Chilly day on the water...

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Kim and I had talked about kayaking Sunday morning on the previous Friday, but as I looked at the forecast the night before and noted the temperarture in the thirties, I wondered if she’d still be game.  I texted her the question and without hesitation, she replied she was excited to go.  Damn.

We arrived at the East Branch Reservoir close to noon.  It was cold and once you’re on the water, it’s even colder.  There is nothing to break the wind on the open water and you’re essentially sitting on top of something that’s about forty degrees and sucking your body heat out of you.  As you stroke, water tends to run down the paddle and onto your hands, which can make keeping them warm and dry a challenge.  Having said all that, we pushed off, excited to see what we might see and to enjoy the serenity that, for me at least, always accompanies time on the water.

We spent the next two hours paddling almost every inch of the coastline, including the inlets along the way.  I showed her two eagle’s nests, though neither offered any signs of occupancy.  I used my binoculars to scan the trees as we paddled, but never saw any of the four eagles I’ve spotted here over the last few weeks.  The wind was creating a bit of a chop and with 17-foot sea kayaks, the added difficulty of keeping the craft headed in the intended direction.  These kayaks are equipped with rudders to help with that matter, but I seldom use it.  I feel my paddling skills are good enough to keep me heading where I want to go...and Kim, the novice, would learn paddling skills more quickly if she had to make adjustments with her paddle and not the rudder.  She had little trouble after I showed her a couple of simple, corrective strokes.

Other than my toes, I managed to stay reasonably warm the entire time, which had me rethinking the definition of the ‘kayak season.’  In the past, I’d be done in October and not consider using it again until late March.  All that changed with this trip.  As long as I stay upright...and I’ve never gone over except on purpose...I can stay warm with gear similar to what I’d wear for winter biking.  I tend to paddle in shallow waters, so even if I flipped in chilly waters where the danger of debilitating hypothermia would occur in less than ten minutes, I’d be okay getting to shore.  I don’t like being limited by the weather in the activities that I do through the warmer months, and I think kayaking...like cycling and the Survival Workout...is going to be part of this winter’s routine.

Kayak Duration: Two hours.
Training Heart Rate: 80-100 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1,000.