Cold Case
Shards of ice break free from the banks of the Sturgeon River and, twinkling like frozen diamonds in the sunlight, float away. Catching my look of apprehension as we bob in the wintry roiling waters, Scott Anderson, co-owner of Big Bear Adventures in Indian River, Michigan, tells me that no one taking their winter rafting trips has ever gone for an unexpected swim. It’s the perfect reassurance for someone like me, who thinks a winter sport is après-ski sans skiing.
So what am I doing out in the cold, perched on the edge of a big blue raft and dressed in unflattering layers of thermal underwear? In warm weather, I love to kayak and miss being on the water during Michigan’s long winters. When I heard about winter rafting, my desire for paddling quickly overcame my aversion to the cold.
As he steers the raft, Anderson tells us that the Sturgeon, where Ernest Hemingway held his bachelor’s party for marriage number one, is one of the few Michigan rivers perfect for these trips, as the fast current — one of the fastest in the state’s lower peninsula — keep the waters from freezing over.
Though Anderson provides paddles, he does most of the work as we tumble down the small cascades of rapids and navigate tight turns. As the river winds its way through woods and snow-covered meadows, deer stand in quiet sentinel on snowy hillsides and the faint music of songbirds can be heard in the distance.
Popularity:This article has been viewed
436 times.