This is for Bob Denton and all those others in the South who don't know what they are missing here in the North. I just got back from my last paddle of 1998. We started on the ice and did a seal entry (I only got one hand wet). Since the water is right at freezing temperature and the air is -22 C (-8F), a thick layer of steam is in the air, much like fog. Many of the trees and almost all of the bushes on the shoreline are coated with a thick layer of hoar frost (sparkly white chrystals) making everything into a white fantasy land. As we paddled up river just outside the ice line, the waves from the kayaks caused the ice to make a high pitched tone, almost like singing. The sun was coming through the mist brightly enough that my companion, who was only about 10 metres away made a grey silhouette, sometimes fading from sight then reappearing like a ghost. By the time that we got back my beard was also thickly coated with frost and there was a layer of ice on my paddle, outside the drip rings, about a quarter inch thick. To get out we had to get up lots of speed then lean back just as we hit the ice. The kayak would run part way up onto the ice, then break down through. Two or three runs at it and we could glide right up onto solid ice near my boathouse. Then it just took a few paddle pushes to move to thicker ice where we could step out. It was one of the most beautiful paddling settings that I could imagine, and not a personal water craft in sight. The only thing missing was that I could have used some of those cheap imitation ballast rocks to break the ice. I wouldn't want to risk losing some of my good Canadian Ballast Rocks (TM) by having them break through and sink. I do have to admit though, that I am envious of you folks in the warmth, being able to paddle in T-shirts and shorts. We only have 5-6 months to wait and we'll be able to do that too. Happy New Year to all, especially Jackie for providing us with this great list. John *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 12/31/1998 2:18:28 PM EST, waddinj_at_recorder.ca writes: << I do have to admit though, that I am envious of you folks in the warmth, being able to paddle in T-shirts and shorts. We only have 5-6 months to wait and we'll be able to do that too. Happy New Year to all, especially Jackie for providing us with this great list. John >> Brrrrr! Just a note to inform you of the purpose of Internet accessible computers and television. In the South, we use them to find out how our poorer northern cousins deal with the psychological disorders brought on by too much time in the cabin. Your account of what one will go through to stave off this debilitating illness is quite entertaining. That is a lot of work just to get to open water up there isn't it? I'd suggest dynamiting the damned stuff. Works here to catch catfish, I bet it would make boat lanes through ice up there too! Hmmmmmm, let me share with you our family outing this morning, the last day of the year. We woke up intent on going up to our favorite creek to paddle the day away in a new to us Old Town Canadienne Kevlar Canoe I found used and in good condition since OT choose to stop Kevlar production a few years back. Santa brought my two daughters their first kayak, a Loon 138 by Old Towne also. An overnight thunderstorm dumped about 4-5 " of rain in a 138 sq mile watershed of our favorite paddling creek and the gauge rose from 6 to 18 feet overnight, quadrupling the CFS reading at the same time. This is still do- able, but not for kids in a new kayak, so we opted for a state park deep in the piney woods on a quiet reservoir. First the drive there. We detoured through a small country community to an old mom and pop store, cafe, gas station, etc to get an ice cream cone as it was getting a bit warm. After getting a big cool cone, we went to our creek launching spot to see what was going on. It was up! Wayyyyyyyy up! We made the right decision. Another thirty minutes and we made it to the lake. We had it all to ourselves because most of the good old southern state park tourists freak out when the mercury dips below 80 degrees. The air temp was a balmy 76 deg F. We launched both the canoe and kayak and took turns paddling to our hearts desire. After thoroughly aquatinting ourselves with the characteristics of the new boats, three of us loaded up in the Canadienne and our youngest daughter paddled the loon on a two hour trip into a cypress shrouded slough filled with wintering Mallards, Wooducks and many other water birds. Allison had more fun doing her own thing and going wherever she wanted to at the moment in the kayak. After working up a good sweat clad only in shorts, sandals and T-shirts and the obligatory Seda lightweight PFD, we returned to our campsite for a welcomed cold drink. Approaching the soft muddy landing, we gently parted water hyacinths lining the shore and stepped out into the cool dark, tannic acid, oak tree leaf stained, tea colored water of the deep south. Ahhhhhh that felt good on hot feet. No sparkly frost, no hoary frost, no ice, in fact it had been over two years since it got cold enough to even make ice I think! It is hard to remember things that happen so infrequently! Anyway, we had a great time. Paddling on the water is a good thing whether it is liquid or solid. We, as our northern cousins will take it any way we can get it. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us and I hope you take this as not bragging but good humor to be enjoyed by all. If you only half way enjoy a paddling outing as we do, you are blessed. Have a great 1999. It's the last of the nineteens for a while you know! Don't paddle your children, paddle with them! Sincerely, John LeBlanc *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Oddly enough, this is just how the big icebreakers do it. Of course, they have a lot more horsepower and weight and so can go through lots thicker ice and do it lots faster. Then again the fuel bill just to get out of the harbor will buy a bunch of kayaks. :-)) michael waddinj_at_recorder.ca wrote: > > thick. To get out we had to get up lots of speed then lean back just as > we hit the ice. The kayak would run part way up onto the ice, then > break down through. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Michael Neverdosky wrote: > > Oddly enough, this is just how the big icebreakers do it. > Of course, they have a lot more horsepower and weight and so > can go through lots thicker ice and do it lots faster. > Then again the fuel bill just to get out of the harbor will buy > a bunch of kayaks. :-)) > > michael > > waddinj_at_recorder.ca wrote: > > > > thick. To get out we had to get up lots of speed then lean back just as > > we hit the ice. The kayak would run part way up onto the ice, then > > break down through. This talk of ice reminds me of the one time years ago in which I was able to lure my wife out for a winter trip up here. It was a day in which the air temperature hit around 60 with not a whiff of wind. One of these crazy days we get in January when air temperature can get pretty springlike. But this was the Hudson around West Point. The river was not totally frozen from bank to bank but it was massed in large fields of ice. We paddled through leads here and there between the huge fields. Sometimes we would have to do that ramming up on the ice and breaking the last part of lead to get into wider areas where we could swing our paddles. Well guess what we saw coming down river. A Coast Guard icebreaker on one of its runs to clear the shipping channel that supplies points north all the way up to Albany. We were in one of the leads and could see that the icebreaker's mission was closing monstrous fields of ice in on us. We frantically dodged from lead to lead as one after the other squeezed behind and ahead of us. The grinding sounds reminded me of documentaries about Arctic ice or the plight of Shakelton's ship in the Antarctic. We eventually worked our way over to the channel and followed the broad highway through the ice left in the icebreaker's wake back down to our takeout at West Point. 1,000 to 1,500 foot hills make this part of the river a veritable fiord. They loomed above us, snow white and rock grey streaked in evergreen. The river was eery silent except for the groaning sounds of ice. The deep coldness of the river contrasted with the balmy stillness of the air. The trip is etched in memory. Oh for the benefit of the hypothermia police. We did dress marginally adequately for the water temperature, which had to be in the 30s---farmer john neoprene, paddle jackets and pants, nylon and polyester pile tops. We also were in a very stable Klepper double and the guy with us in a solid Dirigo that wasn't going to go over. My only concern was that some of the sharp ice might slash the hypalon hull, but it left not a mark. The stuff is tougher than most people realize. I think I will have to keep my ear sharp to see if sometime this month such conditions are duplicated once more and go out again. I don't think however, that there is much ice on the river yet. ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
A cartoon from the hypothermia police http://www.angelfire.com/ak/madhornet/images/alaska.gif this message will melt away in 2 minutes *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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