My posts have been pretty sparse during this long, cold spring. After the Birkie, Ali and I had several more weekends of XC skiing and one local downhill ski trip. The snow started melting in mid-late March; we had several weeks of rain in April; and the ice cleared off the lakes in early May if I remember correctly. (Lake Superior is still chock-full of ice, and the Porkies still have patches of thigh-deep snow.)
During the melt and rain, we mostly stayed huddled in the apartment, but every now and then we'd get a good weekend for a hike/bike. Thankfully, the past couple weeks have been stunningly warm and sunny. We've been getting our (newly acquired - thanks Mom!) hammocks out, and as of Memorial Day, Lake Mendota is finally warm enough to take Hoofers' gear out (55F water temps).
Over the holiday weekend, we were up on the Pike, Peshtigo, Wolf and Red rivers for the annual Hoofers trip. I think both Ali & I were feeling a bit rusty, but we both still managed to level up in the Hoofers rating system. (Our rolls have vastly improved, but we both made some pretty rookie mistakes over the weekend.)
This year's trip included my first kayak descent of Wolf Section IV, and the water level was just about perfect. There were a few sticky hydraulics, but the rocks were all covered, and the lines through the rapids were clear cut. Granted, I still managed to swim above the last falls of the run, but I swam to the river bank before getting into any trouble.
Also for the first time in a while, the Hoofers trip ran perfectly. Everybody got up and ready in a timely fashion; dinner got a head start every evening; and the groups were kept running pretty tightly on-river.
I'll have to try to get a few more good boating trips in before I head to Idaho later this summer; probably another Wolf IV trip, and if my schedule can handle it, maybe even a trip down to the Ocoee.
Pics are here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/60732531@N00/sets/72157644470122770/
