Unexpected Swim

[Black_Fly]

Me and the dog went for a swim at a local lake. Took the wrong canoe. Didn't want to bother moving cars to get a lake boat down from the ceiling. I don't know exactly how he tipped us over about 150 yards off shore because he was behind me. We swam to shore, emptied the boat, and went back out with him in front. He sat very still then. Knew it was on him that we were wet. We were paddling with his sister standing on the back of wife's fishing kayak. Swallowed a little of that nasty water, so I may be real regular next few days.

 

[LanceR]

I'm glad that you are all safe. I feel your pain as far as dogs sometimes being unpredictable. Almost 30 years ago I had a Lab/Rottweiler mix who would launch from the canoe if she thought she was near enough to a duck, goose or loon....which for her really only meant that they were in sight and I wasn't likely to get any closer. She never got anywhere near them but she always wanted to give it a shot.

Best regards to all,

Lance

 

[Sweetfancymoses]

We swam to shore, emptied the boat, and went back out with him in front.

Good for you to get right back on the horse, so to speak.

 

[memaquay]

What kind of temperature did you have for your baptism? I'm going to go either today or tomorrow, a dunk up here right now would be very unpleasant, temps were down to -12 C last night.

 

[Black_Fly]

It was a little brisk. Legs were getting a bit numb by the end of the swim. Boges swam around in circles for a while, then went to shore after wife didn't pull him aboard. Took me a while to swim in due to rubber boots full of water. My zip lock dry bag didn't do so well. Wet wallet, phone and FOB. Phone may be a goner.

 

[ppine]

This is the time of year that kills people the most. Glad you are okay. Dogs figure it out pretty fast. I have taken 3 of mine on trips and they are good with balance. If it gets rough I tell them to lie down. I can move them around in the boat to trim it.

 

[Big Al]

It was a little brisk....

Classic! Glad you are okay.

 

[Grandpa Paddler]

All the swims I have taken were unexpected! Worst was mid-May in Michigan... snowing so hard you could barely see past the bow of the canoe. I set the world record for changing clothes.

 

[Big Al]

I took a whitewater paddling class once in early March. We were supposed to do a eddy turn behind a big rock after a rough rapid. The Instructor said we needed to fully commit and dive into the turn. I dove a little too hard, flipped,drug my face on the gravel bottom for a few feet then wet exited. My stupid helmet had a visor which nicely shoveled gravel into my eyes and up my nose. I got to shore, stood up and realized my expensive prescription glasses were LG The water was cold but my anger kept me warm.

 

[ppine]

Swims are always unexpected.
The good canoeing in the West is in the spring when flows are up on local rivers. April is a big month and May. June is when the flows start to decrease.
I took some newbie friends on the Carson River many years ago for a nice day trip. Moving water but nothing difficult. I made them stay behind me so we could recognize the irrigation diversion dams which had to be carried around.

Two guys I brought with me slide into some overhanging branches and got wet in the first 20 minutes. One guy capsized the canoe again when loading in a difficult spot below a dam. Both of these people showed up in cotton clothes, blue jeans and flannel shirts. It was a sunny day around 60 degrees.

About 2/3s of the way into the trip they both started to get cold. By the end of the trip, the guy that got wet twice was showing the signs of hypothermia. He was having trouble walking, shivering violently. We got them in the trucks and fired up the heater. I faced the windshield in the sun. It took about an hour for both of them to recover.

Even on a warm spring day they got in trouble. I asked a couple of times if we should stop and build a fire. Both guys said no. If this happens again, I will just insist that we stop and get them warmed up. No more cotton on a canoe trip.

 

[Black_Fly]

Blue jeans are the worst swim clothes, right along with knee high rubber boots.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Swims are always unexpected.

For some of us, that isn't entirely true. There are times and trips where I expect to swim at some point. Doesn't always happen - but when you're pushing limits, it's almost a given. That is why we have drysuits, and wear them when others might not.

 

[PaddlingPitt]

For some of us, that isn't entirely true. There are times and trips where I expect to swim at some point. Doesn't always happen - but when you're pushing limits, it's almost a given. That is why we have drysuits, and wear them when others might not.

Kathleen and I used to do a lot of day trips with our canoe club in Vancouver. I was fond of saying, “If you’re not capsizing, you’re not getting better.”

There was one guy, though, Phil, who capsized all the time, and never got any better.

 

[stripperguy]

I thought I was just kidding when I told my buddy "Wait, let me get my camera ready", as he was getting out of his Wee Lassie II. After an hour or two, he claims, his feet go numb...Uh huh, sure.
This was on Grizzle Ocean (ADK's) in mid April, yeah, he was pretty cold by the time we carried and paddled back to the cars. Note the fishing pole in mid flight!

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[scoutergriz]

Paddlingpitt "There was one guy, though, Phil, who capsized all the time, and never got any better." I've had a few like that over the years, the idea is to LEARN from those capsizes, and some never do
Personally I always plan for one, it only happens rarely,but one dip in ice-out water in light clothing is one too many!

 

[Black_Fly]

Entry is usually the iffy part for me. Sometimes my body just won't do it right.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

An interesting variation on "the dog at my homework", Black Fly. Glad to hear you all got ashore unscathed. By the way, the Shawnees moved around a bit historically, so where exactly is the current heart of their nation?

 

[Black_Fly]

I live near the location of Chalahgawtha (Old Chillicothe in English). It was the principal village, home to Tecumseh and sacked several times by Kentucky militia. Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton were held prisoner there. The town of Xenia now takes up most of the area, although there is a small town called Old Town more precisely on the location of the main village. The Shawnee lived here for a long time, according to some experts they descended from the mound builders near Fort Ancient to the South of my home. Most historians believe the tribe is related to Canadian Algonquin people and Delaware to the East.

So, SW Ohio is the short answer. The Little Miami River is still pretty clean near Old Town, only one sewage plant upstream. Lots of agricultural pollution, though.