Winter Kayak Trip Gone Wrong

 

When I was growing up, I knew a person who loved to take their kayak out on the river during all sorts of weather.  It didn't really matter if it was raining or sunny, hot or cold.  If the water was open and they had the time on any given weekend, they'd throw that little boat and a paddle into their pickup truck and head to the river.

One time during the early Winter months, they had a particularly memorable trip.  You see, the cold weather had started a bit early that year and most households had to turn the furnace on a bit earlier than normal.  This did not discourage this individual from bundling up and heading to their normal drop-in point.  Ice had formed near the shore, but the current was keeping the rest of the water clear.

Good enough!

One of the issues with paddling on a day such as this is that the options for where you can go on the river are a bit more limited.  That means anyone paddling in those conditions has to keep their wits about them and stay alert.  Unfortunately, on this particular day, the mind wandered a bit too much and this person got caught on a snag and flipped their boat.  

They righted themselves easily enough and got back into the kayak.  But now they were wet and very cold.  And they had a ways to go to get back to their truck.  That put them into a bit of a quandary - what should they do now?

To this day, they claim that hypothermia must have set in because they have no explanation for what they did next.  They floated as close to the shore as they could get and gathered some sticks.  Once they had enough, they proceeded to start a fire in their kayak so they could warm up.

Of course, you know what happened next.  The kayak sank and they had to wade to the bank and walk back to the truck.

What they had forgotten is this...

You can't have your kayak and heat it too.

Have a great weekend everyone!