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Time to shift gears

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Jun 3, 2015
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Anchorage Alaska / Pocono Mts.
Heavy rain, warm temps and high winds melted almost six inches of ice on my lake overnight. I was skiing in the woods on Friday and it looks like I'll be paddling today. Anyone up for a paddle in NE Pa.?
 
I hear you brother . I poked my head outside this morning 58 degree F at 5 AM. A morning like that will start a guy thinking about getting out on the water but then a 50 mph gust of wind hitting you will bring me back to reality real quick. But it's still nice to even think about getting on the water this time of year. I just hope we don't pay for these mild temps this March and April.
 
I'm upwind of you and had 60 mph winds yesterday. Thought about taking boges for a paddle but thought better after stepping outside. Turned out to be a college Basketball day.
 
The wind died down around 3PM and I had a nice paddle. I rescued a plastic swan that blew across the lake from a neighbors place, met my wife and grandkids at the far end of the lake and shot some hoops and had a couple of good conversations with two of my neighbors. It was truly a blessing and it looks like I'll have at least 4 or 5 days more before thing change.
 

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Heavy rain, warm temps and high winds melted almost six inches of ice on my lake overnight. I was skiing in the woods on Friday and it looks like I'll be paddling today. Anyone up for a paddle in NE Pa.?

Where are you paddling? I've lived most of my life within 2 hrs of NE/Erie and due to a brain freeze, the only lake I can think of is Findlay (and Erie)
 
Bring it on, I'm a winter guy. 15F here this morning and if the wind keeps the lake from freezing and Saturdays snow comes I may be able to paddle and ski on the same day. That is something I have been unable to do in Ak. but is pretty common here in Pa.

I'd like to know how the resident geese knew the lake had thawed and returned within a day. I guess they didn't go too far.
 
Enroute to sand beaches next to blue liquid and cups of liquid topped with little umbrellas
And diving and snorkeling and paddling
We only will miss ten days of snow though
And we have had snow since before Christmas
Just got outta town ahead of an unhyped foot of snow
 
Good for you YC, I hope you have a great time. I was hoping to do a trip south too, but my wife can't go and I can't leave her without the car.

Believe it or not I have felt that sitting on the beach having a cocktail feeling recently while in my Baker tent sitting by the wood stove watching the moon rise. Different scene, same feeling.

If you are passing through the area where I 81 and I 84 meet and you are hungry I can direct you to some great pizza just off the interstate.
 
I have an unheated, uninsulated summer cottage on a small lake (Tingley) near exit 217 on I 81. Its 225 miles from home (near New Era Stadium). While I have a couple of canoes at the cottage, its almost too far for a day trip in the winter just to paddle. I can always dream, but I prefer to have a flush toilet when I' there.
Lake Erie is
indomitable in the winter, so I don't even try in the winter. While the water may be soft, my body is too soft to make the attempt this time of the year.
 
Your place is probably less than an hour and a half north of me. 225 miles is way too far for a daytrip for me . My limit is about 100 miles.

I checked into how painted turtles spend the winter, I always thought they buried themselves in the mud and hibernated but was wrong. They just stay under the ice and absorb oxygen through their skin and believe it or not their anus.
 
Give it time.

Yeah, unseasonably warm winter weekends are awkwardly appreciated.

With near universally accepted scientific evidence of climate change/global warming progressing more rapidly than predicted the outdoors world is changing. We may well be beyond the tipping point. This isn’t political, this is scientific data beyond mis-interpretation or ignorant denial.

From a paddler perspective biting insect hatches and emergence are becoming an issue in the mid-Atlanic region.

Blacklegged ticks (deer ticks, the known Lyme disease carriers) that didn’t find a blood meal before diapause become active at temps above 35F. Yes, 35F. They also carry anaplanosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus (seriously, you don’t want the latter)

Above 50F mosquitoes will become active, including the introduced skeeter species, Think EEE (Eastern Equine Encephalatis). Eh, it’s only fatal in 30% of cases.

I’ve had my share of tick bourne illness, Rocky Mt Spotted Fever and Lyme disease. Probably some of the mosquito stuff when I was hale and hearty enough to fight it off. I ain’t afraid no ticks or mosquitoes. I’ll still use DEET and permethrin, and hope to live long enough to (regrettably) see Sabal Palmettos growing along the Maryland shoreline.

This is already unstoppable; make your plans and take your precautions as necessary.
 
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