Well, Bruce and I looked for a weekend day when the weather was predicted to be in the 50’s with sunshine for a last paddle before the spring.  On Saturday, Veteran’s Day Monday was predicted to be 52 degrees with sun and clouds, winds of 4 to 7 mph.  A quick phone call on Saturday night and we had a plan: Meet at the launch site behind Barge Canal Lock 7 at 11 AM, for a paddle west on the Mohawk to the Twin Bridges that carry Interstate 87 over the river, and return.  It would be a chance to try out some of our cold weather gear in cold weather - a “proof of concept” trip. 

        My plan was to wear a base layer of poly long underwear bottoms, a long sleeve wicking t-shirt and wool socks.  Over that would go my NRS Farmer John wetsuit.  A mid-weight polartec sweater was next, with everything covered by a splash jacket and pants.  The final items were Chota Mukluks, neoprene gloves and a hat.  Bruce prepared similarly. 

        Sunday dawned not at all as predicted.  It was below freezing as I consumed my first cup of coffee.  I figured it would warm-up as the morning progressed and the sun came out.  As I drank my second cup, the thermometer read 34 degrees, and it was clearly dark and overcast.  I loaded my boat and gear, and began to prepare myself for the adventure.  After all, a plan is a plan!  As I pulled into the launch site, it was 38 degrees.  That was the high temperature for the day. 

        I had traveled without my splash jacket on and was comfortable in the polartec sweater, as it was dead calm.  We unloaded our boats and prepared to depart.  I put on the splash jacket and was soon uncomfortably warm.  The thought of adding a spray deck and PDF over this seemed too uncomfortable, so I removed the sweater and stuffed it in my day hatch.

        We set out at about 11:20 AM.  This section of the Mohawk was lovely, even in the cold and overcast conditions.  There are some homes and encroachment by road noise, but there are also large sections of marsh, forest and cliffs.  We were the only boats on the water.  What a treat to paddle on this river without so much as a single powerboat wake to contend with! 

        Just before the Route 9 Bridge, we spotted something in the water.  It looked like a rock, then like a dead goose.  As we got close, we saw the bloated belly and one large ear of a dead whitetail dear grounded on the bottom.  My first thought was, “No, not another large dead thing to deal with!” (See the HRR Blog, November 8, 2007).   We considered trying to drag it to shore, but quickly dismissed the idea.  Neither one of us wanted to sacrifice a rope, nor did we really have the stomach for it.  I remembered that deer in the area had been turning up dead from some sort of hemorrhagic disease, and I wondered if this dear had met it’s fate in that way. 

        We paddled under the Route 9 Bridge and into a strong headwind that came out of nowhere.  That made the section from this bridge to the Twin Bridges a bit harder and a lot colder.  When we reached the Twins, we pulled behind some grassy islands and found a place to pull out for lunch. 

        On our return, we paddled up the more or less southern side of the river.  I say more or less, because the Mohawk winds quite a bit, but as the river has an east-west orientation, we were paddling east on the south side of the river.  This side of the river is different, with more dramatic features like cliffs and islands.  Some parts even remind me of a rocky Adirondack lake shoreline.  The wind was now at our backs, which made paddling easier and us more comfortable.  We reached our takeout at about 2:30.  The temperature was 37 degrees. 

Here are the statistics for this trip:

Air Temperatures:

•7AM300 F

•9AM340 F

•11AM380 F

•2:30 PM370 F

Water Temperatures:

•Hudson River @ Albany 44.80 F

•Hudson River @ West Point 48.20 F

•Mohawk River @ Lock 7*68.00 F

*This water temperature came from a fishing website, not an official weather monitoring station.  There is no way it can be accurate.  Given that the Mohawk flows into the Hudson just above Albany and the Albany water temperature was just under 45 degrees, it’s unlikely that the Mohawk had a “swimmable” temperature of 68 degrees just a few miles further upstream.

Conditions:

•Overcast

•Calm, then a strong head wind

GPS Data:

•Distance:         8.93 miles

•Max Speed:5.1 mph

•Ave. Speed:3.3 mph

•Time Moving:2:43:09 hours

Were We Prepared?

        How did we fair in this unexpectedly cold weather?  My feet were cold the whole time.  The wool socks didn’t work.  My feet got sweaty and then chilled down.  My fingers were cold in the neoprene gloves from time to time, largely because of the wind chill.  Other than that, I was comfortable.  Now, if you read the last blog, you know that we dress for the water temperature, not the air, though today, the water was warmer than the air.  Another rule of thumb from that blog is that when the air and water temperature add up to less than 100, it’s time to consider a dry suit.  It’s likely that the air and water temperatures that day did not total 100.  The Mohawk water temperature would have had to be 62 degrees for the air and water temperatures to equal 100 that day.  I don’t think the water was that warm, despite what the fisherman’s website said. 

        Had we been paddling offshore in big water, we would not have been adequately dressed.  However, the Mohawk is not offshore.  It is more sheltered.  We generally paddle well out of the navigation channels near shore where things are more interesting and the water is shallower.  In a capsize, we could have walked our boats to shore in most places.  In addition, we each carried dry clothes in a dry bag.  I had emergency flares, a cell phone, matches and fire starter, and an emergency bivy bag in my day hatch.  Had there been a problem we were well prepared to deal with it. 

Remnants of an Erie Canal Lock.  There are many reminders of New York State history along the Mohawk.