Hello again,
Hope everyone here has had a good winter.
So...as previously posted, I bought my first canoe last August and upgraded it in September. I waxed the bottom and stored it carefully in the garage throughout this past Michigan winter. But now, the lakes around here are about half melted and the other half is likely to melt within the next week or two and I'm wondering how quickly people get back out on the water for trips. I'll definitely be getting out on my neighborhood lakes for conditioning and general practice paddling as soon as the ice has melted, but I will be staying closer to shore.
I know from my sailing days that the water is COLD this time of year. A sailor I met from Lake Superior said the only reason he wore a PFD was to make it easier to find his body. So I'm guessing that if I do go on a trip, choosing a destination where I can stay close to shore is a good idea, i.e. no crossing of larger lakes. I'm also assuming that high winds are much more likely to be an issue in the spring than late summer or fall. So is it normal to wait for the water to warm up a bit or is it more common to just get out there as soon as the ice is gone? I recognize that different folks are likely to have different takes, but again drawing on my sailing years, only the newbies rush to launch their boats this early in the spring around here.
The other thought besides cold water and high winds are the bugs. I know the UP of Michigan and Algonquin have bugs later in the spring that are a no-go for me, but I suspect there may be a period of time (a brief period of time?) when the days are warm enough but the bugs aren't yet bad. (I just finished a thru-hike of the Foothills Trail in the Carolinas last week and feel I timed it quite well -- low temps only got into the 20's and I only saw one or two mosquitoes in the five days I was out. Link attached.)
I'd like to get back to Algonquin because I've been there and know a little about what I'd be getting into, but I'm definitely willing to consider other places. The Adirondacks come to mind, but I have no idea if that's a beginner-friendly locale. I'm also considering a float down the Au Sable here in Michigan, but again, I've never just floated down a river before and don't know if that's something a solo beginner should do for the first time when the water is so cold. I do know that rivers are higher in the spring due to snow melt and may therefore be more dangerous for guys like me with virtually no experience in faster water.
I have the luxury (now that I'm retired) of being able to wait for a suitable weather window...but does that mean July or August for most people? Or just the first few warmer days after the ice has melted?
TIA
Jim
Hope everyone here has had a good winter.
So...as previously posted, I bought my first canoe last August and upgraded it in September. I waxed the bottom and stored it carefully in the garage throughout this past Michigan winter. But now, the lakes around here are about half melted and the other half is likely to melt within the next week or two and I'm wondering how quickly people get back out on the water for trips. I'll definitely be getting out on my neighborhood lakes for conditioning and general practice paddling as soon as the ice has melted, but I will be staying closer to shore.
I know from my sailing days that the water is COLD this time of year. A sailor I met from Lake Superior said the only reason he wore a PFD was to make it easier to find his body. So I'm guessing that if I do go on a trip, choosing a destination where I can stay close to shore is a good idea, i.e. no crossing of larger lakes. I'm also assuming that high winds are much more likely to be an issue in the spring than late summer or fall. So is it normal to wait for the water to warm up a bit or is it more common to just get out there as soon as the ice is gone? I recognize that different folks are likely to have different takes, but again drawing on my sailing years, only the newbies rush to launch their boats this early in the spring around here.
The other thought besides cold water and high winds are the bugs. I know the UP of Michigan and Algonquin have bugs later in the spring that are a no-go for me, but I suspect there may be a period of time (a brief period of time?) when the days are warm enough but the bugs aren't yet bad. (I just finished a thru-hike of the Foothills Trail in the Carolinas last week and feel I timed it quite well -- low temps only got into the 20's and I only saw one or two mosquitoes in the five days I was out. Link attached.)
I'd like to get back to Algonquin because I've been there and know a little about what I'd be getting into, but I'm definitely willing to consider other places. The Adirondacks come to mind, but I have no idea if that's a beginner-friendly locale. I'm also considering a float down the Au Sable here in Michigan, but again, I've never just floated down a river before and don't know if that's something a solo beginner should do for the first time when the water is so cold. I do know that rivers are higher in the spring due to snow melt and may therefore be more dangerous for guys like me with virtually no experience in faster water.
I have the luxury (now that I'm retired) of being able to wait for a suitable weather window...but does that mean July or August for most people? Or just the first few warmer days after the ice has melted?
TIA
Jim
