When it’s already cold outside, no matter how much you enjoy the sound of a running river, the cold water makes it feel colder.
I was ready to go back to the cabin even before we got to the river.
Once we got there, I slid on a wet rock and went face first into the icy water. My husband was quick thinking and started a fire with some dry wood he found, but I was already turning blue. I sat by the fire until I was warm enough to walk, and my clothing was almost dry, and then we made a mad dash for the cabin. Half an hour later, I was stiff from the cold and damp clothes. He lit the fireplace while I wrapped up in a warm blanket and took my wet clothing off. I don’t know what we would have done if there hadn’t been dry wood laid on the fireplace hearth. My husband wouldn’t have been able to get the fireplace burning, and we would have had to go home. We talked about him starting the car and our going home early, but I wanted to stay. I was dry because of the fireplace, and the flue was clean, so no smoke was coming back into the cabin. Thanks to the fireplace, our weekend went well, and I went back to the river without falling in again. Of course, the draw of the fireplace had us returning sooner than we expected. A picnic in the snow wasn’t half as enticing as a picnic in front of the fireplace.