The longer I paddle in Alaska, the more ice becomes part of the season.
Which is cool... until you start thinking about what happens if you actually end up in it. haha
I took an ice rescue course with Luc Mehl this winter because I spend enough time around really cold water that I should probably understand it better.
We started inside learning how ice forms and fails, then went out to the lake and got in.
First in drysuits. Then without them.
The actual hole wasn't even the worst part for me. Getting out and changing afterward was. It was around 5°F... maybe 10 or 15. Honestly I don't remember. I just remember my clothes freezing while they were still on my body and thinking, ohhh. Yeah. This gets bad fast.
I left wanting to be more conservative around ice, not more confident around it. Avoid it on rivers when you can. If you can't, slow the hell down and scout.
Also... wool. Wear it. “Cotton kills” sounds like an outdoor-school cliché until you're standing around wet in Alaska and suddenly it makes a lot of sense.
Luc does a ton of work teaching paddlers how to make better decisions before something goes sideways. I'm glad I got to be the freezing idiot in the hole for a day. haha