Winter Paddle: A first!

Hi! Welcome to Kamie’s kayak adventure.
Wow! I am so thrilled I was finally able to do a winter kayak on the Manistee river. I’ve been wanting to do this for the past 3 years.
Conditions were perfect; light wind, no ice and temps near 30.
I feel so blessed to have an adventure friend to join me.
I would never winter kayak solo on a river, too risky.
My dry bag included:
1 pair wool socks
A wool top
Wool tights
Extra coat
Mittens
Beanie hat
Towel
Emergency blanket
Waterproof matches
Birch bark
Self adhesive toe/hand warmers
What I wore:
Always dress for the water temp not air temp!
Short sleeve wool top
Long sleeve wool top
650 gram puffy coat
Neck gaiter
Wool hat
Water proof wool lined socks
Water proof winter boots capable of -40F
Toe/hand self adhesive warmers
Paddling gloves
We chose a section of river that is easy and has numerous out points if needed. It was also a short section as to not take on too much for our first time winter kayaking
We also sent safety location beacons to our spouses.
As with any adventure in extreme weather plan for all the “what ifs”