It's been over 3 years since my last overnight canoe camping trip. Waaaaaay to long. To rectify this Russ (Warthog1981) and I marked a date in the diary a month or so ago and decided we were going come what may. Of course as it got closer to the weekend the weather forecasts were starting to look a bit dodgy. Still we were determined not to be put off. We changed the location to Loch Lomond where we knew we could find some shelter and we knew the camping locations well.
So on Saturday we loaded up and headed out onto Loch Lomond from Balmaha. We were off.
We were a bit rusty but soon got into our paddling rhythm. Because of the forecast of silly strong winds we were camping on an island not far from the put in and planning to just paddle when we could. Setting up camp we started to get back into the swing of things with haggis bubbling away on the firebox and the stove on for a brew.
With camp set up and dinner ready it was time to settle down to the serous task of relaxing in front of the fire.
The last time we were camping Sam was just a pup and small enough to sleep in the hammock with me. Now she is 32kg that is not an issue so we had brought a small dog tent for her. She also had a jumper to wick her dry after all her swimming. In the morning she seemed quite content in her home from home.
It seems Russ was having some problems with his hammock. There are some sights you don't want to see in the morning. There are some some sights you can't unsee.
Once my eyes had recovered it was time for breakfast. Lorne sausage in wraps is the traditional breakfast. Sam was explaining to Russ, "You has sausage, I has no sausage".
Sam got no sausage. Which may be why she shunned her tent and made her own bed just to snub us.
It was a bit windy for paddling so we settled down in front of the fire. Russ was drying out firewood and Sam was supervising as he built woodhenge.
Sam was getting more attached to her new home though. When exploring the island we had found an abandoned sleeping bag that we used to add some extra insulation to her home.
While the weather was keeping us off the water we had time to explore the island further. This gave Sam time to find balls and other toys to play with.
Then the rain started so back to camp for a coffee.
Which is when the snow started.
The good news is the snow did not last that long. The bad news is it was replaced by heavy rain.
So more time in front of the fire. Oh the hardship.
Time to stretch the legs again. Shockingly the sun then made an appearance. It caught Sam and I quite off guard.
Even more shockingly, the wind had gone. Completely gone.
Quick to the canoe.
Oh yes, this is the life.
Back on shore Sam was still in the party mood as the rain started again. She does love sand. Chasing it, digging it, running on it, whatever.
The rain was back, so was the wind. We sort of settled down to dinner under the tarp.
The wind kept changing direction which meant changing the tarp about a bit each time.
During the night the wind built in strength. By the morning it was silly strong. Russ had not slept well so we cleared camp early, loaded the canoe and got ready to head back.
We were a bit concerned about the state of the loch as we headed out. Having the canoe heavily loaded worked in our favour. It gave it a lot more stability. The waved were big, very big. Certainly over three feet but thankfully pretty rounded and not breaking too often.
We had the GoPro mounted at the front filming some video footage of our windy paddle in the big waves.
[video=youtube_share;B2zfclmwTQI]http://youtu.be/B2zfclmwTQI[/video]
Sam sat good as gold the whole time just watching ducks and other wildlife while Russ and I tried to stay on course and stay dry. At least the wind was pushing us where we wanted to go. Had it not we would probably still have been on the island waiting for it to die down a bit.
As it was we were soon back at Balmaha
Now we are home drying gear and putting a date in the diary for the next trip.
So on Saturday we loaded up and headed out onto Loch Lomond from Balmaha. We were off.
We were a bit rusty but soon got into our paddling rhythm. Because of the forecast of silly strong winds we were camping on an island not far from the put in and planning to just paddle when we could. Setting up camp we started to get back into the swing of things with haggis bubbling away on the firebox and the stove on for a brew.
With camp set up and dinner ready it was time to settle down to the serous task of relaxing in front of the fire.
The last time we were camping Sam was just a pup and small enough to sleep in the hammock with me. Now she is 32kg that is not an issue so we had brought a small dog tent for her. She also had a jumper to wick her dry after all her swimming. In the morning she seemed quite content in her home from home.
It seems Russ was having some problems with his hammock. There are some sights you don't want to see in the morning. There are some some sights you can't unsee.
Once my eyes had recovered it was time for breakfast. Lorne sausage in wraps is the traditional breakfast. Sam was explaining to Russ, "You has sausage, I has no sausage".
Sam got no sausage. Which may be why she shunned her tent and made her own bed just to snub us.
It was a bit windy for paddling so we settled down in front of the fire. Russ was drying out firewood and Sam was supervising as he built woodhenge.
Sam was getting more attached to her new home though. When exploring the island we had found an abandoned sleeping bag that we used to add some extra insulation to her home.
While the weather was keeping us off the water we had time to explore the island further. This gave Sam time to find balls and other toys to play with.
Then the rain started so back to camp for a coffee.
Which is when the snow started.
The good news is the snow did not last that long. The bad news is it was replaced by heavy rain.
So more time in front of the fire. Oh the hardship.
Time to stretch the legs again. Shockingly the sun then made an appearance. It caught Sam and I quite off guard.
Even more shockingly, the wind had gone. Completely gone.
Quick to the canoe.
Oh yes, this is the life.
Back on shore Sam was still in the party mood as the rain started again. She does love sand. Chasing it, digging it, running on it, whatever.
The rain was back, so was the wind. We sort of settled down to dinner under the tarp.
The wind kept changing direction which meant changing the tarp about a bit each time.
During the night the wind built in strength. By the morning it was silly strong. Russ had not slept well so we cleared camp early, loaded the canoe and got ready to head back.
We were a bit concerned about the state of the loch as we headed out. Having the canoe heavily loaded worked in our favour. It gave it a lot more stability. The waved were big, very big. Certainly over three feet but thankfully pretty rounded and not breaking too often.
We had the GoPro mounted at the front filming some video footage of our windy paddle in the big waves.
[video=youtube_share;B2zfclmwTQI]http://youtu.be/B2zfclmwTQI[/video]
Sam sat good as gold the whole time just watching ducks and other wildlife while Russ and I tried to stay on course and stay dry. At least the wind was pushing us where we wanted to go. Had it not we would probably still have been on the island waiting for it to die down a bit.
As it was we were soon back at Balmaha
Now we are home drying gear and putting a date in the diary for the next trip.
lads.
Did it put you in the notion to be out more again ?
