacific. Whatever your preference, kayaking has a lot to offer any outdoor lover.

Kayaker
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This white-water kayaker is getting his money's worth.

The kayak is a versatile vessel. Depending on where you want to paddle, you can find a kayak tailor-made for the journey. Some are long, narrow and built for speed. Some are short, wide and can turn on a dime. They can be made from fiberglass, plastic, Kevlar and even wood. Some kayaks have you sit inside a cockpit with your legs extended in front of you. Some have a seat on top of an open cockpit, much like a canoe. The paddles can be short or long, curved or flat, parallel or offset -- but they're all two-sided. Deciding which kayak and what paddles to use depends on a variety of factors. In this article, we'll help clear up the confusion. We'll also learn about the history of the kayak, teach you about the gear you'll need and roll into some of the common maneuvers.

Urban Kayaking
The revival of urban boathouses has led to an upsurge in city kayaking. Most of these boathouses were in shambles from years of neglect. The result was that kayakers wouldn't brave the waterways of big cities simply because there wasn't an adequate place to drop in. Revivalists in Portland, Ore., Manhattan and Washington, D.C., are trying to change all that. Each of these cities has renovated dilapidated boathouses on their rivers to encourage paddlers to get back into the water. Part of the Hudson River Restoration Project in New York includes four refurbished state-of-the-art boathouses. The project goal is to develop five miles of neglected lower west side riverfront land at a cost of $550 million [source: Canoe & Kayak]. Kayaking companies have opened shop at the renovated Pier 66 to offer lessons and provide rental boats.