Maya Angelou quote; a rainy day paddle

Quote originally printed in the April issue of Midwest Living

If we apply this Maya Angelou quote to those who canoe and kayak...

You can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles a rainy day on a paddling trip.

Despite the idyllic images in our head of that beautiful trout stream, the secluded lake with the sunlight dancing on the water, or the morning mist lifting to reveal the perfect nature scene...it's gonna rain.

Maybe not on your first trip, maybe not on the first day, and if you're lucky maybe without lighting!  Researching the forecasted weather conditions will certainly help you be prepared.  Knowing what to expect with high and low temperatures and the possibility of rain will affect how you dress for your paddling trip and what you pack.

What are the odds of winning on a typical lottery scratch off ticket?  Less than 1% is pretty common.  Yet it's in our nature to start spending the winnings in our head the moment we have that ticket in hand.  If the forecast calls for a 20% chance of rain, that's more likely to happen that winning the lottery - so start thinking about that experience.  (Not as exciting as the lottery winnings, right?)

This paddling crew always brings rain gear.  Our "Frog Togs" are tightly rolled into the carrying sack and smashed into the bottom of a dry bag, buried under our disaster hats, lunch, bug spray, binoculars, etc.  They're not terribly fashionable - in fact when in full rain gear we look like giant Smurfs - but after twenty minutes of rain your sense of fashion is balanced by your sense of comfort!

Aside from your gear, it's attitude that will truly set the tone for your rainy paddle.  Get your mind wrapped around the idea that you may get rained on, and remember to be especially polite to your paddling partners when you're a little uncomfortable.  You can play the "it could be worse" game out loud or in your head.  It could be raining harder.  It could be a tornado.  It could be raining and you tipped your canoe or kayak.  The ultimate worse case scenario?  It could be this very same weather and you're stuck at work!