Camping with Bug: The Cape with Freinds

After our successful trial camping trip, we felt confident that the family would have a great time camping with a group. For this outing PB and KP joined us, along with KP's pooch and teenage son, at Nickerson State Park in Brewster, MA.
Our biggest concern was that we would hold them back since Bug's schedule dictates our to a certain degree. Fortunately we all planned for a relaxing weekend without too much activity. We wanted to do some biking, but that was about it.
Biking did present a new challenge since we had not packed up the bikes and the camping gear at the same time. We were pretty sure everything would fit since the trailer is about the same size as the stroller and the bikes are carried on the outside of the car, but still.... As it turned out, things fit even better with the bike trailer because it folds up flatter than the stroller! Also, this time around we didn't need to pack the screen house.
Nickerson is a surprisingly plush campground. The sites were spacious and well buffered. The park was pretty full, despite it being late in the season, but we never felt packed in. The other really nice thing about Nickerson is that it is right on the Mid-Cape bike trail. To make it even better they have bile trails that link the camp sites to the access point for the Mid-Cape trail.
Our big adventurer for the trip was a cruise on the bike trail. The Mid-Cape trail is very nice. It is wide and well maintained. The views were not as pretty as we had hoped, but there were a few classic Cape vistas. The trail was busy for September weekend. There was a charity ride going on which accounted for some of the traffic. The sunny weather accounted for the rest.
We hopped off the trail at Coast Guard Beach and took the side trail down to the water. The trail through the national park was not as nice as the Mid-Cape for a guy pulling a trailer. It was narrow and windy, but fun.
Bug loved the beach. She did pretty well walking on the sand and didn't try to eat too much of the beach. Keeping her out of the waves was a bit of a chore, but her love of the water makes us happy. One funny thing she did was lay down in the sand like it was nap time. There were a few other people napping near by, so she must have decided that was what you do on the beach.
Bug was funny with the KP's little dog. She was very curious, but definitely didn't like it when the dog licked her. There was a little come here; go away dynamic between them.
It was a great weekend. We are truly blessed to have a kid who is flexible and love the outdoors!

Camping with Bug: A Dry Run

H and I planned to do a camping trip with some friends on the Cape this September, so we thought it would be a good idea to do a solo dry run first. We were pretty sure Bug would love camping and that we could figure out how to take care of a baby in the woods. How hard could it be?
We talked about planning a whole lot. We picked a really nice private campground in Carver. We purchased a roof bag so we could fit all of our stuff plus all of Bug's stuff. We purchased a two burner camp stove and fuel. We thought about getting everything organized before hand.
Sunday night we finally started getting things out of storage. We pulled the tent and sleeping stuff out of the attic. We dragged the kitchen stuff out of the basement.
Monday morning, just before I started packing stuff into the car, we started packing clothes. Packing my clothes takes a minute; the hardest part is counting out enough pairs of clean boxers. Packing Bug's clothes takes forever; it amazes me how much stuff a baby needs for two days of semi-roughing it.
Surprisingly, packing the car was easy. I expected it to be a challenge since I was using the roof bag for the first time and I had to pack a bunch of extra stuff - a pack-and-play, a stroller, a car seat, a diaper bag, etc.. The fact that most of the gear is rectangular helped a lot. The miracle was that everything fit - barely.
The challenge of camping with a small child were obvious the moment we started to set up camp. Usually both H and I go about setting things up. I get the tent up while she gets the kitchen area set up. This time, one of us had to monitor Bug. H and Bug went off to explore while I set up the tent and the screen house.
The screen house was an exercise in frustration. We haven't used the thing in two years, so I forgot the exact sequence to erect it. I did remember enough to think it would be easy. The first thing I forgot was that setting it up is a two person job. Then I forgot that the top poles had to go through sleeves. Then I forgot that the top poles need to go through a set of loops. I took it apart three times before I got it up. It was worth it though, the mosquitoes were fierce.
Once we got the camp site set up, things were smooth. Bug loved being able to explore. One of us could cook, or relax, while the other one followed Bug. For a new walker, she did really well on the rough terrain. The falls were infrequent. When she did fall, she just brushed herself off and kept going.
Bedtime was not smooth. Bug has a pop-up tent that she loves to hangout in at home. We figured that it would be the perfect camping Bug bed. It fit inside our tent and would keep her contained. Bug had different ideas. When it came time to curl up in her tent, she refused to go in. It amazes me how strong a wee girl can be when she does not want to do something.
Defeated, we put the tent away and replaced it with the floor of the pack-and-play. It kept her off the floor of the tent and provide her with a little padding. It worked better. Bug settled in, after an hour of fidgeting.
The second day was pretty routine. We spent the morning hanging about the camp site. Bug wandered around playing with everything she could get her hands on. We ate lunch and napped.
The afternoon was a big adventure. We went into Plymouth to visit with one of H's friends. We met at the big water park by the sea. It is a great place. Bug loved it. She went from fountain to fountain grabbing the water streams. Then she hit the playground.
By the end of the visit, she was pooped. H and I decided Bug could nap in the stroller and we explored Plymouth. Then we had a fabulous dinner at Cabby Shack. The food was great and the atmosphere was extremely kid friendly.
Packing up on the final morning presented the same problem as unpacking. We were used to it being a two person job, but one of us had to be on full time bug watch. It wasn't too bad since most of our gear is manageable by one person. It just takes more time.
Our initial camping trip with bug was a success. We all enjoyed ourselves and we learned a few lessons. The biggest one was that camping with a wee lass requires a little more time.

