Newfoundland Kayakoholic: 2013: Post 39b – Club Camping Trip

I woke up early. I thought it had rained when I pushed back the my tent door flap, but realized it was just a heavy morning dew. There was no wind and the water over the pond was still. Before too long others began to stir from their tents.

A little mist hung over the pond

Hazen crawled from his tent and seemed to be moving around better than the night before. He said he slept pretty well and his back was sore but better than it was... we figured the combination of the medication, the ice and heat packs, a few drinks, and maybe sleeping on a thermarest pad on the firm ground all helped.

Breakfast at First Pond

As a group we decided the plan would be to paddle to Thoroughfare, about four kilometers from our current position, where we planned to camp the next night. We would get out and see how Hazen felt after the short paddle. If it was too uncomfortable for him to paddle we could put up his tent and get his camp in order and let him spend the day relaxing while the rest of us paddled to Ireland's Eye.

Tony and I were ready before the others and we decided to paddle across the pond to check out a grassy area to see if it might be a better spot for camping.

Looking back across the pond towards our campsite

I was thinking we would have to walk the kayaks down the shallower portion of the river, at least the fiberglass kayaks and Julie's kevlar kayak. But we were all able to paddle/float down the river where the water ran the fastest with minimal bumping over rocks.

Julie taking her turn down the river

Hazen was paddling just fine and we reached Thoroughfare before too long. As per our plan, we got out for a look around and for Hazen to access his sore back. I was surprised when he said he wasn't staying there to rest but would join us on our paddle around the island of Ireland's Eye. Seeing the discomfort he was in the night before I would have placed a sizable bet he would not have paddled anywhere the next day... Old Wobbly is one tough so-and-so!!! Anyway, off we went crossing over to Ivanhoe.

Cabins in Ivanhoe

We paddled past Indian Islands and Broad Cove, and then into Black Duck Cove where we took out for lunch.

Once back on the water we headed up to Ireland's Eye Point. Around the point we had to paddle into a headwind for the first time so far on the trip. A few kilometers down the shore and we came to the harbour that leads into the long ago abandoned community of Ireland's Eye.

We climbed up the hill to have a look at the old church...

There were flat stones placed on the old foundation and we wondered why they were there. Some of the stones had names and dates scratched on them, but others did not. It seemed that the stones were perhaps a sort of spiritual offering of people visiting the old church, maybe just a way to say they were there, or maybe to say they had not forgotten the past...

Ron checking out the stones on the foundation

A closer look of the stones

Hazen, with his paddle for a walking stick,
takes in the view from the church site

After a while we all came back down the hill and continued on our way.

Tony

There seemed to be a little more wind and the waves were a little higher at times. I caught Barb a few times heading straight for some of the bigger waves and having fun riding over them. A little further down the shore she exclaimed "I'm back." She had been away from paddling for a while and had recently come back to it. I could tell she was having a lot of fun in the bit of wind and waves as we came down the shore...

Barb

When we arrived back at Thoroughfare Barb said she didn't want to get off the water. So we told her she didn't have to and she went off on her own for a while, staying in the sheltered waters of the area of Thoroughfare. I think during this particular day she may have rediscovered why she took up paddling in the first place.

Barb on her solo paddle

The regular routine of camp life ensued... pitch the tent, inflate the thermarest, spread out the sleeping bag... Tony figured a few drinks before supper was in order and, having an empty stomach, I soon felt the effects of a my rum!! After we got supper on the go and then collected up some wood for the evening fire.