December 25th, still boating!

            

                             

Dirt Bag Paddlers Christmas Special

                           

A look into the life of a boater, quality fun right here! Grab a beer and enjoy 22 minutes of boating action from all over the country! Lots of great Midwest shots too!

December Kayaking!

                             

Since I started kayaking around 13/14 years old, I've never kayaked up north on anything but Piers Gorge in the winter (December-February). Usually we have to go south to boat, but this year its been super warm. I'm writing this on December 21st and its about 35 degrees out, and has been freezing overnight lately, which has started to block up most northern creeks with ice. There's a few options to be had, but a lot of portaging involved right now. This playboating video was from December 16th and also the 1st time I've boated the full stretch of whitewater on the Fox River in Kaukauna, WI.

Piers Gorge is usually always open in the winter because of daily water level fluctuations from the Niagara dam just upstream a few miles. This causes the ice to break up each day, with some ice shelves still along the shore line, but a clear path down the middle. Its usually a short class 3 playboating run in the summer, but in the winter the ice can cause new dangers along the shoreline.