It's like paddling through a giant Slurpee

Yesterday, our friend Angus invited us to go kayaking with him. Unfortunately Ash had to work but took up the invitation with no delay. It's been quite a while since I've gone paddling and I've missed it terribly. As you recall from the last post things have been all white and fluffy around here lately and yesterday was no exception. This was to be no ordinary kayaking trip. When I arrived I was greeted by Tom, another friend of ours, who decided to come along as well. The amount of gear and clothing needed for cold weather paddling was a little daunting. I suited up in 2 long sleeve undershirts, a fluffy snow jacket with hood, long johns, jeans, gators, boots, spray skirt, life jacket, and neoprene gloves. I felt like I was suited up in armor and ready for battle. When we were preparing to sit in the kayaks I ended up abandoning my gators and boots on shore to walk out to the boat using a borrowed pair of waders. I stayed quite warm even without the extra kit though because of this nifty "body sock" that sits down in the cockpit that your lower body is cocooned in. That and the spray skirt that seals off any moisture from entering the boat. I could have avoided all the layers if I'd have gotten a dry suit. Angus had a very nice top of the line one that I was envying. It basically seals up around your neck, wrists and ankles in one layer keeping any water out. I'll definitely be owning one of those before next time. We all managed to get off and paddling with little fuss. Even though everything was white with snow I was very warm, in fact, If I'd been able to, I would have shed a layer or two. Alas, I was strapped into the boat and we were falling into a good rhythm so I didn't bother. Despite the heavy cloud cover and a misty mixture of rain and snow for the first part of the journey, paddling in the winter was sheer delight. The landscape was indescribably beautiful. Snow has this special way of making mountains look hyper 3D, defining every nook, crevasse and tree. And like I'd mentioned in the previous post, there was a prevailing sense that you were traveling through a black and white movie. We paddled around for 3 hours checking out different coves and parts of the river. At one point we paddled through this cove that had an inch or two of slushy ice completely covering the surface of the water. As we progressed we left a visible trail in the ice. It was really cool and I was imagining dropping a giant straw down in it and drinking it like a Slurpee. I've posted a video down below to show the consistency. It was the most unique kayaking experience I've ever had, and certainly one I would jump at the chance to experience again.


Slurpee Kayaking video here!

Click Here for the pics!