Spring Kayaking - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
I have a new rule. I will kayak or I will camp, but never again both together.This a result of the weekend trip, kayaking some 20 miles down the Carson River from just south of Lake Tahoe down to the Carson plain in Nevada. It was cold and gray and the water was low. And icy. Oh, and did I mention there was wind? There was wind. Chilly wind.
Random good and bad thoughts:
Bad - flat tire as we pulled into gas station at Incline Village.
Good - it was fixed in scant seconds by the tire genius with magic plug technology, no need to unload the car or put it on a lift.
Bad - after frantic planning, we left my life jacket behind.
Good - The delightful man at the tiny general store in town lent me his (hugely oversize) life jacket. Since I didn’t have a $20 bill for him to hold as collateral (his suggestion), he held on to B’s almost expired credit card and it all worked out fine. ::sends waves of gratitude through the ether::
Good - I didn’t have to go solo but shared the two-man kayak with B.
Bad - with all the equipment loaded in for camping, the two-man was vilely unwieldy.
Ugly - the snow melt run-off was low enough that we had to get into the icy water to dislodge the kayak more than once.
Good - The all new wetsuit, glove and booties that kept me from total hypothermia.
Bad - by Saturday afternoon in the shade, all that new equipment still wasn’t enough.
Ugly - two colleagues in a canoe with their dog had omitted wetsuits and booties and nearly did have hypothermia for real, with bare sandaled feet in the freezing bilge, frantically bailing. Not a good weekend for canoes.
Good - We got to the hot springs before the sun went too far behind the hill and plunged in with all our cold wet clothes on.
Bad - well, more like luke-warm.
Good - we didn’t fall out of the kayak on any of the rapids (more and shallower than expected)
Bad - on Sunday B. managed to tip me out into a sneaky current where the underlying rocks were rawther slippery (and of course, the snow melt).
But Good - I managed to fling myself after my escaping paddle, though it involved yet more wet. And cold.
Still... the views were striking in places, when the sun was shining and we were between rapids. And Saturday night’s moon was a dazzler, the kind of thing that you remember after the chattering teeth and numb extremities are a distant nightmare.
Nevertheless. Not. Worth. The. Pain.
Oh. The sushi? Casino. 45 minute wait. Adequate but not up to local standards.
Fortunately, this weekend
rainkatt and I can kick back and do nothing more strenuous than lifting champagne flutes and sorting out her closet.
::sighs contentedly::
Random good and bad thoughts:
Bad - flat tire as we pulled into gas station at Incline Village.
Good - it was fixed in scant seconds by the tire genius with magic plug technology, no need to unload the car or put it on a lift.
Bad - after frantic planning, we left my life jacket behind.
Good - The delightful man at the tiny general store in town lent me his (hugely oversize) life jacket. Since I didn’t have a $20 bill for him to hold as collateral (his suggestion), he held on to B’s almost expired credit card and it all worked out fine. ::sends waves of gratitude through the ether::
Good - I didn’t have to go solo but shared the two-man kayak with B.
Bad - with all the equipment loaded in for camping, the two-man was vilely unwieldy.
Ugly - the snow melt run-off was low enough that we had to get into the icy water to dislodge the kayak more than once.
Good - The all new wetsuit, glove and booties that kept me from total hypothermia.
Bad - by Saturday afternoon in the shade, all that new equipment still wasn’t enough.
Ugly - two colleagues in a canoe with their dog had omitted wetsuits and booties and nearly did have hypothermia for real, with bare sandaled feet in the freezing bilge, frantically bailing. Not a good weekend for canoes.
Good - We got to the hot springs before the sun went too far behind the hill and plunged in with all our cold wet clothes on.
Bad - well, more like luke-warm.
Good - we didn’t fall out of the kayak on any of the rapids (more and shallower than expected)
Bad - on Sunday B. managed to tip me out into a sneaky current where the underlying rocks were rawther slippery (and of course, the snow melt).
But Good - I managed to fling myself after my escaping paddle, though it involved yet more wet. And cold.
Still... the views were striking in places, when the sun was shining and we were between rapids. And Saturday night’s moon was a dazzler, the kind of thing that you remember after the chattering teeth and numb extremities are a distant nightmare.
Nevertheless. Not. Worth. The. Pain.
Oh. The sushi? Casino. 45 minute wait. Adequate but not up to local standards.
Fortunately, this weekend
rainkatt and I can kick back and do nothing more strenuous than lifting champagne flutes and sorting out her closet.
::sighs contentedly::