Outta da pool inta da river!
God damn the that waters cold:eek: !
We'll it happened, on Sunday I found my self feeling a lot like a over stuffed sausage as I assessed the copious amount of gear that I had borrowed.
-long johns, top and bottom, wool socks, fleece sweater (didn't need to borrow these)
-farmer john wet suit, dry top, booties, neoprene mits, skull cap, brain bucket, life jacket, spray skirt... :cool:
A brief safety meeting (no weed, actual safety talk :rolleyes:) where the universal language of paddle pointing/waving etc. was explained, as well as how to swim (the beers for gear collection policy), and things to pay close attention to on the river was completed standing on a snowy bank. then into the boats and into a pool on the willow river.
After a couple minutes of getting a feel for the boat it was time to give a couple of practice rolls:eek: :eek: :eek: cold really cold.
Partners were assigned and then the world of moving water was entered ... a little practice eddying in and out and then we were off. It didn't take long before I caught an edge :eek: (this use of the term where there is no snow underski is going to allow me to catch my edges in two seasons; ski and paddle, I'm not impressed :nonono2: ) and earned my first combat roll :cool:. The rest of the afternoon was roll free. I will need a lot more work on getting a good forward stroke since getting to where I need to go is still not a straight line.
Can't wait to get cold wet and uncomfortable again.