100 Miles – SNOW!
Wisconsin welcomed it’s first snowstorm of 2011/2012 season yesterday, but that was no reason not to go kayaking at Devil’s Lake! Well, actually it was a good reason not to paddle, but I’m a little odd that way. By the time I was unloaded and ready to go, the snow was falling heavily and wind out of the north was gusting to around 35 mph. (Enough to catch your paddle and blow you over if you’re not careful.) Launching from the protected north shore of the lake, the weather didn’t seem that bad. The water was calm and there wasn’t much wind. That changed once I began to head south.
A glance toward the top of the east bluff would tell you the wind was blowing pretty hard, even if you didn’t feel it on the protected surface of the water. About a 3rd of the way out into the lake however, the wind began to reach the surface. Now I could feel it pushing me pretty hard to the south end. It would be a fast easy ride as long as I stayed upright in the process! The wind was not only pushing me, but pushing the surface of the lake as well. Now the waves would begin to build. They continued to increase until they could go no further and suddenly slam in a loud, lunging surf on the southern shoreline.
Turning the corner and heading west along south shore road I had the full brunt of the morning storm hitting me broadside. I kept my kayak edged or leaning, slightly into the broaching waves to keep from being rolled over. (In a kayak you always should lean into the wind and waves to avoid being rolled over, not away from them) Now honestly, I’ve paddled in big ocean conditions and I’m not too concerned about bad weather on the lake. However, a strong gust of wind at an awkward moment could have had me over, and I really didn’t want find myself upside down in the frigid water. Even dressed in a drysuit, this was not the day to go for a swim!
Turning again on the south-west corner, I set my sights on the 4 cottages along the west bluff. Now I had the full force of the wind pushing against me, while snow mixed with ice and rain smacked into my face with stinging force. It was going to stay this way until either I got close enough to the west bluff that it may offer me some protection or until I made the relative calm of the north shore once again. Either way, the next half hour or so was going to be a workout! I put my head down to protect my face as much as possible and just paddled hard into the storm.
Paddling into a strong wind, you can feel every muscle in your body in a state of constant tension. Unlike paddling on calm day, you simply can’t ease up. If you stop paddling, your kayak will begin to slip backwards or may even be turned sideways which puts you in an awkward & unstable position in strong winds. I kept my head down and just pushed. The west bluff was offering no protection. Just my luck! I kept my head down and pushed on. I finally realized I was making some headway when I felt the tension in my shoulder’s and lower back begin to ease. I looked up and realized I was finally 3/4ths the way back to the north shore. With each stroke the pressure eased and the wind slowly abated. I was finally slipping into the protection of the shoreline. For awhile I just stopped, floated and caught my breath.
It wasn’t until I returned to the north shore that I began to see the park’s wildlife again. They were of course doing the smart thing and staying out of the wind. I passed by a large woodpecker in the trees along shore, a goose, a few ducks and of course, the coots. Usually when I paddle past the coots they head out toward the center of the lake. On this day the only moved as little as they felt necessarily. They weren’t in a hurry to go too far out into the lake on this day either.
All in all, it was a good day. By the time I had the kayak loaded, I was cold, wet, and just beginning to feel my toes again. Par for the course. I remember a line from an old Paul McCartney song called Mamunia off the Band on the Run LP. It went, “You’ve never felt the rain my friend, Till you’ve felt it running down your back “. I think that’s true. We often spend so much time running from controlled environment to controlled environment until anything but perfect feels unbearable. It’s always either too hot or too cold to go outside. I think that the more time you actually spend out-of-doors, the wider your comfort zone becomes. For what it’s worth…
Here’s about 3 minutes of rough video from yesterday’s paddle.