Mild winter weather arrived in February and the rivers became ice-free.     Paddlers can venture onto the water if the temperature is above + 3 and there is no wind.    Since the water is very cold still, we need to wear protective gear.     Neoprene boots and gloves and a dry suit protects the kayaker from cold conditions wading at launch and landing, and sitting in the boat while paddling.   Although a spill is unlikely, a dry suit and a PFD are the best safety measures.    The extra gear takes a bit longer to load and launch and reload again, but if the conditions are good, it is all worth the effort.

On a pleasant morning with some fog in the valley, I launched at Pioneer Park and paddled downstream, past the site of the Red Bridge, under the black (CN) train bridge, past the Confluence and Riverside Park, past Overlanders Beach, under Overlander Bridge, past the old pillars of the black bridge (1925 – 1968), past the base of the white bridge (a swing bridge built in 1890), and down toward Rabbit Island.

By that time, the fog had mostly lifted and I started the slow process of paddling upstream on the Thompson River, through the Confluence of the North Thompson and the South Thompson River, then back up to Pioneer Park.   There seemed to be a pretty good flow from both rivers for this time of the year so it was a good workout, especially at the start of the paddling season.

Some photos (with captions) from the downriver-upriver kayaking outing are included here in a Google photos album – Downriver in Winter

The album (no captions) is also embedded here as a slideshow:

A YouTube Short (reel) is also included here: