Anyone who goes on a paddle trip and after a day or two of paddlin' wants to stay inside their tent is a Weenee and that includes you. We all spend too much time indoors including me and we paddle to get out not stay in.
Now tell me about this loooooooooooong kayak trip you made cause I'm really interested.
...and if I ever catch you on the river with a TV or radio one or both of us are going swimmin". Don't matter to me which cause I love to swim. You don't need them on the river. Leave 'em at home and enjoy nature.
Ahshit, I just read jonsprag's post but he ain't no kid who needs to learn a thing or two about nature.
next week it's 55 for me---but I do like to listen to public radio and since I usually camp alone except when I 'm guiding, I take my radio with me but I promise GK that I will use the ear phones when he's around. Only problem is sometimes I go places where the only radio reception is shortwave---no NPR
I dunno who he is but I can’t imagine asking somebody else what I should do during a day for my own enjoyment–kind of like listening to a kid say “I’m bored, there’s nothing to do”
hmm Lets see, once camp is set up, I like to Skip Rocks, watch the scenery, go swimming, go yacking some more. Explore small coves, hike up waterfalls, collect cool looking rocks out of mountain streams, watch water striders skim about, collect dead wood for the evening’s fire, take a nap, I never pass up the opportunity to take a good nap on the shady banks of a cool mountain stream. It really helps me to unwind. Basically I could just goof around in a creek all day; I loved it as a kid and still love doing that today, beats the heck out of AC & Xbox!!! However I like the Up country creeks where the water is cold & clear with ROCKs!! Unfortunately in MY neck of the woods I am stuck with flat, black muddy bottom creeks & streams that feel like bath water!! How ever they are still fun to paddle on and explore, I mean that’s why I don’t fish cause I ALWAYS want to see what’s around the next bend or in the next cove. Also don’t knock sitting and staring, sounds like you have NDD probably brought on by to much time in front of a computer or TV. Pretty much if you HAVE to ask what to do outside, then you have NDD… Nature Deficit Disorder its an epidemic problem with Gen Y folks, and many Gen X ers.
Good Question I have struggled with that too. You are suffering the affects of the “Rat Race” world we live in. It takes a while to learn how to relax and it won’t come easy. Learn to open your senses to experience things you have never experienced before. It takes awhile for the world to open up. You have been trained to be directional in your movements. You think linear. You go from point A to point B. Stop and listen. Smell the smells. It will start to open up for you. It takes practice and I am just learning it myself. There is a whole nother world out there for you when you start to open your mind.
for me to worry about being bored... too many things to do when tripping... breaking camp, setting up camp, cooking, swimming, paddling, relaxing, seeing what's over the next ridge, over the next bend, rescue/reentry practice, hanging bearbag, watching wildlife, trying to name wildlife... seeing what's aroud the corner... hmmn.. i guess i spend a lot of time on side trips just seeing what's just over the next hill, river bend, cove, whatever....
if anything, time seems to speed up - ie: 3 day weekends seem to only last a day, never enough time when i'm out...
but then again, i love nature and being outdoors... and time flies when your having fun!!!
the last thing on my mind after paddling for a day is going inside. I can't even imagine being sick of being outdoors or doing "adventurous things" as someone posted above. there is plenty of stuff to do outside... in fact, i actively try to stay out longer than i'm able... i've had some very creative excuses for work when extending trips beyond my allotted vacation days just because i don't want to come back to civilization..
if i had it my way i would just live out of my boat and tent and explore the country via it's waterways or hiking trails... that would be the life for me!!! if only i could turn that into a job...
No, I'm not a troll, I was thinking like what gibsonra said two posts up. I'm used to having all this stimulation around me and I am going on my first kayak camping trip. I noticed when I was paddling a local river after a couple hours I was tired. So I got to thinking, when I am out on a trip, if I can only paddl so many hours or miles in a day, there are a lot of hours left over. So what am I going to do.
