Winter paddling – one of the rare advantages of global warming
I seemed to have blamed everyone else last weekend for coming up with the notion that going for one last paddle would be a good idea in December. Truth be known, it was me who initiated the idea. I just happened to deny that fact when the day brought a major snow storm and -7 degree temperatures.
It seemed sensible enough prior to the weekend. We had received unseasonable warm weather and the water, for the most part, was still open in and around Peterborough. So we chose to paddle the Mississauga River in the Kawartha Highlands. It’s an easy enough river and the water level was up, reducing the chance of us having to wade in the water.
In retrospect, I’m okay being blamed though. Yes, I did manage to get a series of standing waves land on my lap and soak me while I sat in the bow during one particular rapid (I told you, Andy, that we I would get wet if we ran that run). And it was cold enough that we kept drinking coffee and hot chocolate throughout the day and left the three cans of beer in the daypack. Can you believe that! But what an incredible day on the water. Check the video out and let’s just say our paddle on the river that day was something canoeists dream about.
