The kayakers paddled into the sunset — figuratively.
It was mid-afternoon and they only went as far as Plum Point, where they beached their crafts and gathered for a farewell picnic to mark the final outing for Storm King Adventure Tours.
Kris Seiz is closing the business, known as “SKAT” after 12 years. For the occasion, her daughter Kelly baked a cake and decorated it with a pair of crossed paddles and the words “SKAT last.”
The Sept. 30 excursion was dubbed “Cara’s Farewell Tour” as a tribute to head guide Cara Meling. During a toast, she explained how she joined the business nine years ago.
She had been living in Pennsylvania when she came here to go hiking and fell in love with the Hudson Valley. The view of Breakneck Mountain and Bannerman’s Island convinced her that she wanted to move.
So when she returned home, she Googled “adventure tours” and discovered SKAT. She came to Cornwall-on-Hudson for an interview, and hit it off with her future boss.
At the farewell picnic, Miss Meling got a pair of kayaks as well as the jar that included fines paid by latecomers. Had she opened the jar, she would have seen that it was full and that some of the contributors had been very generous.
Having guided her last tour, Miss Meling will concentrate on making and selling skin care products from the crops she raises. Mrs. Seiz expects to be traveling next summer. She said it was a good 12 years, although sudden changes in the weather could make the business difficult — especially when tours had to be canceled after customers arrived from New York City.
She thought the industry might be hurt by the Graswald case, where a kayaker without a life vest drowned in the Hudson, but the publicity actually attracted more tour-goers.
Before the picnic was over, she proposed a toast to Bannerman’s Castle. And when someone asked “why,” Miss Meling and Mrs. Seiz answered in unison. “Because it pays the bills,” they said. Visitors to the area all want to see it.