Using Standup Paddle Boards To Reach A Secluded Campsite
Look for Higher Barriers to Entry
As camping grows in popularity, easily accessible and sought after campsites can be hard to book during the summer months. Even if you can get a spot in some of these campsites, depending on the layout, you may have another camper right next to you and miss out on the quiet and solitude you may be looking for.
When you move away from drive-in campsites towards sites that require you to walk, paddle, or boat any distance, the barrier to entry increases, and the crowds subside. Leaving your car behind and with it, the ability to tap out if things become challenging, begins to turn your camping trip into a mini adventure.
Finding a Secluded Spot
As a teenager, I went on a two-week canoeing and camping trip to the Adirondack Mountains in New York. The Adirondacks are filled with hundreds of lakes, and we canoed them, carried our canoes on our heads on trails between them, and camped all along the way. Pulling from my experiences on this trip, I started looking in the Adirondacks for a lake where we had to paddle into our campsite.
An old picture from my original trip to the Adirondacks in 2000 just before my freshman year of high school.
Using reserveamerica.com, we found Indian Lake, which had campsites all along its 12-mile length. Being that you could only reach the sites from the water meant that most were empty. Not bothering to consider the distance of our paddle, we honed in on a secluded peninsula with no other campsites in view and reserved our campsite.
Preparing For Our Trip
Having the right gear is crucial for any outdoor endeavor. For this trip, we were using Bote HD Aero inflatable boards. The inflatable boards are great for rocky lakes and rivers because you don’t have to worry about dinging them like traditional fiberglass boards. The inflatable boards are also much easier to travel with because they can roll up and be stored in your vehicle during multi-day trips.
Beware, not all inflatable paddle boards are created equal. I’ve tried a few from Amazon and Costco, and while they may be cheaper, they are not as stable as the Bote. More expensive isn’t always better, but I haven’t found a cheap inflatable paddle board that has felt as sturdy as the Bote.
Two inflatable paddle boards conveniently rolled up in the back of my truck.
Next on the list were dry-bags we could strap to our boards to ferry our gear without getting wet. There are all kinds of dry-bags on the market, but here is one that is reasonably priced and will get the job done; I recommend the 115L bag.
Between mine and my wife’s bags, I packed the following items:
Jet Boil Stove & Fuel
Fire Kit (Bic lighter, Fat-Wood, Waterproof Matches)
Headlamp, Warm Clothes, Multi-Tool, Baby Wipes, Toiletries, Snacks
I also brought two gallons of water and some store-bought firewood in case there wasn’t much lying around. One of my favorite things about camping is campfires, and I didn’t want to risk being unable to have one.
Getting ready to step off from our launch point. The dry-bags were loaded on the front and firewood on the back.
Stepping Off
So going back to when I booked our spot and didn’t consider the distance we would be paddling; luckily for us, it was only three miles. Now a three-mile paddle in calm weather is no big deal, but things can become challenging when the wind picks up and blows the wrong way. We fought the wind the entire course, and I thought my wife would kill me. At that moment, I thought, thank god I didn’t pick a spot further away. With the paddle boards loaded and our bodies catching all the wind, we were fighting not to be blown into shore the entire paddle.
Taking a break from paddling on the leeward side of a small point.
Often, when I hear about people getting into trouble outdoors, they aren’t physically prepared to meet the challenges that arise. And if the wind had surpassed our ability to paddle through it, we were also prepared with the right gear to spend the night wherever we ended up.
Mother nature will always be able to one-up you, but being physically prepared with the right mentality and correct gear will suffice to get you through most unforeseen challenges.
Arriving At Camp
When we arrived at the campsite, it was even better than we expected. On our point we were the only site, we had a fire ring, outhouse, and picnic table. From the lake heading East, there was nothing but miles of wilderness area. The terrain was beautiful, with old pine trees, rocky shorelines, and a thick coating of pine needles on the forest floor.
After taking stock of the surrounding area, I got our fire going and began to unpack the gear and set up our tent. We ate a dinner of freeze-dried meals on the shore and then hiked around until the sun started to fall. Occasionally a boat would pass by in the distance, but other than that, it was tranquil and felt like we had found a place on earth where we were briefly insulated from the hustle and bustle of noise and traffic.
Setting up camp and enjoying the solitude of our peninsula.
That Evening
The remainder of the evening was uneventful as we sat and watched the fire. The temperature dipped, and the air was cool and crisp, making for ideal camping conditions. Watching the fire free of distractions, we felt utterly relaxed and content without a care in the world. There was plenty of time to take stock and be grateful for all we had.
As we transitioned to our tent, the cool air and day filled with movement in the sun made sleep come quick.
I woke up sometime after midnight, and as I lay there, I realized it was completely and utterly quiet. There were no sounds from bugs, fish jumping, animals moving, or wind. Everything about it was peaceful and ideal, yet I felt unsettled. After spending most of our time indoors surrounded by other people and mechanical noises, I realized we never experience true calm and quietness. I’d heard the expression before but was now experiencing it; the silence was deafening. At that moment, I acknowledged how many distractions and affronts to our natural being we are subjected to daily.
Paddling out the next morning. I would call it paradise.
Departing And Conclusion
Waking the following day to the brisk air and quiet, we got the fire going and sipped our coffee. As I stared at the fire and breathed the clean mountain air, I thought; this is how humans were meant to live. Surrounded by the sounds of nature, in the elements, and with the sun shining down on us.
I contrasted that to how most people live in cities, surrounded by concrete, metal, noise, and the constant distraction of electronics, time, and deadlines. The problem is that all those things have become so routine and regular. How did we accept commuter traffic, cubicles, five-day work weeks, two weeks of vacation a year, and a society whose primary focus is economic growth at the expense of health and the environment?
Trips like this one allow you to step outside the noise and distractions, even if only momentarily, giving you some much-needed perspective. As we loaded our boards and paddled out into the lake, the water was still, the wind was calm, and the sun was warming our skin. There was a feeling of contentment and the persistent sense that I would continue to design our life to avoid the trappings of the modern status quo.
Departing with fresh perspective.
