David Bertrand, kayaking

Mention kayaking trips and it brings to mind warm weather, cold beverages and a tan. When David Bertrand thinks of kayaking trips, he thinks of iced-over caves, unusual wildlife and an empty river.

When winter rolls around and the canoes and tubes are replaced with deer, turkey, beaver, and Bald Eagles, Bertrand heads to the empty river to capture the beauty of float trips that many people avoid.

It started years ago when Bertrand of Cape Girardeau and his brother found that floating in the winter was much more enjoyable because of the lack of people and the surplus of wildlife.

"We enjoy the river more in the winter," he says. "We like the solitude of the river in the winter."

Bertrand usually floats one of two rivers: either the Current or the Jacks Fork. The Current is the most spring-fed of all the Ozarks rivers, allowing it to be floated almost any time of the year. The warm spring water rushes into the river's stream and keeps the river from freezing.

"Because of the constant water seepage during the cold weather, ice caves form along the river," Bertrand says. "Some of these can be quite magnificent"

"It's always fun to get off the river and go in and explore. That's half the fun, to enjoy the other parts of the river."

Another advantage of floating in the winter is that the majority of caves are open beginning Nov. 1. The caves close in the summer due to bat migration but are open to visitors in the winter.

The caves provide relief from the heat in the summer but stay the same temperature year-round. That helps provide warmth in the winter -- if you consider 58 degrees warm.

"If you come off the river and go into the caves, you will have to peel clothes," Bertrand warns. "You have to be sure to layer."

And if the kayak tips?

"We use recreational kayaks, which are very stable and maneuverable," he says. "It is real tough to flip one of these. It would take a great effort to get wet."

-- David Unterreiner