Late Fall Paddling

I was able to get out the water Saturday afternoon for some paddling. An unexpected treat this late in the season. Matt Kennedy, who did the Rossport trip back in August with, came along to check out this thing I call "urban paddling":



We hit the water at around 2:30 or so - the temps were a bit above freezing, but the wind was blowing hard. I was excited about trying out my pogies (things you put on your hands while paddling to keep them toasty) until I realized that I had left them at home. Fortunately, I had some neoprene gloves along!

We started at the I694 bridge (a park off of East River Road), and paddled downstream. This would force us to work hard to come back. It was a great day, and the downtown skyline beckoned us to keep paddling. We finally turned around when we realized we would be tight on time (and energy) to make it back before the sun went down. (We turned around at the bridge in the background. The bridge after that is at Boom Island.)


Leaving that late in the afternoon meant that the sun set while we were still on the water. This resulted in temps dropping below freezing. As a result, we both had a decent layer of ice on our boats from the paddle spray. the spray skirts were pretty crusty too. It was also pretty dark (and COLD) when we returned, and the park was getting ready to close (the ranger stopped by to see when we were going to leave).

We had a good paddle. Total distance was just under 12 miles - not bad for an impromptu paddle. Both of us dressed warmly, and were fairly comfortable. Until we got out of our boats. Turns out the spray skirt contributes a lot to staying warm!