I would like to get to the point where I can sit calmly and watch the world go by and just wander around the creek all day and play, but I think it takes some time to shake off years of always having something to do, which isn't really that good.
This post is really just simple. It doesn't have anything to do with where I live, so I am surprised so many people brought that up. It's for paddlers who live anywhere, what do you do?
And even though I may live in Honolulu, I don't think it is unheard of that just maybe I took a metal bird to the mainland for a paddling adventure. You know, you don't HAVE to paddle in front of your house all the time. It's a big world. So say I was going to paddle the Mississippi, which was my first idea, I could have put where I lived and where I wanted to paddle this summer and then forgot I had a profile at all.
Camping With Kayaks Being I take my kayak when I camp, when not kayaking, I hike, tidepool, look around the area for other places to kayak or other campgrounds or cabins to stay in, getting to know the area better.
At home, some kayak trips may take an hour to get there, so when I get home, relaxing and eating dinner are enough w/a good movie or something interesting on tv to watch.
Keeping up with the garden is endless.
Hubby & I also go to bookstores, read up on other kayak trips, and make plans. Read all of the magazines while drinking Italian Sodas (for me) or tea for hubby.
I think the OP meant what to do on multiday expedition type of kayak camping trips like in a tent? in the woods/wilderness?—kind of rules out watching TV or going to the movies in the evening
In The Wilderness? jonsprag1, the person did not indicate kayaking would be while camping if that’s why you said that movies are out. Even so, you can go into town, if there is one, and go to the movies or in my case, we have a portable dvd player so movies are still an option. Even dinner out is possible if you’re near a town.
We have some wilderness areas that still have towns where you can easily hike out to get more provisions or do anything really.
While camping, I like to read, anytime of day, by the campfire or at night w/my headlamp. Check out some magazines that may interest you from the library. It all depends on how much crap you want to tote around. Got magazines at home, rip out articles you like so you don’t bring the whole magazine if you want to travel light.
Paddle, rest then paddle some more If you are going on a trip don’t wear yourself out in a couple hours and then stop. Paddle, stop and rest or relax and then paddle some more.
I paddle long hours (8, 10 & 12) but that’s me. Soon you will find that you stamina will increase and there isn’t enough hours in a day to do all the things you want to.
On a journey I stay busy every minute I’m awake, never get tired and there is never enough time to do everything. For me …that’s beauty.
lady you and I must paddle in very different places—on the coast of Maine or in the Maine woods there are no movie theaters and damn few restaurants. The only place I can think of close to MITA or other camping islands on the coast with a movie theater would be Stonington, but the theater only runs on Saturday nights and from the closest camping island it would be a 6 mile round trip–in the dark. If you camped on one of the outer islands it would be closer to a 14 miles round trip to see the movie.
Your idea of kayaking sounds like going to a hotel and doing day trips, or maybe going to a car accessible campground and again doing day trips. All well and good but obviously if the OP was just doing day trips at the end of the trip he would pack up and go home (or to the hotel) and do what he normally does(watch TV have dinner etc.) It is obvious that he was talking about overnight trips. And yes reading is a good way to pass the time, either at home or in the outdoors although I wouldnt recommend checking out magazines from the local library then tearing pages out of them.
Are you with a group? That would help if you get along with a fun group. then i would just take a book, or start learning all the names of the plants and other animals.
Sometimes camping or vactation can be boring. Once I went with a friend up to the mountains for what was supposed to be 2 or night trip. I’m talking primitive. So, one guy doesn’t speak english the other gets sick of translating, and then on the second day they tell me they want to stay a whole week!
I had to hike back out and hitchhike 300 miles back home. I already had plans for the weekend and didn’t want to miss a concert.
If it had been a larger group I would have been more inclined to stay.
I organize and lead many 1,2 & 3 day trips but paddle alone on long trips. Group events have every possible problem which is often difficult to solve but there is always one pain-in-the-ass who wants to rock the boat. The plan was made and all (will) follow the plan. Makes me question why I organize them.