By all accounts, hiking is Oregon’s most popular type of outdoor recreation.

Crowds on the trails have exploded in the past decade, and multiple surveys and studies conclude hiking and walking in natural spaces is Oregon’s top pastime.

And that’s great. It’s good that people are getting outdoors more often, in search of the fresh air and solitude that nourishes the soul.

But if you do love hiking, let me offer a modest proposal for expanding your horizons: try kayaking. Specifically, rainy-season kayaking.

It’s a sport that offers many of the same benefits of hiking, including fitness, fresh air, solitude and the fun of discovering hidden places.

My personal favourite is whitewater kayaking — that thrill of running rapids — but there’s plenty of excellent flatwater to be had as well, particularly on in the marshlands of the Oregon Coast.

I’ve been an enthusiastic kayaker for over 10 years, paddling everything from the wild rapids of the Breitenbush River to the mellow stretches of the lower Nehalem. And that joy of discovery, of seeing an eagle swoop across the river or floating below a roaring waterfall, never gets old.

Here are eight reasons to consider kayaking, particularly in the off-season, as a new year’s resolution.

Discover places you’d never see otherwise

There are places you just can’t see without a boat.

Whether it’s the mossy, vertical walls of the Sandy River Gorge or the marshland channels of the lower Nehalem River, there’s a real sense of awe in seeing a place that can’t be visited any other way.

Even on the lowly Willamette, right here in our own backyard, there are fascinating and surprisingly beautiful sights to be had.

More: Top 5: Best kid-friendly waterfall hikes near Salem

A personal favourite is the upper South Santiam River. It only rises high enough to paddle after a heavy dump of rain, but when it does happen, the result is a sensation of paddling through a rainforest with silver waterfalls pouring in from every side.

In a boat, you can also discover a flooded forest within Salem city limits.

Or hidden channels in a tidal estuary.

Or a rainforest desert home to insect-eating plants.

Or the only place Mount Jefferson rises perfectly above the North Santiam River.

And those are just the well-known places. Kayakers more intrepid than myself are forever exploring tiny, never-before-run streams, dropping down unnamed waterfalls and discovering new wonders only accessible from the seat of a kayak.

Increased solitude

As you may have noticed, the number of people on hiking trails has skyrocketed in recent years.

One place to find a lot more solitude is the river.

Yes, there are crowded places such as the Rogue, Clackamas or Deschutes, but there are also a million other streams where you’ll be lucky to find a single other person or group.

Proper equipment = warm and toasty
People have a hard time believing this, but with the right equipment, you’re actually warm and cozy even when you’re splashing through a rapid at below freezing temperatures.

The key piece of equipment is a drysuit, which encases your body in a cocoon of waterproof warmth. It does cost $500 to $1,000, but they typically last a long time (mine has been good almost five years) and have good warranties.

Beyond the drysuit are items such as gloves or “pogies” ($20 to $40), a skull cap ($20 to $40) and booties ($60 to $150). By the time you’re ready to roll, almost every body part is covered.

Embrace the rain!

Part of living in northern Oregon is finding a way to deal with the rain (although it has been remarkably easy this year).

Winter kayaking is perfect because you actually look forward to downpours. The more rain, the more the river and creek levels rise, and the more places where you can paddle.

When you love winter kayaking, a seasonal affective disorder is something that occurs when the forecast is full of sunshine.

Thrill ride

The thrill of gambling, I’ve always believed, isn’t the amount of money on the line.

The addictive quality of gambling — what drives people to the tables and holds them hostage — is the few moments before the card is flipped or the dice stop rolling. At that moment, the mind is so hypnotized with anticipation that nothing else matters.

It’s a powerful sensation, and the only other place I’ve felt that intensity of focus is above Class IV or V rapids. All of your adrenaline is distilled into the strokes you’ll need to make in the next few moments.

The fear of entering a tough rapid and the release afterwards is a feeling as powerful as any drug. And trying to make it through the rainy season without a whitewater fix is not possible.

Meet new people

While it is possible to paddle flat water by yourself, kayaking is really a team sport.

To keep each other safe, kayaking brings people together. And oftentimes, it brings you together with people you wouldn’t otherwise have any contact with.

Truth is, it takes a certain sort of person to want to kayak in winter. And those people are excellent folks 99.9 percent of the time.

I’ve paddled with people from all walks of life, many of whom become longtime friends.