The Joy of the Journey
A morning's view.

When planning for a 50, 60 or a trip of over 100 miles requiring an overnight stay or two, it’s often on a stretch of river I have never paddled before. The only known factors are my beginning and ending points.

This is part of the thrill, the unknown of what’s around the next bend and where I will set camp for the evening.

Adding to the excitement on my first night, I paddle as long as possible. I may not get off the river until well after dark, sometimes not until well into the next morning. There are a handful of things that will cause me to leave the river at dusk; if it is too narrow or too shallow, if there is a high risk of hitting rocks or river debris, or if there is a chance of getting caught up in rapids or low hanging branches. All these are reasons to camp for the night.

When I camp, I do not create a fire. My comfort is dependent solely on what I have packed and stored inside my kayak’s front and rear hatches. With the aid of only my headlamp and a starlit night, I set camp.

When I wake up in the morning there is the excitement of what I will see and the thoughts of what lies ahead. It’s often quite remarkable and never am I disappointed.