Our November canoe/camp trip

[jbull380]

Thought I would make my real introduction here as I am a newmember to this forum. I think it best done with photos.
My wife and I just got the last of 5 kids raised and out thedoor. We now have the time and a few more resources to spend on ourselves. Wepurchased a used Wenonah canoe about a year ago and have since been exploringSkiatook Lake here in Oklahoma. We live about 2 minutes from where we put in.
I am a police detective and find that I get a little toomuch of the human element and have a strong desire to disappear from society onan increasingly regular basis. Enter the canoe. My wife and I now spend somegreat time together without the noise and irritation of the human.
We will load that canoe up and take off for 3 or 4 days at atime. I suspect one day we may not come back as we love it so much. Paddlinglends itself well to photography and with the addition of the digital camera Ican take huge numbers of photos. We devote entire walls of our house to themalong with items we may find on our trips such as an interesting rock orfishing lure we found, just something to remind us.
I am posting a few photos from our last trip (Nov. 29 thruDec. 1 2013). My wife’s first winter camp out, she wasn’t too sure about it butthe weather was perfect with highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s. These photos were taken on the last day when the wind was dead calm and a fog rolled in.
Enjoy:

 

[yellowcanoe]

Those are way cool photos!

 

[Cronje]

Beautiful photos. Welcome aboard. Cronje

 

[Murat V]

Wow. What beautiful pics! Very haunting. You really picked a perfect place to get away from humanity. Looking forward to more.

 

[Guest]

That's an interesting story, great pictures and a great place. Wow! for your willingness as beginners to do 3 day trips in winter.

You might think about wearing PFDs, especially considering the cold water and cool weather.

 

[memaquay]

Awesome pics! You're a lucky man to convince your wife to brave the cold weather time! My wife is enjoying the summer trips so far, but she gets cold really quick. Nice to see open water too, we've got about 2 feet of snow now, and it's -22 celcius today!

 

[jbull380]

acer we do have em the canoe but never seem to get them on us. I know we should.

 

[Rippy]

Welcome, thanks for sharing your pictures.

 

[Guest]

I had to laugh a little. For my first year I didn't need to wear no stinkin PFD.

Lucky for me that a light bulb got turned on in the second year, because in the 3rd came another great revelation, that I could in fact fall out of my boat on Dec 1.

With 40s water temp and winter boots and heavy clothing, I was gratified by the extra buoyancy.

Give yourself credit. You are exploring wild country, as we all are. When you explore wild country, you never know.

Today there's lots to chose from among PFDs. Many are not too hot in summer nor too bulky and inconvenient at any time of year.

I like to read about and see pictures of other people's haunts.

OK is unexpected for me and maybe others. Looks interesting. Likely I'll do USGS and Google Earth at some time.

A few years ago I was acquainted with a couple of guys from OK, but all we talked about was motorcycles and sports cars.

 

[Guest]

Welcome 380, I love your tandem selfie in camp. A cup of coffee and a pot on the fire looks just about perfect. The flooded forest photos are really cool. It's nice to leave the crazy world behind for awhile. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Hanz]

Great shots!

They remind me of the inkblot psychiatry photos they used to make me look at and tell them what I saw. Kidding, sort of ;-)

You think you like to get away from humans? I work retail!

Thanks again for the photos, I'm sure you'll enjoy time spent here.

 

[oldie moldy]

Hi JB, Really enjoyed your photos, those mirrored trees; very very nice! Some time ago I was reading a report (I think it was a Coast Guard) about drowning. Turns out when we fall in the water most of us make a quick gasp. I'm not sure why that would be part of our autonomic nervous system, but anyways we do it and obviously that's the wrong thing to do if you're not a fish. I filled that tidbit away and sure enough about a month later I flipped the canoe in a really mucky lake. I remember looking up at the underside of the waves thinking that this was sure filthy water to be drowned in. And then my life vest popped me to the surface. It was love from that point on. Curiously enough, after I coughed up all the water and nasty bits I didn't get sick. I would have bet there was something pathogenic in all that soup.
Anyways; I think you're going to be a valued member here, I look forward to reading more of your trip reports, so please: the pfd!

Best Wishes,

Rob

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Very cool photos!

I had to look - that Skiatook lake looks like a neat place to explore. Pretty big expanse of nooks & crannies.

Kudos to the both of you. My wife won't even get in a canoe when the weather gets cold. I used to do a bit of winter camping, but I've been out of it for a while. Getting soft, I guess.

I have read about the gasp reflex too, but I don't think it applies to everyone. I haven't ever experienced it anyway, and I've had a few cold-water dunkings. But I also know that cold water will sap your muscle control pdq, making swimming impossible for most people. Even 70° water will stove you up eventually. A well-fitted paddling pfd will keep you afloat without being bulky, and gives the added benefit of insulating your core (a little). I never go without one on.

We're not scolding, BTW - we just care.

 

[yellowcanoe]

The gasping thing happens just as you realize that you are going to hit something with your car too. As an EMS provider I have seen a few fatals where the person died from asphyxiation. The clue is the obstructed airway and the McDonalds fries or other food all over the car. It might be better not to eat when canoeing.

I have had bronchospasm once during an upset on an Arctic river. Could get air in..couldn't get it out. Was glad for my PFD there. I wear one because solo I need all my hands for jobs other than swimming.

Its kind of instructive when the weather is nicer and the water warmer to actually do a capsize (without all that gear of course) and find out just how easy..or not..it is to get your PFD from the bottom of the boat and get it on.. Sometimes people capsize and the boat does not!

 

[Robin]

Very nice pictures, Thanks for taking the time to share them. My wife is not a real wilderness camper (she wants hot showers and flush toilets) so I envy your nice looking self portrait of the two of you out in such a remote setting.

What did the kids think of that picture? They must be proud of you two.

 

[jbull380]

One if them thinks we are nuts. The others would probably enjoy it.

 

[stripperguy]

Mr bull,
Cool photos...I had to do a quick study of Skiatook Lake as well.
I've never been to OK, I imagine it does get cold there, right? I do enjoy the wide range of paddling destinations that this forum presents. So different from my home turf...

 

[jbull380]

Saturday morning it was 8 degrees.