New Year’s Day Paddle #33 is in the Books

Today a reporter/photographer from the Cedar Rapids Gazette asked me this question… “Why do you paddle on New Year’s Day each year?” My answer was I really don’t know why Darrin and I do this every year. More often than not the temperatures are cold, the wind is blustery, and conditions are not ideal for paddling. Yet, there is something special about being on the water under our own power - cold and blustery or pleasant.

Today, with the a brisk wind blowing in our face in twenty-degree temperatures we had 49 folks join us on the water. Today’s number of paddlers - down from last year when it was warm and we had between 80-90 paddlers, was still considerably higher than I expected. I was pleasantly surprised by today’s turnout. We even had folks from Nevada (if I am remembering correctly - my apologizes if not).

Each New Year’s Day when we paddle we meet new people, reconnect with friends, and have a good time for a couple of hours.

I may not know why we continue to do this cold weather paddling, but I am pretty sure next year we will be out again for #34. Mark your calendars now!

Special thanks to Jamie, Renee, and family (Crawdaddy Outdoors) for providing canoes, kayaks, PFDs, and paddles for this event.

For those wondering about this outing, I saw nobody batting at skeeters or gnats. We were pesky insect free all afternoon!