My paddling pod has been getting out more this winter and it
has been a whole new experience. We took advantage of a fairly warm
winter day, in the high 50’s, and traveled down to Suisun City to explore
the sloughs. To be honest, not much there to see, lots of dead
grass and muddy brown water. Wildlife was pretty scarce probably due to a
lot of fishing type folk around. Although it was nothing to get excited
about, it was a good day on the water. And it is always fun to explore
new places.
This winter play has been an adventure that I am enjoying
more and more. It is a different world out there in the winter, much
quieter than summer…peaceful. And, I have two ocean trips coming
up. With all the cold water paddling I have been trying to find the right
mix of warm clothes. The feet have been the biggest challenge. If
you don’t get them wet, no problem! Launching, lunching and landing
have all tested how well the booties and water socks keep my feet warm and
dry. If you don’t have that great seal all is lost. I just got a
new pair of Kokatat Nomad paddling boots. I think this may be the
answer. They have a strong enough shoe for those short walks and a knee
high gaiter that is soft and flexible yet secures firmly under the knee.
I plan to test these boots in a couple of days down at the lake.
We paddled the American River on Presidents day. This
was another peaceful winter morning with 10 of us exploring the rooms along the
river. We are never disappointed with the wildlife we find here. We saw
many different birds, Egrets, Herons, Hawks and of course the usual gaggles of
ducks and geese.
No comments:
Post a Comment