2010 ISSUES Aug-Sep Issue 2010 Aug-Sep Feature - The Joys of Kayaking
Rapid-Proof
D.C. Couple Experiences the Joys of Kayaking, Each Other
Photos by William Waybourn
When Steve Seigel and Justin Wilson mention going out on their boat, their friends know they aren’t talking about setting sail on a yacht for a leisurely day on the lake. No, they are referring to their kayaks, which they haul nearby rivers and creeks for adventures on the rapids. Their circle of friends in D.C. have accepted their obsession – er, hobby
– and accept that each spring Steve and Justin will “disappear” for a few months. 
Compete photographer William Waybourn tagged along with the couple on a recent Sunday; the trio went to the nearby Potomac River, which they say has “a few good rapids.” (Normally, they’d drive longer and farther into West Virginia for some truly action-packed kayaking.) Their day on the river was captured in the photographs in this article. (Justin is in the blue boat, wearing the matching blue helmet. Steve is in the red boat and green helmet.)
Steve and Justin started out as friends; Steve, in fact, was dating a different fellow when Justin invited him to go kayaking one weekend. After Steve’s relationship ended, the two of them grew closer, in part because of their shared interest in the sport.
“(That first kayaking trip) was actually sort of the moment in our relationship where things were solidified,” said Steve. (Well, that and the fact they discovered they were both Eagle Scouts.)
“For the record,” joked Justin, “I was the chivalrous friend and never crossed any lines.”
That was four years ago, and after the couple spent the next few months on the rivers and training for a marathon, they’ve been dating and kayaking together since.
At 28 and 30 years old, Steve and Justin are younger than most of the other people they see out cruising the rapids. They’ve met countless people who’ve been kayaking since the 70s, and are happy to “bring the curve down” for now but expect they, too, will be doing it for years to come.
Like all extreme sports, the feeling of exhilaration when kayaking is almost indescribable. Steve says that feeling comes when he approaches the horizon line.
“The horizon line is basically when you are approaching a rapid … you can’t really see beyond that. You know there is an impending something. When you see that, the adrenaline just starts coursing through your veins.
“You’ve committed; there’s no going back. In that moment, there’s no hesitation. You can do nothing but just drive forward; if you’re even a little bit hesitant you’re gonna screw up.” Justin added: “You have to ‘read the water’” – one of the many terms used in kayaking that one must know. “Without knowing what’s over the horizon line, you have to immediately make sense of it and make a decision.”
Fortunately neither of them has had serious injury or has needed hospitalization. Still, they acknowledge it can be a very dangerous sport.
“Unfortunately, my hands have a tendency to meet rocks,” said Justin, referring to the number of scars he has from “close calls.”
“The moment you are on a river that has the potential to hurt you, you have to be pretty ready for (anything).” 
Next summer Steve and Justin will be married in a town they visit frequently for kayaking adventures. When they return to D.C., where they will have already obtained a marriage license, their union will be legal. They will continue to kayak happily ever after.
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