Five years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic was raging around the world, limiting our routines and lives in profound ways. It was a time when our area became especially popular with city dwellers escaping to find fresh air and open spaces. As a regular user of many local trails, often to walk my pups, I was amazed at the spike in visitors. As such, I sought out less crowded spaces on the water through kayaking. But it turned out I was not alone there either. In general, the pandemic turbocharged the relatively small but growing outdoor recreation business sector in Ulster County. It has become increasingly diversified with equipment sales and leasing, and services such as instruction, tour guides and event planning. And while there are no specific metrics on the industry in Ulster, anecdotally we know that stores like Kenco have been selling many more kayaks and canoes, as well as other outdoor gear. It creates jobs, represents business opportunities and is highly synergistic with our tourism-centric economy and culture of environmental stewardship.

One Kingston outdoor recreation business, A Day Away Kayak Rentals located at 1000 NY-213 in Kingston, is a great example illustrating the connection between outdoor recreation, business, environmentalism and tourism. The owner, Jesse Hicks, says he was always surrounded by motorboats and jet skis growing up, a logical consequence of his family owning and operating Lou’s Boat Basin Marina along the Rondout Creek for four generations. Athletic and a lover of the outdoors, growing up in Kingston Hicks became passionate about the environment, inspired by many including Kingston High’s earth science teacher Mr. Prizzi. He decided to make a difference by starting in his own backyard, the Rondout Creek. To those new to our area, Rondout Creek was until fairly recently heavily polluted, riddled with tires, old docks, appliances, bags of trash and even cars strewn along its banks and in the creek. It was hardly the ideal location for recreation. Over the years, however, Hicks and many others worked to clean up the creek by removing trash and calling on local governments to help restore the estuary.

Even before the Rondout was cleaned up, a 14-year-old Jesse Hicks saw its potential for paddle sports, outdoor recreation and tourism. In 2008, he entered and won a business competition, sponsored by Kingston High and Ulster BOCES, with a business plan for a kayak rental venture. For a 14-year-old, he displayed great discipline by investing the $100 prize into marketing for his kayak rental startup. By working for his dad in construction when not in school, he was able to save enough money to buy a few used boats and launched his kayak rental business by 2010. Receiving no loans or big financial backing, he spent years putting in long days and reinvested revenues back into his enterprise.

In New York State, the outdoor recreation industry generated $21.1 billion in economic activity in 2020, supporting over 241,000 jobs and $13.1 billion in compensation. And since the pandemic, it’s grown considerably more. New York ranks fourth in the nation for the amount of GDP generated by outdoor recreation, with a potential for much more growth. Typical activities include camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, kayaking, bicycling and skiing. Additional outdoor activities include RVing, motorcycling, windsurfing, scuba diving, outdoor festivals, concerts, sporting events, amusement parks and golf courses. Outdoor recreation plays a vital role in New York’s economy, especially for rural parts like Ulster.

A Day Away Kayak Rental is, as you might expect, a seasonal rental business. Its core offering is kayak rentals, with most customers launching onsite from their Rondout Creek waterfront location. They also offer pickup and delivery services. In addition to kayaks, rentals also include canoes, stand-up paddle boards and a newly added Hobie Mirage Eclipse (like a foot-powered elliptical and paddle board). While they don’t sell new kayaks — they often refer people to Kenco for purchases — they occasionally offer used boats from their fleet for sale. They also offer essentials like life jackets, waterproof phone pouches and dry bags.

According to Hicks, "I’m a huge advocate for outdoor recreation businesses. In contrast to my other work, which is often behind a desk, running a business like [A Day Away Kayak Rentals] lets me be outside, meet people from all walks of life, and help them unplug and enjoy nature. Most people leave with a smile — and that’s hard to beat.”

“It’s not an easy business — the physical demands, seasonal swings and reliance on weather all play a role,” he added. “But here in the Hudson Valley, [there’s] an incredibly supportive and tight-knit community of recreation business owners. We collaborate more than we compete, and we often send customers to one another’s businesses. I don’t think any of us view it as a zero-sum game — we’re all here to help people get outside."

Customers are evenly split between locals and out-of-towners. Local customers will often bring friends or family visiting from out of town. Customers include solo paddlers as well as groups — a lot of couples, families and friend groups increasingly choose kayaking for a relaxing day on the water. Hicks’ business increasingly handles groups of 20-25 and can serve as many as 100. The most popular rentals are two-hour or half-day sessions, with single and tandem kayaks in highest demand. And this season, Hicks’ newest venture, A Day Away Cycle Rentals, offers e-bikes, a business that is starting to really take off. And the growth of his business has happened primarily through word of mouth and his website, not paid marketing.

During the pandemic, interest in outdoor recreation and kayaking grew tremendously according to Hicks. And while the trajectory isn’t quite so steep as it was then, interest today in local outdoor recreation continues to remain strong. Looking ahead, Hicks sees a big push toward guided tours and group experiences — especially ones that combine history, nature, and exercise. And in the biking world, he said, conditions are changing fast. “New trails are opening constantly, and more are becoming e-bike-friendly,” said Hicks. “That’s one of the reasons we started A Day Away Cycle Rentals — to be part of this new movement and offer visitors another fun, eco-friendly way to explore the area.”

When asked what advice he would give to aspiring entrepreneurs, Hicks shared that one should “do your homework, and build on something inside yourself that you feel confident and passionate about. … There’s no such thing as the ‘perfect time’ to start a business — most great businesses started at the ‘wrong time’ and still found a way,” said Hicks.

Of the biggest challenges he mentioned that his and similar businesses face locally is the need to improve the quality of the waterways. While bodies of water like the Rondout have come a long way over the last few decades, more work still needs to be done, especially for “invisible” pollutants limiting recreational possibilities. For example, many customers ask Hicks about swimming in the creek. Since we are advised to keep your head above water, avoid swallowing and to rinse off after taking a dip in the creek and river, it limits recreational potential. Hopefully in time these pollutants will be reduced enough to inspire future 14-year-old entrepreneurs to innovate new connections for locals and visitors alike to enjoy our beautiful freshwater assets.