White water kayaking along Antietam Creek

Twice in a roll, I had to kayak on raining days. This time, we were on Antietam Creek.

However, the weather did not spoiled my mood since I was confident and relaxed after mastering rolling on Friday.

The drive towards west of Baltimore took about 1.5 hours. Upon reaching our destination, there was no potty except the wilderness.

We did not practiced rolling since that section of the river was shallow. I would not want to roll too as it was muddy and smelly.

Along the two-hour journey towards Potomac River, there was only a section of rapid and a two-foot drop.

I felt a rush of adrenaline going through the rapid. With prior experience, I paddled harder to prevent myself from swirling and take control of my kayak.

Between this rapid and the two-foot drop was a long stretch of calm river. I commented to Rob, one of the instructors, that this was liked a dream come true, kayaking down a river and drinking in the sights.

We passed under the infamous Burnside's Bridge which was the focal point of the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862. This was the bloodiest single-day battle with the highest casualties (about 23,000) in the American Civil War. The rain added a more solemn mood to The Antietam National Battlefield.

Going down the two-foot drop was exhilarating and not as scary as it looked. However, ferrying across the rapid was challenging. I flipped and did a wet exit since I could not roll over. I could feel the rocks under my bum and the current was strong.

I succeeded on my second attempt, keeping my kayak tilted downstream. On the opposite bank, I learned to surf on the rapid where my kayak remained 'stationary'. I just had to control the direction.

Our trip was cut short because of lightning. We had to exit from the river quickly.

I am definitely hooked on white water kayaking and will enroll for more trips.