Kayak/Canoe Trip down Wisconsin River/ Tent Camping on Sandbar AUGUST 16, 2014

**NBrack** · 08-15-2014, 09:16

I started playing with mapengines on google and pinned a few spots. Maybe when you guys have time you could check this out. I set the privacy to anyone with this link but you may need a google account. I pinned a few red dots that I know are decent tent sites and placed a couple green dots for areas that I want to see if hanging would be good. It would be cool to start compiling green dots with info in the description about the spot, how many hammocks could fit, etc... Here is the link: https://mapsengine.google.com/map/ed...Y.k5pebvg7Ixoc

**Big Sweets** · 08-24-2014, 13:44

I made a detailed map as well but can't sign into the maps engine to publish it, or can't figure it out i'm not sure which. I was able to make a KML file I could email anyone if you wanted. Private message me your email address and ill get it to you asap.

**BananaHammock** · 08-24-2014, 20:36

I'll be sure to check it out. I did sleep in a tent with my wife on the trip but brought the hammock for my little brother. Unfortunately, the island (that had trees) that was chosen by the group did not work out. Every tree was covered in poison ivy and there were both ground and vine versions on site. We ended up using the kayak paddle and tarp to pitch a tarp tent for him. Be sure you know how to identify poison ivy before heading out to some of these shoreline trees. I did see a very cool spot near Trader's campground that had two islands so close that you could hang over the water beneath them. That would be awesome I thought.

**BananaHammock** · 08-24-2014, 20:38

Also, the map is not very accurate as far what islands are there and what islands are not there. I think there has been either some major erosion or the water was very low when the aerial shots were taken.

**NBrack** · 08-25-2014, 14:27

Yeah I have always seen poison ivy everywhere I go on the river. Was hoping for a better hanging report! Haha... How was the trip?

**BananaHammock** · 08-30-2014, 18:12

Well, we headed out from the house at 630am to make sure we got there before 10. The three hour drive was supposed to be simple. The previous night, I had strapped on my two kayaks, something I had never done before. I had looked online for a few options of how to strap them down. Being recreational kayaks, they were too wide to lie flat on top of the small SUV. I tilted them vertically and used tie-downs to strap them down to the rack's horizontal bars. Two straps per boat, and then another four to add stability in other places. I gave them a good shake and realized that the rack was going to come off before those boats did.
Thirty minutes later, I could see one of the boats in my side mirror. I pulled over and looked at how my articulate work had come undone and the boats were not lying, one on top of the other, and at a 30 degree angle. I tightened the straps and continued driving to a gas station parking lot. That's where I took both boats off and reloaded them with a few slight modifications to the previous set up. It was useless. Another ten miles and they were lying on top of each other and turned at an angle. After strapping these down again, I succumbed to the fact that they were, despite how terrilbe-looking, more stable in this natural state. We arrived at 10:20am and unloaded the boats. Moments later, my wife says to me that she can't find our wallet (We only packed a small wallet with our ids and one credit card). She said, "Maybe I dropped it in the McDonald's bag and threw it away back at that Walgreens." So we jump back in the car and head back eight miles to find McDonald's bag that contained…well McDonald's garbage. We arrived at Trader's again at 11:05am. Our crew was waiting for us on the bus which was loaded up with the boats. We quickly empty the back of the car. One of our friends was digging around in the back and screams, "I found your wallet!" We were quite relieved.
Sitting on the bus, having a beer and the crew was in good spirits. I collected everyone's electronic devices and put them in my dry bag since everyone else was relying on double zip-lock bags. We jumped off the bus, created a quick assembly line and before no time, we were cruising down the river. Drinks were being consumed, and jokes were being told. We learned that some beers float and others…do not. We stopped for a bathroom break and located a couple of clams. I dared my brother to cook & eat them and he agreed. As we passed by the nude beach, we noticed it was a younger group this year. One guy was fishing with two lures but only one hook. I hope for his sake that the turtles didn't feel brave enough to come close. After a few hours of going, the group was tired so we chose a beach and headed for it. As we were choosing it, another couple that was kayaking next to us took wind and pulled ahead of our group. They pulled onto the beach that we had just discussed claiming and they started to unload a few things. The audacity! We decided that we had power in numbers and pulled up, too. They immediately informed us that they were there first and that the spoils go to the faster rower. Our group continued to get out of their boats and we said that we would take a quick break and be on our way. The couple felt the pressure and said that they would move on. It was a **** move on our part, but it was also a **** move on theirs.
At camp, everyone started to setup right away. The canopy was up in moments, followed by the fold-up picnic table. The tents were next. I left the tent to my wife. It was a training exercise, but I'll probably regret it as she keeps peeking over my shoulder to see what I'm writing. My brother and I decided that we should gather firewood and scope out a location for the hammock we had brought for him. With a handsaw and an axe, we gathered some dead wood from a tree that had fallen nearby. When it came time to find a place to hang, we reluctantly realized that the only thing strapped to the trees was poison ivy. It was useless. We decided to use the 9X12 tarp to create a tarp tent. I had watched a few videos in the past while looking at survival/ lightweight camping. I unsecured one end of my paddle, adjusted the length and used it as a support pole. I had brought extra stakes, although they were not sand stakes. First, we laid out the floor, staked the front, and then folded the remaining tarp upward. I used the paddle (the paddle part was buried in the sand) attach to one of the grommets. To keep the floorspace rectangular, I used a small pebble, placed at the bend of the tarp and used some paracord to wrap around the stone and create a guy-out. The final piece was nothing marvelous but it had doors, plenty of sleeping space, and with a sleeping pad beneath the tarp it was quite comfy.
I taught my little brother how to use a ferrocerium rod to start a fire. We had gathered some birch bark from a nearby tree for tinder. He worked at it for about 40 min. before I used a lighter to get the stove going. While I was boiling water for our dehydrated food, my wife was enjoying the comforts of a cooked brat. On this trip, I am the only one that treats it like a backpacking experience. The rest enjoy all the comforts of car camping. We all ate (mine was still slightly dehydrated and had a few crunchy pieces lol). After showing my brother how to adjust his technique and modify the tinder to get a better chance, he was successful. We rejoiced by drinking lots more.
The group sat around the fire playing a mini version of Catch Phrase. Turns out Catch Phrase mini-version has like 30 answers. We decided to make up our own game with topics. So we took turns saying things like, "ok…um.. movies…This one has like a big black guy that sucks disease out of people or something and Tom Hanks is always crying when he pees. Yes!! It's not a creek, but bigger and instead of the big creek walking around…Yes!!" We spent the night laughing, reminiscing, and eventually crawled into our little nylon homes to cuddle up with our significant others (except my brother. He curled up with mosquitos until the wind picked up). The next day, we woke up and stoked the fire. This was followed by the famous breakfast burritos. Thanks Colleen! We muscled our way the rest of the trip which we always think is too long the next day even though it was much shorter than last year. We looked for the many turtles and agreed there were much less this year.
By the end, we were happy it was over but agreed it was another good time. My brother never ate the clams (they were released). The boats fell down again on the way home, which caught a lot of attention. We had leftover beer and water which was better than last year because last year we ran out of both. It was a great time! Come join us next year.