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| By N2H | |||||||||
This layout by Josée Grandbois, a.k.a. “scrapbookjoe” at Two Peas in a Bucket, is colorful and fun– and they really did get just about everyone in that canoe, didn’t they? I love the way the colors pop against the black background and the black swirly “vine” above the flower embellishment. I also like the buttons on the mesh at the upper right.
What fun to go out in that huge canoe!
If I had to pick my favorite area to camp, it would be at a lake. In addition to the experience of living in a tent, which I enjoy anywhere, actually, think of all the extra activities at your disposal on a lake: swimming, tubing, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, water skiing, boating, rafting– the list could go on and on. It’s no mystery why permanent residential summer camps are situated on lakes!
However, I don’t set up camp right at the lake’s edge when at a man-made lake fed by dammed water upstream. I look for a site on higher ground, a short walk to the water. For one thing, camping right at the lake itself (man-made or natural) makes for colder nights and chilly mornings, because cold air masses settle over lakes in the evenings. There can be as much as a ten to fifteen degree difference in temperature between a campsite right on the water and one up and away from it somewhat. Once, in northwest Georgia, we camped at the top of a hill by a lake, and not only did we have breathtaking views of the sunrise over the water, but we also were free of the frost coating everyone’s tents down at the lakeside.
For another thing (and I know this earns me a Worry-Wart prize), I don’t want to be washed into oblivion if a dam upstream leaks, breaks, or simply overflows due to heavy amounts of rain; in fact, where I would wait prolonged lightening storms out in other locations, I might pack it all up and head home from a man-made lake. I don’t remember the specifics, but in Spain some years back an entire campground was inundated and lakeside sites (and campers) washed away in a major storm that overwhelmed a dam. But dams can give at any moment (see this Reader’s Digest story, for example), and I feel it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Finally, if you camp right at the water, your site is liable to be right where the party is, day and night, whereas you’ll be more secluded if you have a bit of a walk to the lake.
So give me a high ground to set up camp on, for more comfortable temperatures and safety, and a lake to walk to, for hours of watery fun, and I am, once again, a happy camper.
We are truly fortunate today to have an experienced guest author, Dennis in Rhode Island, write the following article on canoeing and kayaking. First he deals with what to look for in a craft if you’re in the market for one or both, and in the second part of the article he touches upon skills needed for the safe enjoyment of using them. (The only thing I would add would be to wear a life jacket, but Dennis feels that is a choice better left to the individual.)
“Life long paddler and lover of water here and the first advice I give anybody interested in buying a canoe or kayak is that each person must decide what the primary usage will be.
Choices in Craft
Gentle lakes or inlets:
Almost anything will do. Canoes (although they do catch more wind), sit on tops, recreational kayaks, sea kayaks, river kayaks (you’ll do a lot of course corrections) , rowing skulls (super cool but expensive), surf skis. Each one will price out in a different range depending on materials, design etc. Talk with people, go to demo days, decide what looks cool to you.
Not so gentle lakes and inlets:
At this point canoes get less manageable although some people do very nicely with them. I prefer something lower and with more secondary stability. The ability to put a cover over the cockpit is nice if the chop is going to be over a foot and a half. Recreational kayaks vary quite a bit from model to model and each one would have to be assessed – along with the skill of the paddler. I paddled with one buddy who took a built for kids sit on top and have spent a day out on the ocean with him covering 24 miles in a day in poor conditions.
Ocean:
This is where a real sea kayak is needed if you’re going to be more than a few miles off shore. Sea kayaks track easily, have wonderful secondary stability, shed wind and water without a problem (one time I spent about 2 hours going with the tide but against the wind and catching every wave on my chest as they broke over the front end of the kayak and it didn’t upset the boat in the least). Sprayskirts are needed as well as the emergency pump and flotation bag for reentry. The ocean is a great place to paddle but it’s not your friend, big trouble can happen fast out there and a good craft keeps you safer.
Usually, if you like paddling, you’ll end up with more than one boat so don’t sweat the initial decision that much. Try one, see how you like it, decide which direction you want to go with, build your skills and then trade up, down, sideways etc. The skill portion adds to the fun and overall “in command” feeling out on the water. Some of my fondest memories are tooling around offshore in a ten dollar wallmart inflatable bouncing around on the waves.
Necessary Skills
Now, as for swimming, it is an option when out on the water. Really, it’s optional. Remember that it is most important to be “comfortable” in the water and to know how to tread water and most of all it’s just water – never panic. Swallow some water? Just spit it out and keep playing. In all my boating I’ve been in the water many times but never had to swim more than a stroke or two. I’ve had to hold on to boats, set them right, and climb back in but that’s not swimming.
The safety people will say you should learn to swim and I agree. But only because there’s a joy in swimming, moving through the water on your own, feeling your body glide through that liquid medium. And I guess, if you’re having a really bad day, and all sorts of bad stuff happens, it could save your life.
When my daughter was young we would go out in the Old Town (named Windy). It was green so the game was called sink the pickle. A short way from shore Windy would capsize and the games would begin. Setting Windy right, bailing and getting back in was the first game – the safety game. The next game was who could stand on the bottom of the overturned canoe and walk from end to end – not easy but fun. Next was going under water and resurfacing under the canoe and making jungle noises in the hollow space. That was cool. And then there was the slide – upside down canoe, daughter sitting on one end, me pushing down on the other, letting her slide down into the water. No swimming but a whole lot of fun and it certainly removed any fear she might have grown up with. She’s 30 now and still loves the water.
So swimming is just one skill needed for canoeing or kayaking. Being comfortable in the water, handling the craft in expected conditions (and then a bit more – both because it’s fun learning and you never know when the occasional squall might move in), able to function for the amount time you expect to be on the water and then some (had a 75 minute trip turn into a 210 minute backbreaking trip once), staying hydrated, etc. are all skills needing attention – mostly just for the fun of it all. The sunny day paddler who stays near shore needs almost no skills to have fun and stay safe. When you venture out a little farther and longer those skills add up to more fun, self confidence and safety.
Dennis in RI”
