Sure, you can camp. But, can you kayak camp — put clothing, food, and shelter in your boat, paddle to a primitive campsite, and live comfortably for a couple of days? This course will teach you how to prepare for a backwoods kayak weekend and then put the lessons to work in a weekend trip to Round Valley Reservoir.
Requirements
Students must have a touring kayak that’s large enough to carry a full complement of camping and safety gear. Applicants must also have experience paddling 3-5 miles in their kayaks in any weather. They will pack, in addition to paddling and camping clothing, a backpacking-style camping kit (tent, sleeping bag, camp stove), food, water, and kayak safety gear.
The class
May 17 – Meet at Lake Nockamixon for a hands-on talk about gear, boat selection and packing. We’ll focus on the equipment you don’t normally carry such as complete kayak repair kits and bear bags.
We’ll also go over group gear and planning, suitable foods and recipes. There will gear lists and recommendations so students will have more than a month to prepare.
We'll also cover skills unique to overnight trips, such as shelf-stable recipes, knot tying, setting up a group tarp, throwing a bear bag, and calculating how much water to carry.
June 20-22 – Kayak camping weekend. Meet at Round Valley Reservoir near Clinton, NJ, on Friday afternoon, pack the boats, paddle three miles across the lake to primitive, boat access-only campsites. (There are outhouses for these sites.) We’ll set up camp, make dinner and have a campfire.
We’ll spend Saturday paddling and reviewing kayak voyaging skills, including navigation and rescues. Saturday night we’ll have a freeze-dried taste test/potluck dinner and then spend another night camping. Sunday morning we’ll pack up camp and paddle back to the put-in.
Course instructors are Cie Stroud, ACA Level 3 instructor, and Dave Dawson.
Cost
$60 per camper. This includes camping fees and some food.