Safety

I've been thinking a lot about what I will need to safely do a long distance kayak trip. Because I plan on starting in the middle of May, I expect drowning and hypothermia to be the biggest risks. Because this will be a solo trip, I need to be able to deal with both on my own. My best guess is that the worst case scenerio is capsizing about a mile from shore while being about 10 miles from the nearest road. This means that I need to survive and remain functional in cold water for up to an hour, and then be able to navigate on land to the nearest road.

I've done many internet searches on cold water safety, and have not found much in the way of how long one who is dressed for cold weather can stay and remain functional in cold water. Because I regularly do cold water canoe trips, I've done experiments with wetsuits and different clothing in ice covered water to evaluate my options for safety and self rescue. I've found that I lose the ability to do much with my hands after a very short amount of time, but I can stay submerged for tens of minutes without becoming hypothermic. I always wear a life jacket that fits tightly. I've found that even without a wetsuit, the life jacket prevents a lot of cold water from circulating around my chest. The wetsuit adds an extra layer of safety in the water that should give me nearly unlimited time in 50F+ water.

The other advantage of a wetsuit is that it can keep you warm (but not necessarily comfortable) above the water even if you are wet. This might mean that once out of the water, I will not need a set of dry clothes. Yeah, this will be uncomfortable, but it will prevent hypothermia.

My thought for emergency travel is to keep everything I would need to navigate with me at all times. I was thinking I could buy a small backpack that I could keep a set of maps, compass, lighters, food, head lamp, space blanket, cell phone, knife, and some first aid supplies. This pack should be small enough so that I can comfortably wear it while kayaking. This should give me the ability to navigate to the nearest road where I can either hitch a ride into town or call for help.

I also believe in practicing everything so that you do not have to think much during the emergency. I will practice the cold water emersion during my New Year swim. I will also see how well I can function out of the water while wet. I'll keep my wetsuit on to see if I am able to start a fire or travel after getting out of the water.

Finally, I need to be in very good physical condition before I begin. I will start running at the gym after the new year. I worked my way up to a 10 mile run before starting the trail in 2008. I would expect to do the same before starting the NFCT in May 2012. I would want to be able to travel a long distance in rough terrain if needed.

My goal before leaving is to make myself as drown and hypothermia proof as I can. I would welcome other ideas.