Recently, I’ve taken up a new activity – SUPing or Stand Up Paddling. My family and I took our new SUP board up to the Gun Flint Trail to try it out on Bow Lake, the lake my parents are on during the summer months. After getting over the initial feeling of tippyness, the board was surprisingly stable and oh so easy to paddle. For the first time in my life, I wished I lived on a lake or river. All four of us were able to use it, my eleven year old daughter getting the hang of it faster than any of us. Over that weekend, I enjoyed several trips around the lake aboard our SUP, including an early morning glide into the mist hanging over the calm water and an evening paddle into the sunset. Since then, we’ve tried a few lakes in the area, both north and south. Last night we tried SUPing on the Cannon River, putting in near Riverside Park. The Cannon River, at least at this time of year, proved to be another great site for SUPing. Rich and I plan on doing as much SUPing this fall as we can fit in. SUPing can be a leisurely, stress reducing paddle or a great core and cardio workout depending on how much effort you put into it. Either way, SUPing is another way to enjoy being outside and taking advantage of our state of many lakes and rivers. Give it a try!