I had my first wintry paddling experience recently, which was surprisingly quite enjoyable. Some of your first thoughts about winter and kayaking might be “freezing” or “terror” or “prolonged drowning,” but I was actually quite comfortable the entire time. Fortunately, I was with an expert paddler, so I felt quite prepared.

We traveled a section of the Platte River. The branches were all lined with fresh snow, and the cold air made everything crisp and bright. There were far fewer animal sightings at this time of year, but the beauty was all still there. We ended up getting stuck after only a short while at Loon Lake due to ice. The paddling back upstream helped me increase my muscles for the next time, which will hopefully be very soon.