Wandering Mind

Lesson #1
Don't go kayaking by yourself if you've never had a lesson.
Lesson #2
Definitely don't go kayaking by yourself having never had a lesson when the water is 33 degrees.

The problem with getting a kayak in the middle of winter is you don't want to wait for the water to warm up before you take it out. Kayaks do NOT handle like a canoe! I went out on the Wallkill river today thinking I would keep it in the calmer areas, tipping over wouldn't be an issue so I don't have to worry about the fact that I don't know how to roll it over. I was out for less than three minutes when I find myself under the kayak in 33 degree water, sunglasses and paddle are gone and I'm struggling to get out of the kayak. Hmm... this was not the afternoon I had planned on... Once I'm out of the kayak I grab onto it and try to swim toward the shore, watching the paddle float away, hoping I don't get hypothermia. It gets harder to catch my breath and my muscles get tired from the cold, I can feel the panic coming on... Should I yell for help? oh, god... and my hand hits something. Its mud... the water was about a foot deep... oh... I guess I could just stand up now and walk out... yeah, hi. that's not embarrassing. Granted, it was deeper (over my head) where I tipped it but I'm sure most of my swim was in water under four feet deep.

I actually got my paddle back, too. I drove along the river on the way home hoping I would see it float by. Surprisingly I actually did and since I was still soaking wet from my first swim, I just jumped in and got it.

Yeah, I think I'll take kayak lessons as soon as the water warms up a bit.

Labels: Kayaking