In my previous paddling incarnation I was a whitewater fanatic. I paddled as soon as the ice broke and kept going until everything froze. Sometimes I paddled rivers in summer that felt like winter [Rhein, Colorado, Nantahala]. I always played hard. I overheated in the boat no matter what I wore. My clothing was geared toward my estimation of my chances of: rolling, swimming, being stranded; each requiring a different level of protection. No wise person ever goes on whitewater alone. So I usually wore windprotection over polypro, expecting that a swim would lead to a quick rescue from a fellow boater and quick re-entry to the kayak. I would have died if I got stranded on a river when I was dressed for non-rolling. Thirty-five years later I'm still here. Now that I'm a sea kayaker with a totally reliable roll, I dress warmly because I'm often with paddlers who couldn't be much help in a rescue or I'm really far from shore. I usually roll or splash myself when cooling is required. In Alaska and Greenland all I had to do was dip my hands deep on every stroke to cool down. Or suck on a bergy bit. In Lake Michigan I need rolls. Nothing is ever simple. Jim Tibensky _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Apr 04 2001 - 12:01:35 PDT
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