Daily Stats
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!
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!
There is no denying that today I was in a bit of a funk. Perhaps I was coming down off the cloud of being with family over the last four days, or perhaps it was the reality of paddling into a brisk headwind, yet again. The day actually was beautiful with partly cloudy skies and temps in the 70’s. It even started out great with breakfast with my parents and warm hugs (with “See you in four days” promises) before I launched from the beach at the end of the muddy boardwalk near camp.
It was the wind.
It was the wind.
That being said, I made fairly slow progress covering only 19 miles in six and a half hours before I spotted a rare undeveloped beach just a mile shy of the state park I had planned on stopping at. Compared to state park campgrounds with flushing toilets, grassy campsites, and vending machines, I vastly prefer to set up camp on a brushy beach in the middle of nowhere. The reason is simple... gear handling.
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.
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.
A little strip of expedition camping heaven
After a long day of slogging into the wind I wasn’t exactly excited about the promise of all that gear handling. That’s exactly why I got down right excited when I spotted the beach I’m on tonight. In the time it took me to completely set up today I would have still been in the ranger’s hut dolling over $20 for a campsite at the stat park. The site itself would have undoubtedly been wedged between two gigantic RV’s with air conditioners and TV’s running. These weedy, driftwood filled beaches I end up on may not look like much but they’re heaven to me, and I’m going to miss them.
A highpoint of my day was when I was able to bring in a NPR radio station rom Wisconsin. That signal (coming in loud and clear from Egg Harbor across the bay in Door County) was a sign of just how close I am to my home state. In fact, if all goes well, I should be past or near the Michigan / Wisconsin state line by mid day tomorrow. Now if only I would start hearing from some Wisconsin paddlers as well as radio stations.
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