-- Last Updated: Feb-12-13 1:10 PM EST --
I've paddled in the winter on rivers
in SouthEast Michigan and got burned.
Nothing sucks more than an unexpected
ice jam/dam in a tight corner of the river
preventing forward progress while snowmelt
current pushes you very very hard towards it.
Combined with high slippery banks making take-out
quite difficult, it was a long walk/portage
thru snow and forest back to car.
Paddle plans on a few miles an hour with current.
Walk with kayak on shoulder, slow and tedious.
Limited daylight, sun drops fast.
Brainstorming, talking to others, recon, scouting etc., etc.
are all important parts of paddling.
Sometimes learned via hard knocks method :-(