Just a reminder to do it!
(We got out on Jenny Lake last night, could hear the elk bugling in the distance; moon, stars and moonlit mountains reflected in the water; nobody else on the lake – magical.) Do it.
How cold is the water there?
We’re going to be in the Yellowstone area soon.
linked site shows mid-upper 30’s
I don’t pay much attention to actual water temps – it’s always “darn cold” – I just know that I have started wearing my neoprene socks under my Keene’s when lake kayaking – more to do with air temps after I get my feet wet I think. Air temps have been 30’s in morning to highs in the seventies (both of those numbers will likely drop 10 degrees soon. I almost always wear a wetsuit when WW IKing here.
See http://www.dan-bailey.com/fishing.htm
Mmm
Bugles. You just reminded me of this:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__xN1MwIlNew/TCOb-mlNw5I/AAAAAAAABG4/YF_1JrN45yc/s1600/bugles.jpg
it’s called an elk “bugle,” but
the sound is screechier and often has some grunts at the end. The bulls do it during their fall mating season. I’m having trouble cutting and pasting web addresses, but if anyone wants to hear a sample, google elk bugle. If you throw npr in the search terms you’ll get a little dicsussion, too.
moonlight paddle
I had all good intentions of going out, but our moon was completely concealed by cloud cover and we had offshore winds gusting to 40 mph.
We can’t always get what we want.
Great Suggestion!!
Watched the sun set and the moon rise on Tahoe last Wed night. Had the lake to myself for a few hours and met another paddler after sunset and before moonrise.
That cold already, YIKES
It’s gonna be drysuits after all.
“Elk bugle” is one of the worst misnomers around. Such a nasal, squealy, almost atonal pinched thing. Closest term that comes to mind is “bleat” and even lambs’ bleating sounds better.
I think of the noise as “FWEEEEEEEEE” done at high pitch with nose pinched.
We’ve got elk around home and their tracks have been all over here. Saw some huge tracks today on the dog walk.
nighttime paddling
I also wanted to experience the solstice somewhere where I could watch the sun go down as the full moon came up.
This place was the middle of the Hudson River north of Coxsackie. The Hudson is a place of barges, freighters and most of all this time of year pleasure boats, but from 7 pm until I turned in I had it all to myself.
Nothing like drifting with a big slow river under a full moon. Heard beavers slapping, saw two bald eagles fighting over a fish and watched a blue heron wading.
Crickets, katydids, a screech owl nearby. When the moon poked out of the clouds, Jupiter was right under it.
I agree - go kayaking on a moonlit night. All sorts of stuff is going on.
I used to go to Coxsackie
every summer for a week as a kid – long before there was a Thruway exit there. My Dad grew up there MANY years ago! Never boated there, but did swim in the Hudson at the little beach and catch catfish from the pier. It’s not everyday I hear/read reference to it, so I had to reply.
moonlight
Our club has a monthly moonlight paddle. Of course since it’s scheduled sometimes there’s no moon 
Still increadably peaseful at night out on the lake.
Bill H.