I have 26 pics posted in a public facebook photo album - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...6&l=7b824baa54
The first day was a study in horrible weather...it was right around freezing, and a Nor'easter was rolling in, so the waves on Lake Champlain were tall and close together and a bit scary as we gave it a short trial before deciding the living was the better part of valor...we found a chunk of state land a couple of miles away, and hung our hammocks for the night...tired and wet and cold...
It was a learning experience for me in that I normally sleep very warmly/comfortably between 30-40 in my MSS green bag, but being soaked to the bone and the high winds gave me a chill that I had trouble beating...despite that, I/we managed to sleep from a bit after 7pm until nearly 8am the next morning...the lesson for me is that I will always bring my hammock sock from now on, just in case I need it...the howling/horizonatl winds stole heat from my back and butt, and also sprayed icy rain across my face and hammock all night...
The most remarkable thing to me was that Bunsen managed to sleep that long and well in his tent...
We headed out on the water again the next day, this time having very little trouble making the paddle...the kayak I paddled, an Old Town Loon, is a great little boat, but not designed for big water...the skirt has to be ginormous to cover the cockpit, and at one point on a fun paddle we took it just popped off, which shook my confidence in it protecting me in serious waves and such...
We had a great time paddling and exploring Valcour Island!
"Conan! What is best in life?" - backwoods cigars, beef stroganoff, and cocoa additive!
My afternoon and evening plans laid out on the picnic table at our campsite...I love camping, and these are among the simple pleasures that I enjoy most about hanging out in camp with friends...this sort of stuff, along with the superb nights of sleep that I uniformly get in my hammock!
Festus and I explore the trails on the island a bit, checking out the lighthouse...just below the lighthouse was a tall metal tower with a very solid iron/steel "shed" at its base...it thumped at about half an inch thick, had a porthole window in the roof, and a beefy lock on the door...we won't tell you what's inside (although we know), you have to see it to believe it!
My Hammock and tarp setup, along with a new ridgeline organizer and the krill light that I use to help me find my way back to bed from the campfire or cathole or bear-bagging...
It was a gorgeous evening, and throughout the night we could feel the wind shifting, so that by morning, our protected cove was catching the wind head-on, and the calm beach launching spot was a landing-pad for some moderately serious waves...
It was a great night for a campfire...this shot shows Festus enjoying the warmth of the fire even as the sparks are attacking his dri-ducks...
Festus' sleep setup, note the wetsuit stuff hung to dry...my findings indicate that a night in the wind is enough to chill without drying a thoroughly wet wetsuit...
The light was very pretty the next morning when I woke up (I generally am first up on these trips, no idea why, but it lets me take some pics and make coffee and enjoy the quiet before really starting the day)...
This shot was taken out on the rocky point beyond out campsite, and includes the spindly tree featured in the above pic, as well as our boats and hammocks...
We enjoyed the morning, made our breakfasts (mine was Marine Cuisine Scrambled Eggs, which includes a surprise ingredient...TUNA!)...and packed up to head back to the boatlaunch...
We had every intention of paddling straight back to the launch as the wind had picked up and the waves were growing with every passing minute, but the view to the south was so pretty (and the big waves were so fun to surf) that we decided to head South a bit to enjoy the view and undulating waters...
We paddled down for a while and then surfed back with the help of the wind and waves...it was a great trip with great friends!
Lessons Learned:
Freezing rain with wind blowing is much colder than winter camping...I need to plan accordingly...I was cocky about the seemingly moderate temperatures, and got seriously cold during the first night...my clothes and sleeping bag were damp, and my body spent lots of energy warming and drying my stuff before I was able to warm up myself...my hammock-sock would have kept the wind off of me, and prevented the ongoing heat-loss from wind on the underside of my hammock.
Know your limitations, and then gently push past them...my kayak/skirt was not ideal for the water that we were expecting, and things could have turned out poorly, but good judgment and good friends (more the former than the latter) prevented us from pushing out to the island that first day...this trip was a first for me in terms of kayak-camping on big water, but it is cool to push the limits, as long as you do it with some prep and a crew of good friends who have your back.
Tough kayaks have it all over lighter boats...the optimal launch technique on Champlain in wind and waves is to get into the boat on shore, secure the skirt, and the hump your way down the slick rocks into the water...this would not work with a folbot or a kevlar/fiberglass boat.
Lots of Marine Cuisine food has tuna in it...my Sweet and Sour Pork dinner and Scrambled Eggs breakfast both had tuna in them...go figure.
Jetboil stoves rock!...mine lit and worked perfectly after being dumped into Lake Champlain on Friday, and literally submerged...I had to dump water out of all parts of the nested stove, and it still worked perfectly.
I had a super time on Valcour with Festus and Bunsen, and am already looking forward to the next camping trip!
Jamie - nfa
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