Boats in the snow

I have got to stop obsessing about winter. It's taken over my mind and I can't seem to write about much else.

Things are looking kinda weird around the house. We've had snow on the ground for quite a few weeks. I'm hoping for a warm day so I can take all the snow off my boat. My porch and mud room are crowded with boat gear, everything from a trolling motor to anchors. It doesn't blend in all that well with the harsh winter conditions.

There's a certain amount of cognitive dissonance caused by preparing for boating while dealing with winter cold and snow. It doesn't matter how many years I've been doing this, it's always a bit strange. One year I had to wear snowshoes to drag my canoe up from the lake. Another year there was so much ice on my sailboat that it didn't all melt until South Carolina.

Last year we left on October 10th. It was much easier to get ready. Temperatures were moderate, no snow on the ground, and it was easy to prepare the van and boat trailer. On the flip side, we came back at the end of March -way way too early. Everything was still buried in deep snow and there were many subzero days. It took a week to get my water supply line thawed.

We hope to come back once the snow is gone and everything is thawed. That might no be until sometime in May. While it's a pain to leave in the winter, coming back in the warm weather should make up for it. That's the plan anyway.


-Sixbears