Start: 9:45 AM - Park Place of the North Campground (Escanaba, MI)
Finish 4:15 PM - J.W. Wells State Park, MI
Time: 6:30 hours
Daily dist: 19 miles
Total dist: 5000+
Companions: None
Weather: Partly cloudy, south wind 10mph (headwind), 70’s
Notes: Headwind had me in a foul mood but Wisconsin is near!
It was the wind.
On an undeveloped beach all I have to do is pull my kayak above the surf zone then pull out just what I need for camp and carry it mere feet to where I set up. A state park generally requires a fairly long walk to the ranger station to check in. Another walk back to the boat for all of the gear which then needs to be carried (usually way off the beach) to the campsite. Depending on how frequently visited the beach is I can either lock the kayak up to a tree or transport it up to camp as well. Of course, in the morning the whole process (sans check in) gets reversed. All told it commonly takes at least two hours extra effort to set up in a state, or county, campground.