Winter Paddling

John wrote:

 > I plan on paddling the Ausable River in upper Michigan this winter. It
 > will be a day trip to enjoy the scenery and the silence. Since I have
 > never winter paddled my kayak I am interested in how comfortable I will
 > be. I am used to winter activities where I build quite a sweat (hiking,
 > steelhead wading, cross country skiing). Is the upper body movement of
 > paddling going to be enough of a workout to keep my lower body warm
 > while sitting in a kayak , in real cold water, with a sprayskirt on.

Depending on what part of the river you run, the Ausable has enough
current that you can just drift along at a pretty good pace. So you may
not generate much upper body movement at all. Especially if you're
going for the silence and the scenery.

My experience winter kayaking in Michigan is that in addition to
concentrating on keeping your extremities warm and dry, you should make
sure you have adequate insulation on you butt. Depending on your kayak
and it's seat, your posterior can become quite chilled. An extra inch of
insulation between you and the water goes a long way. I layer ski pants
over fleece trousers.

If you're not sure what to expect, I'd recommend going out on a small
lake to see what's comfortable. Much better than commiting to a seven
hour trip and realizing 30 minutes into it that you're underdressed.

Also, you should be prepared for the real possibility of going for a
swim. Not that you will, but given the serious consequences of dumping,
you should be prepared for it. Either a wetsuit/drysuit or a drybag with
a set of dry clothes should be a requirement. Imagine being stuck
outside for eight hours in your outfit after it's become soaking wet -
we're not just talking comfart here, we're talking survival.

Do not wear cotton *anything*. Fleece, wool, nylon, polyester, polypro,
neoprene all keep you warm when wet. Cotton will sap your heat if it
gets wet.

Good luck. Have fun.

--
//-Walt
//
// There is no Volkl Conspiracy<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Winter Paddling 

Walt <walt_askier.RemoveThis@YourShoesyahoo.com> wrote in
news:2_rod.886$i6.483@news.itd.umich.edu:

 > John wrote:
 >
  >> I plan on paddling the Ausable River in upper Michigan this winter.
  >> It will be a day trip to enjoy the scenery and the silence. Since I
  >> have never winter paddled my kayak I am interested in how comfortable
  >> I will be. I am used to winter activities where I build quite a sweat
  >> (hiking, steelhead wading, cross country skiing). Is the upper body
  >> movement of paddling going to be enough of a workout to keep my lower
  >> body warm while sitting in a kayak , in real cold water, with a
  >> sprayskirt on.
 >
 > Depending on what part of the river you run, the Ausable has enough
 > current that you can just drift along at a pretty good pace. So you
 > may not generate much upper body movement at all. Especially if you're
 > going for the silence and the scenery.
 >
 > My experience winter kayaking in Michigan is that in addition to
 > concentrating on keeping your extremities warm and dry, you should
 > make sure you have adequate insulation on you butt. Depending on your
 > kayak and it's seat, your posterior can become quite chilled. An extra
 > inch of insulation between you and the water goes a long way.

Be aware that an extra inch of installation will likely significantly impact
that stability of the boat you're paddling. It's also worth noting that
Greenlanders paddle in 30 degree water all the time and they typically have
very little padding on the seat itself, often sitting right on the bottom of
the kayak.

 > If you're not sure what to expect, I'd recommend going out on a small
 > lake to see what's comfortable. Much better than commiting to a seven
 > hour trip and realizing 30 minutes into it that you're underdressed.
 >
 > Also, you should be prepared for the real possibility of going for a
 > swim. Not that you will, but given the serious consequences of
 > dumping, you should be prepared for it. Either a wetsuit/drysuit or a
 > drybag with a set of dry clothes should be a requirement.

I would change that to *and* a drybag with a set of dry clothes. It's a
good idea even when paddling during the fall or (especially) spring. If you
really want to be prepared, on a day that you're not intending to paddle,
put on whatever clothing you think is appropriate for paddling and then wade
out into the water up to your neck and then come back to shore. You'll get
a pretty idea if the clothing you're wearing will be adequate if you go for
an unintentional swim.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Winter Paddling 

John wrote:
 > I plan on paddling the Ausable River in upper Michigan this winter. It
 > will be a day trip to enjoy the scenery and the silence. Since I have
 > never winter paddled my kayak I am interested in how comfortable I will
 > be. I am used to winter activities where I build quite a sweat (hiking,
 > steelhead wading, cross country skiing). Is the upper body movement of
 > paddling going to be enough of a workout to keep my lower body warm
 > while sitting in a kayak , in real cold water, with a sprayskirt on.

The short answer is yes, if your upper body is warm, your lower body
should be, too. The cockpit does trap some heat, which helps.

One thing I would STRONGLY recommend is getting a waterproof/breathable
dry suit with a relief zip and attached latex or Gore-Tex socks. Winter
water temps can incapacitate in a handfull of minutes and kill very
quickly if you're not adequately protected and end up swimming. I never
paddle in winter without a dry suit and suitable fleece and/or wool
underlayers. As with other winter activities, stay away from cotton at
all costs.

My preference for handwear is for dry gloves, specifically those from
Nordic Blue. I wear Smartwool liners in them and they keep me pretty
warm, despite the fact that my hands are in the water on almost every
stroke (I have long arms and paddle low volume boats).

I tend to wear fleece or shelled fleece headwear, but always have a
neoprene hood on the foredeck, in case the conditions get dicey.

I used to wear Chota mukluks when I had a dry suit without latex socks,
but since installing them, I tend to wear short neoprene dive boots more
often.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Winter Paddling