2014: Post 23 – Introduction to Kayak Camping trip

Last year Hazen and I decided it was time to restart the Introduction to Kayak Camping... click here for my post on that trip.  People seemed to have a good time and so we decided to do it again this year.  We had originally planned to do it about a month ago but poor weather put the kibosh on things.

But a trip was promised to club members, so I rescheduled it for the weekend of July 26-27.  Old Wobbly couldn't make it and so I had to play the role of trip leader on my own... a role that I have never sought out, a role that does not feel natural to me.  Nevertheless, I decided to step past my own comfort zone for a couple days for the benefit of those interested in this trip.  

So fourteen of us met early Saturday morning at Colinet and packed up our kayaks.  For some it was the first time they had ever kayak camped and packing the gear into the hatches was a new experience.  It is for these people that this trip occurs. But I really do think that the more experienced kayak campers get just as much, and perhaps even more, out of this trip.

Okay, on to the pictures.


There was packing of the kayaks...

Then it was time to get underway...

The paddle to the campsite took longer than anticipated, allowing plenty of time to take pics... 

I tried to get a close up of everyone as we made our way down to the campsite...

Julie

Eugene

Joy

Sue

Gary

Dale

Peter

Janet

Dot

Colleen

Julie

Allan

Ron

Before long Pinchgut Tent City was back on the map...

We ribbed Eugene about holding to a true Newfoundland property set-up... his 'shed' was bigger than his 'house'...

It was a warm day and some people took to the water as others relaxed on the beach and kept on eye on the swimmers...

People pitched in to collect up firewood...

Then it was time to relax for a while....

There were a couple artists in the bunch and we were all suitably impressed with their creations...

Our club president (Old Wobbly) sanctioned the purchase of a compass rose for all participants and some people decided to make use of them and learn how to take bearings off a map...

It was hot afternoon and thirst had to be quenched....

Stomachs had to be filled...

As trip leader I decided to delegate Julie as the official starter of the campfire...

As darkness approached she began to pile on a bit of wood; our buddy Tony would have been suitably happy with her efforts...

Around the evening fire there was some medicine drank, some wieners roasted, and some laughter before we started to lose people to their tents...

Dale, Julie, and myself were the last hold-outs... Then Julie headed to her tent around 11:30 pm, and Dale and I followed suit about a half-hour later...

Morning came calling...

Breakfast ensued....

Tents were taken down and kayaks were re-loaded...

We took to the water...

We took a few beaks along the way...

And stopped for lunch... 

We paddled back to the put-in location and a few people decided to call the trip over... 

But a bunch of us paddled up Rocky river to see if there were any salmon jumping around...

And then our smaller sized group finally made our way back to the cars...

One of the guys sent me a picture of myself, looking fairly relaxed... 

So there you have it.  Fourteen of us left the beach on Saturday morning and fourteen of us made it back on Sunday afternoon.  In my line of thinking that is called a successful trip... and all the stuff that occurs in between the start and the end just makes for memories and experiences to build upon for future kayak camping endeavors.