25 outdoor things to do before summer ends

11. Kiteboarding, by the minute

8:14am Snooze button. Again.

8:30am Roll out of bed—too early for a Saturday.

9:39am LIRR from Penn Station to Amityville, NY, then a five-minute cab ride to Best Kiteboarding (334 S Bayview Ave at Victoria Dr, Amityville, NY; 631-691-0793, bestkiteboarding.com).

10:55am Arrive for three-hour beginner “Take Off” session ($299). Get introduction to equipment and safety precautions. Momentarily overwhelmed by all the unknowns. Death by kite?

11:10am Stand in sunshine practicing kite-flying skills. Recall being ten years old.

11:40am Ride a Jet Ski one and a half miles into Great South Bay. Water is calm and only two feet deep. Strap self to a four-line inflatable kite and try letting it drag me through the water, practicing directing kite right and left. Learn that the wind is much stronger than I am.

12:25pm Add a board to the mix. Try to ride on it. Fail.

1:10pm Catch on to whole staying-on-the-board phenomenon. Fifteen seconds of zipping across the water and I’m hooked. This is rad.

2:00pm Regain land legs, give instructor high five and sign up for step two, a “Power Up” session ($299) for next week. Abs and arms are gonna feel this tomorrow.

A two-day package including “Take Off” and “Power Up” sessions is $499 (bestkiteboarding.com)