RE: [Paddlewise] Cold and skills

During a hypothermia study many years ago where folks were immersed into very
cold water to see how fast their body temperatures dropped to (if I recall
correctly, 95 degrees F. was the cut off point for the sake of safety). Anyway
during these tests one fat kid's temperature dropped a few degrees and then
stabilized at a point above the cut off and after many more hours than anyone
else lasted they simply ended the test (but not because the kids temperature
was getting lower. If you are fat enough your metabolism can keep up your body
heat for a long time during cold water immersion. If the story is true, those
guys rescued likely owe there lives to being fat (and the somewhat higher
water temperatures down there).

The second time I was in a kayak, and the second time I capsized one (both in
Lake Washigton near Seward Park in succesive winters) I was trapped in the new
spraydeck (that just didn't come off easily like a different spraydeck did the
first time) and had to struggle mightily to get out of the kayak. Once I
finally did, I swam the kayak maybe 40 yards to shore, emptied it out and got
back in. I paddled maybe 1/4 mile back to the put in and still felt cold so
went to my parents house a few miles away with my brother. Still shivering
there, I put a thermometer in my mouth and found out that I was at only 94.5
degrees. It took several hours sitting over the furnace grate to warm back up
to normal. I remember that temperature had me slowed down and slurring my
words some when I called my girlfriend. I learnd a lot of lessons that day.
I'm not as thin as I was then but I still have a lot of surface area to volume
ratio and need added insulation.
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