2011: Post 68 – Boxing Day Paddle

I went to bed a little early last night and then was up early this morning.  I checked the weather.  It said it was -12 C with -20 wind chill, supposed to -4 C by the afternoon, and it was forecasting  southwest 20 km wind.  I looked out the window at the trees across the road and decided the wind was less than 20 km.  Everyone in my house was up late and would sleep in.  So I decided I would take off to St. Philips for an impromptu paddle to Topsail Beach.  I had a big bowl of ‘stick to the ribs’ oatmeal and then loaded up the kayak and gear.  As I was driving to the put-in I could tell the wind was less than 20 km. 

I pulled onto the parking lot and could see the ice pans in front of the slipway – the fresh water coming out of the river will freeze in the brackish water of the marina.  It was cold the last couple of days and in anticipation I had brought my solid spruce GP; the last time I used my laminated GP in ice I dented up the cedar.

As I was getting into my kayak at the bottom of the slipway someone had stopped in their car on the opposite side and was watching me as I forced my way through the ice.  Unless they too were paddlers, I could guess what they were probably thinking... I switched over to my laminated cedar-spruce GP once I got through the ice pans and paddled out of the channel and headed toward Topsail Beach. 

There was some swell but its effects lessened the farther I got toward Topsail Beach.  The shore was full of icicles…

The rocks were all topped with ice too.  They reminded me of miniature mountains…

Once I got to Topsail Beach I looked up the little river that flows from the little freshwater pond there... 

The tide was up and I wondered if I could actually paddle up the river.  I paddled in a little closer and decided to give it a try.  I waited for the little surf to help push me in.  I rubbed the kayak bottom a little but was quickly in the deeper moving water and increased my cadence.  Then I was out of the running water and sitting in the pond. I couldn’t go very far as it was iced over but I was delighted to have been able to do this for the first time… seems whenever I have been here before the tide was always too low…

I waved to some people that were sitting in a truck watching me and turned around to look back down the river…

I let the water carry me back out and decided to continue around the cove to the little headland about a kilometer farther.  Once I go there I decided I had gone far enough and there was nothing more to see except for houses…

When I turned around I caught the reflection of my GP in the water and thought it might make for an interesting picture…

The elusive Greenland paddle water snake!

I headed back the other way.  I took my time looking at the icicles and ice capped rocks all along the shore.  In reverse fashion, the closer I got to St. Philips the more swell there was… 

See the rocks...

... now you don't.

The river at St. Philips was very peaceful and I hung around for a while…

The ice pans were still in front of the slipway and I had switched over to my spruce GP to make my way back through…

After I got my gear put away and my kayak back in the house our cat, Sally, decided to do an inspection.  I think her paws got cold after she had them on the deck for a while…

Perhaps I should get her a drysuit??