Something In The Water
Published December 30, 2011 | 
Each year when the ice is beginning to form on inland lakes there is still time for the hearty paddler to get in a few good days on the water. You simply need to be more cautious. Not only should you be properly dressed for the occasion, but you also need to keep your eye out for nearly transparent floating obstacles. Paddling along at a good clip, floating ice can be nearly invisible. An awkward run up the side of one of these floating chucks or even a direct hit can quickly send an unprepared paddler right over. Most of us would call that a bad day at best.
So here’s the main point to remember. Slow down. If there is any turbulence on the surface, chances are there will be some ice floating around in the water. The wind will flex and snap the edges of the ice sheets growing along the shoreline and send baby bergs out into the open water. These nearly transparent hazards can be up to a few inches thick and you won’t see them unless you’re looking for them. Heck, even when you’re looking for them, they are easy to miss.
The light helps you to pick out this bit of floating ice, but only if you're looking for it!
Now, here’s how I handle days like this. First and foremost I prepare for problems, I wear dry gear, I tell someone where I am and when I’ll be back, I take along a cellphone in a drybag (If it will work where I’m paddling), or a VHF radio or both. I also have a first aid kit, water, snacks and some warm gear in a drybag just in case! Next, I figure out where the wind is coming from and where the water is going. The ice will be moving with current, in small lakes that’s usually the same direction that the wind is blowing. If I’m paddling into the wind, it’s easy, I just look ahead. If the wind is coming from the side, I still look ahead, but I’m also watching up wind as well. For example; If the wind is coming from 9 O’clock (My left side), I’m watching from 10-12… (Ahead AND to the left) Let me be clear, this isn’t fear or panic mode. That’s not what paddling is about. No, I’m simply giving a bit more cautious attention to where drifting ice may be coming from. One time on Lake Michigan I was sitting still and facing the shoreline when a good-sized chuck carried on the incoming surf banged right into the rear of my kayak! After a quick brace I was fine. It was small enough not to matter, but I got a good jolt and learned to be more attentive in the future. Lastly and most importantly, I slow down. It’s easy to get lost in your paddling and find yourself clipping along in a quasi-hypnotic state. This isn’t the time of year for that. One minute your pondering the meaning of your existence and the next you’re upside down wishing you’d learned how to roll and pondering the end of your existence.
Ice sheet is brighter and calmer than the surrounding water.
Now here’s a couple ways you can see these allusive sheets. In wavy conditions the ice sheets often appear as a calmer area in otherwise turbulent water. The ice will often reflect the sunlight which further distinguishes it from the water. If you’re paddling in heavy clouds which is often the case this time of year, you may see no reflections at all. In that case we’re lucky that the ice usually moves a bit slower than the water around it. With just a bit of turbulence you’ll often see little splashes at the upwind side of the ice as if the water was hitting a rock. In even wavier conditions, you’ll see splashes on the up and downside of the ice as it rocks on the surface. Still, there have been a couple of times when I haven’t seen it coming and had to rely on a good brace to stay upright.
A bit of splash marks the edges of this 2 inch thick sheet of ice.
In the end, the most important thing is to not be out in conditions that you are not prepared to deal with. If you do go paddling when there could be ice floating around out there, slow down and be vigilant. Winter is a wonderful time to paddle, but a not a great time to swim. But you know that already, right?
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2 Responses to Something In The Water
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Very good post, very important. Freezing water is no place to swim, even with a drysuit. You’ll lose your hands in no time and won’t be able to reenter your kayak, much less maneuver a cell phone. I wouldn’t go out in any real winter conditions without the company of good friends and/or a “bomb proof” roll.
Winter paddling is the time for going slow (dressed for submersion usually means to hot for paddling fast) and really taking in the beauty of it all. White powdered rocks on pitch black water is something special, like a photographic negative. Reading the surface of the water is always an important part of going kayaking, I think. If it’s not ice, it’s a rock just beneath the surface or some current you need to be aware of. In the winter it’s even more important.
Again, good post, important issue. Good photos as always.
A happy new kayaking year, from Gothenburg, Sweden
Thanks Dampe! Happy New to you as well!