The Wonders of Wellfleet

Cape Cod has some great paddle locations. Unfortunately, tourist traffic makes getting to them unreasonable. So, when Michael B. offered the opportunity to paddle in Wellfleet before tourist season began, I jumped at it. H, who was suffering under deadlines, took a bit of convincing, but eventually saw the light.
Even without traffic, traveling from Waltham to Wellfleet is a long trip. H and I were up at 6:30 to make the 9:30 meeting. The drive was about two and a half hours. We did stop for a healthy breakfast of Egg McMuffins and Honey Dew Ice Coffee at a rest stop.
When we arrived at the put-in trouble loomed. The original put-in had been turned into a sticker only beach, so we had to move to more public digs. Once at the new put-in, the wind, which was stronger than forecasted but nothing to cause any concern, had some of the group thinking about moving the paddle to a whole new location. Fortunately, inertia is a force to reckon with and the group decided to stay put.
The beach we were launching from is lined with a number of shellfish beds that are exposed at low-tide. Of course we were putting in at low tide. The men were there tending their beds and eyeing us suspiciously as we lined up our kayaks in the direction of the newly seeded beds. One stray paddle would be enough to damage or destroy the nets that protect the baby clams. One of the shell fishers eventually came over and showed us the path through the maze of beds. It was a winding path wide enough for us to get through single file.
As this was a BSKC trip, the pre-paddle talk was much more focused on group safety than your typical RIC/KA trip. Michael had actually collected emergency contact info for all of the participants. He pointed out the proposed route and who the experienced paddlers were. He even set up a point and sweep.
When we first set out, the wind was in our faces, but couldn't have been more than 10knts. It was enough to keep it from being too hot and to keep the paddling from being too boring. Wellfleet Harbor is pretty sheltered and provides a great spot for an experienced beginner to get some time in salt water. In fact, there were two beginners on this trip. One of the women had just purchased a new Capella and had used it only a few times. One of the men had just finished building a stitch and glue boat and it was his first time on the water-ever. He picked up the kit looking for a woodworking project and decided he had to use it once it was built.
There were a number of people on the trip who use traditional paddles--Linda, Brian N., and Mike B. use Greenland paddles. I use an Aleutian paddle. The newbies inquired about how they worked since they look so skinny. I don't know the real answer to the question. The answer I always hear and parrot is that the blades have the same amount of surface area as a Euro paddle, but it is spread out over a longer distance. Whatever the answer is, I prefer my paddle to a Euro paddle. I get plenty of bite out of it and I am far more agile in my boat with it.
About halfway out to Jerome Pt.--the outer point of Wellfleet Harbor--we took a pit stop. On the beach Arron found a Conch shell that was still occupied. It was the first time H or I had ever seen one. It was kind of icky looking, sort of a big slug thing. There was also a crazy little crab with a huge white claw scampering all over the beach.
When we headed back out on the water the wind had completely dropped off. The water was dead calm. Under these conditions we paddled over to Jerome Pt. where we found some seals. Then we slipped around the point to Billingsgate Shoal.
Billingsgate Shoal is called the Atlantis of Cape Cod. Up until the early 1900's, it was an island that supported a small town and a lighthouse. In the mid-1800's the town was big enough to support a baseball team. By the 1900, coastal erosion had taken it toll. People started abandoning the town. Now all that is left is the remnants of the seawall and the foundation from the lighthouse. Even this is underwater at high tide. See the Wikipedia entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billingsgate_Island.
We had lunch on the shoal and watched a couple of very bold seals lounge in the water about 10 yards off the beach. They were definitely checking us out and had no fear. It was relaxing until the beach started to vanish.
The seals stuck around until we passed back into the harbor proper. By then they were probably tired of watching us watch them.
The paddle back was hot and long. The wind had died, the water was dead calm, and the sun was blazing. We slowly made our way back to the beach with frequent stops to recollect the group. Fourteen kayaks are hard to keep together even under conditions that mild. The man with the wooden boat was trying out edging and other steering techniques. The women were chatting. Everyone was stopping for the occasional bow dip to cool off. I even stopped once for an open water bathroom break while H kept my boat from tipping.
Despite the heat, it was a pleasant paddle back to the cars.
The tide had come in, so the clam beds were safely underwater. This made getting back the the beach much more straight forward than leaving was.
Before disembarking, a few people practiced their rolls. Watching Brian roll helped me figure out what was going wrong with my roll. I need to remember to sweep until I'm leaning onto my back deck.
The man with the wooden boat practiced a paddle float rescue. Before doing his wet exit, he tossed his paddle away to everyone's horror. He said he was just trying to pretend something bad had happened. We explained to him that if you loose your paddle, something VERY bad had happened. Once his paddle was retrieved, he did a nice paddle float rescue and called it a day.
H, still looking for the right boat, tried out Linda's Rumor. She had tried one at the Kayak Center's demo days and thought it fit like a glove. However, she thought it was really squirrelly. This time she looked and felt a lot more comfortable in it. The Rumor is definitely a boat for a small paddler because it has negligible freeboard or volume. It is also the only boat I've ever seen that has negative rocker.
After a pleasant dinner and some nice mocha, espreso frappes, we headed back to reality. The traffic was backed up from Plymouth to Brockton. It took 4 hours to get home, but it was worth it.