A paddle doesn't make a good coffee spoon

(Written by Peter Amend for the Oru Blog)

'Desaaayuuuunooooo!', my buddy would loudly yell down the hallway for our morning wakeup call.

Breakfast is exciting no matter what language you're speaking, and though I'm not skilled in the art of early rising - you can't really argue with friends who are stoked on meeting you at daybreak for a meal and a paddle before heading off to work.

Most would agree that a 9-to-5 grind isn't so bad if you can add some microadventure in your midweek to keep your brain on straight.  This type of decision making is how we found ourselves groggily assembling our kayaks on the sand when the sun popped up over the Golden Gate bridge.

But first, coffee.

If you're unlucky enough to be awake at 6, there's at least consolation in the refreshing art of grinding beans, prepping the Chemex, and boiling water for the perfect cup of piping hot bean juice. There's always the option of instant coffee packets, but what type of morning solace is that? If you're gonna do it, might as well do it right.

The average life expectancy these days is currently about 79 years, so that means you only get about 28,835 breakfast opportunities while you're alive - and I'll be damned if I waste another one of them on microwaved oatmeal.  So if we're gonna be real, I don't mind at all hiking to the beach carrying  a two-burner stove if it means fresh bacon & egg breakfast tacos, muffins, fresh fruit and OJ.

I'm convinced humanity will be a little better off with just a couple better breakfasts. Maybe some sand in your teeth. And most definitely a paddle in the San Francisco Bay.