Chilly Wolf

Over Halloween, I headed up to the Wolf River (sections 2 and 3) for some awesome paddling. The forecast was for cold and blustery weather, and though we left Madison with some balmy weather, it did get cold pretty quickly. I left my camera behind, so you'll just have to take my word for everything. I caught a ride up with another Madison kayaker, and we got to Bear Paw (pretty cool boater hangout) somewhat late Friday night. The wind was kicking, so I camped out in a friend's truck rather than trying to set my tent up, and at 2 in the morning when the wind started pushing the car around like mad, I was quite happy to be well-sheltered. Though it took a while, I eventually passed out. Woke up the next morning to driving snow (and lots of it) and headed over to the local restaurant in White Lake (just outside of the National Forest). It was bicyclist heaven - ginormous pancakes, excellent eggs, good coffee, and lots and lots of really cheap food. The snow was on-again off-again post breakfast, which meant that after standing around for upwards of an hour at the put in, I was cold and wet. There were tons of canoeists looking quite cozy in their drysuits. At least they were taking their precious time getting ready as though it was a lovely summer day. The water level was double that which I tried back in September, and while it did make a lot of places significantly easier (fewer rocks to avoid/less picking your way through boulder gardens), it still didn't provide much of a current on the flats. And man, there were some flats. Think 6 rapids and 14-18 miles of water. Yup. It was pretty painful.
First day was Section 3 (full version). The rapids were more fun with water, but toward the end, I was getting pretty hypothermic, wasn't thinking well, and flipped by being stupid. Luckily the swim was on the very last rapid, so I got dry and warm quickly. Second day was Section 2 (also full version), and I have to say, I am not a fan. Short 2 and 3 are definitely the way to go. (I'm also tempted to see the Dells of Section 4 now.) Also, complements of Connie, I have the Northern Wisconsin Natural History Lesson of the Day. Rivers in N Wisc are supposed to look black if they're healthy (and the Wolf does look eerily black). The coloration comes from all the tannins that leach into the water from the fallen leaves. It's a kinda cool phenomenon.
Next boating adventure may not be until spring :( However, I have been promised cross country skiing by a classmate. Woot.