I hate to say it out loud in case someone is actually
paying attention, but I made a resolution to get out paddle/camping at least
once a month through the coming year.
Yeah, I know this is no big deal for those living in places that have
real paddling water, but here on the edge of the ‘Great American Desert,’
getting out on the water has proven to be a bit of a challenge. Suddenly I was faced with the 30th
of January. What to do?
One of my other on-going challenges has been showing
up in paddling country with enough clothing to meet any weather adversity
without looking like I’m hauling a load from a Goodwill truck. I’ve too often ended up leaning toward the
latter. What I needed was an outing to
try out some combinations that could fit in a 20-litre drybag, and yet provide
just not survival, but comfort. It was
to be 22 degrees, so I just went out locally so I could run for home if I
screwed up too badly. Along with a 15-degree
mummy bag, I carried a second pair of wool socks, one pair of Cabela’s Polar
Fleece bottoms, a long-sleeved tee and sweat shirt, pull-over hoodie, knit
watch cap, and rabbit fur-lined gloves.
In actual practice, I’d replace the sweat shirt with a fleece top or
wool sweater. Besides the warmth, they’d
also pack smaller. I slept very comfortably.
Night #2 was more of a challenge. I turned in with the same outfit, but the
temperature had made a sudden 34-degree upswing. I wasn’t in too long before I started
shedding clothing. I got rid of the
gloves, watch cap, wool socks, and fleece bottoms and left the bag completely
unzipped. The warmer temperature was a
blessing, but the sudden temperature swing to 56-degrees set up a terrible wind
event with sudden hammering gusts to 40 and 50mph. I was being shaken and buffeted, and the
noise was so clamorous that sleep was impossible.
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