Getting in my truck after loading up, turning my key and driving away from the water…there is always that feeling. The feeling of being more elevated than when I came to paddle.

It never fails.

It doesn’t matter how windy it was, if my body felt tired and I just ended up resting on the board, if I had a student that was having trouble standing on the board or if I got banged up in a rapid…still, I leave the water feeling, well, higher than when I started.

All the theories go through my head as to why this feeling of elevation is there every time. Is it all the fresh air? The sound of the water lapping against my board? Good times with good friends? The Great Blue Herons? The adrenaline? Being off the computer? Or is this sport just an incredible combination of peace, physicality and communing with nature and often friends.

Now I look forward to that sense of elevation after giving a lesson, going out for a morning yoga class, or a stretch of riverboarding. When I am done for the day, I am most grateful to be involved in such a rewarding sport.

Marisa Murphy is an ambassador for Hala Gear