A seasonal reminder.

 River trips are stacking up on my calendar and this is a nice reminder that as I get older, the water gets colder.

http://www.nrs.com/learn/cold-shock.asp?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social_media&utm_campaign=learn_article_cold_shock

I thought the water gets warmer due to global warming 

 Yet another NCKA moment when I ask myself  "Why do I even try?"

Yet another NCKA moment when I ask myself  "Why do I even try?"

Lighten up my friend.  Can you tell that I'm joking (see icon)? 

Thanks for the reminder; for whatever reason the link between cold shock induced gasping and water inhalation didn't sink in until now.

Stay toasty friends!

Thanks for this. Another spin on it is: "first, catch your breath."  And then tell yourself you will be fine.  It's good to keep in mind:  that cold water actually won't kill you for quite awhile, that swimming warms you up (but also speeds hypothermia), that a normal person can swim in sub-50 water and feel better after ten minutes of swimming than after the initial immersion. 

You have to get control of your breath and thoughts:  "I am fine, I float, I will acclimate in 7-10 minutes (especially if I choose to swim)."  Your body's reaction to cold water can also change.  Regular cold water immersion, by bay swimming, or even cold showers, will allow your body to acclimate more quickly and endure much longer periods of cold.

All that said, don't swim if you have nowhere to go . . . . .

Yet another NCKA moment when I ask myself  "Why do I even try?"

Lighten up my friend.  Can you tell that I'm joking (see icon)? 

Im just not able to find anything funny about cold water drowning.
Thats a good article for a safety minded culture
If weak humor is all that you have to contribute, please don't.





 I think my greatest concern is dry drowning. Finding composure in the panic zone is critical to protect your airway from cold water induced Laryngospasm. With my body already in a state of high O2 demand ,and then I don't have an airway, It will be over quickly.

This year is going to be big and cold.

"Humor makes all things bearable!"

 

A little more info on dry drowning.
http://www.nrs.com/safety_tips/dry_drowning.asp

So is this thread about attempts at humor that you don't like or is it about cold water drownings?  Seems like if you ignore attempts the at humor just like everyone else does that this thread is about what you wanted it to be about.  When you take it personally it becomes about you and telling people what they can and can't post rather than whatever you wanted the thread to be about - you get the exact opposite effect of what you were trying to accomplish.

Anyway, thanks for the reminder.  Stay safe everyone.

River trips are stacking up on my calendar

Where to? (if ya don't mind sharing)

I've mentioned this story before...but it was shocking to experience the effect cold water had on my body when I dumped my ww yak on the upper Kings (knee & ankle joints basically locked up; I could hardly walk by the time I got out of the water).

River trips are stacking up on my calendar

Where to? (if ya don't mind sharing)

I've mentioned this story before...but it was shocking to experience the effect cold water had on my body when I dumped my ww yak on the upper Kings (knee & ankle joints basically locked up; I could hardly walk by the time I got out of the water).

My first WW trips were on the upper Kings. Great memories!, except I hated that the toughest and most intimidating rapid (Banzai hole),for me, was first up and right after the put in. I swam Roostertail once
and will never forget how insignificant I felt moving through the haystacks. One of my favorite kinds of fear.

First up will be Cache creek. We are using the maps from the Ann Dwyer book. 2 days 22 miles.
An interesting team. So far I am the only angler, but Im trying to turn one of the paddlers who has some interest.
Eastside trip will be Lee Vining Creek and it promises to be soul burning cold.
West Walker could be good to go this year. I need to convince my compadres but Its been on my radar for years.
Stanislaus and SJR are always the easy trip favorites but even they can be powerfully cold early on.
Eel and Russian have been in a lot of conversations lately too but it's Cache creek that has most of my interest.
Its all pretty exciting.


Crash
I think that I did a pretty good job getting both messages across.
Good info on cold water recreating AND maybe the next comedian will pick another topic other than one of mine. I guess I can only hope.

A little more info on dry drowning.
http://www.nrs.com/safety_tips/dry_drowning.asp

Good read, scary stuff.

"Humor makes all things bearable!"

Here is a quote that I think is a bit more applicable.

"Once you enter the rapid, you lose all of your constitutional rights."
                                                                                C. Addison