… nor the ‘F’ word (freezing), nor the ‘B’ word (Baltic)! Instead, the hardcore Trinity paddlers that went out with me on the coldest Saturday Annamoe Session this year used sentences like: “I’m starting to feel less warm,” and “Is that glass?”.
I thought this might be a perfect day for a Teddy Test: equipped with my fleecy Teddy top, bottoms and socks (because they’re figure hugging they don’t bulk up underneath your gear so you can actually move), I subjected myself to a 4 hour trip down the Annamoe river in minus conditions.
A lovely Warm Teddy Feeling 🙂
4 Trinity paddlers had asked me to do a session on how to prepare and execute a safe river trip with beginners. We started with an Anns-Coffee-Shop-Classroom-Session, brainstorming on the ingredients for a safe and fun rivertrip with beginners. When everyone had thawed out we got on the river, where it was clear to me that personal standard of paddling was great. We managed to keep dry heads except from one little organisational error: that first corner after the put-in is always difficult to negotiate well, even with good paddlers! I learned some great variations on exercises that I sometimes do myself, and it shows that it is great to meet new people on the river, because every club has a store of new ideas!
We kept moving fast to keep warm, and managed to get dry hair lines on Jackson’s just before dark. Getting changed it proved that the Teddy Thermals had kept me warm and dry and they passed the test with flying colours! Another learning point for the day was that wet gear sticks very well to a frozen ground.
Well done Trinity heads. We know we’re not idiots but… heroes!
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