Overnighter on Chickamauga Lake

[Captain Kidd]

I was able to pull off that overnighter I mentioned last week. I know some sail often. I do not; so, when I do, I usually do a write up about it here, on my blog or both - unless it's just a quickie sail near the ramp. So here's my account.

I planned to sail Monday-Tuesday. Monday came with weather as forecast. I waited a little too long to start packing. When you don't sail often, especially a longer trip, stuff gets scattered. As the afternoon wore on, I couldn't find this, couldn't find that, took longer than expected for this task and that. Ugh! I was getting frustrated and losing daylight. I eventually gave up and called off the trip. Sheesh! I unhitched the boat but left all my stuff either still packed or out.

Tuesday came and I went to church for a while. As the morning wore on, I decided to make a go of it. I don't normally sail on Wednesdays because we have Bible study in the evening, but I made the exception with the intent of getting back in a timely fashion.

Most was done, so just a wee bit more prepping. By 2:00 I was headed for the lake. Around 3:00 I was in the water. It was a beautiful afternoon - sunny, temps around 70 with a wind forecast of WNW at 7-8 mph. Should make for a nice reach up the lake.

Setting up the boat and getting her in the water. Ain't she got a pretty look from the stern.

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As the afternoon wore on, that forecast proved a little off. The wind was sporadic and stronger than expected. I had full sail up and some of the gusts were significant. Here's the record from two sources. Gusts to 21 and 18 with steady wind speed up to the mid-teens. I had to really stay alert. Besides the wind speed, it was shifty too which left me pinching some. When I got a steady blow off the beam, it got quite exhilarating. With the big gusts I had to let the mainsail out to nearly flogging. I sure didn't want to capsize!

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I had a destination in mind, but wasn't making the progress I had hoped and needed daylight to set up for the night. I opted for a cove on the western/north side of the lake. That would give me the most sun early in the morning and I knew it was going to be chilly. The sun would help!

I had sailed a little past the cove when I made the decision, so was able to tack back and get close even though it was dead into the wind. As circumstances would have it, the wind was the strongest right at that time. I dropped sail and started rowing to get into the cove. It was a hard pull!

That's the  Chickamauga dam on the left of the first pic.

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Here's the distance I covered:

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The cove gave me protection from the wind which ultimately died not too long after I anchored. After a bout with the tent (it's a little tricky setting up when actually in the water and one of the poles gave me a fit), I was finally ready for the evening.

Best pic I can get while on the boat:

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In the process of setting up, my shoes began to crumble! LOL. They were an old pair which I figured I couldn't hurt. They're in the trash this evening.

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I got in the tent shortly before dark and enjoyed my evening. The boat is stable enough and the tent high enough that I can actually sit in a medium height beach chair. Makes for a comfortable time. I had a good supper, read from a couple books I took along, talked with my wife some, and watched a video or two. Turned in around 10:30.

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The night temps were forecasted to be in the upper 30's. I went prepared: several layers of clothes, an insulated sleeping pad (Agnes Q-Core) and a mummy sleeping bag.

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I took my Coleman catalytic heater in case I needed it. I knew it produced moisture and did it ever! I ran it for a couple hours I guess and, boy, did it get damp inside that tent.

The night was long and cold. As I have aged, I can tell I don't tolerate the cold as well as I used to. Even with the layers and a decent bag and pad, I fought the cold. Tossed and turned and dosed some. The temps got down to the mid-30's. My search says 37 but I'm guessing a little colder on the water.

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When the sun rose, so did I. Had a breakfast of instant oatmeal and a couple cups of hot chocolate. Sure warms a fellow up.

There was no wind. The forecast was for very light wind which I figured would fill in. Since I knew I'd be rowing some, I decided to hit it early - especially with church in the evening. Discipleship rowed nicely and I was back to the ramp by 10:00.

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Ramp in view

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Back on solid ground

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Distance rowed:

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It took me a while to pack up. Two separate guys came along admiring my boat: not an unusual experience. She's a beaut and not too many around these parts like her.

Got home, had lunch and was able to get to church to study by early afternoon for a couple hours. then home, took a brief nap, had supper and then a good church service.

I do feel the affects of age. But still very doable. I was sore upon returning, but a couple ibuprofen and I did fine.

A nice trip.

Oh, yeah: one more thing. When I got out of the tent in the morning I about broke my neck - literally! I have to crawl out, of course. As I reached forward to stand forward of the thwart, my hand slipped off the centerboard case and I fell forward into the bottom of the boat! I landed squarely on the top of my head unable to break the fall. OUCH! Got up, rubbed my head to make sure there wasn't any blood and went about my business. All's well that ends well (as they say).

[Timm R Oday25]

Thanks for bringing us along. up here the water is still very hard ..

[Riley Smith]

You've got more cold tolerance than me! Although, it looks like very nice weather. I can't deal with anything under 50F. And THEN only if it is sunny! Thanks for the write-up and generating a little enthusiasm, which has been sorely lacking in the chilly Spring weather. I've let a sail run across my mind a couple of times but that's about as far as it went 

[CapnK]

Yup, purty vessel! I bet she does get comments every time. Probably rows nice, too. Good write-up! Looking forward to doing similar soon...

[Doug SC]

Beautiful would have been a fitting name if you had chosen it. I like the write up as it brings me along in my mind's eye. Yes, the cold and heat tolerance of a younger me isn't now what it once was.

I was camping in a tent on the ground in the Smokey Mountains this past Monday through Wednesday. Monday night was chilly in the tent and my feet were kind of cold. I woke up several times. Tuesday and Wednesday I slept very well. Unusually warm for February with the highs reaching the low 60s and lows in the high 30s. Fly fished Tuesday and Wednesday for trout unsuccessfully. I was the only one of the 3 of us to hook one. However, it was great to be outdoors and active surrounded by spectacular scenery on mountain streams.

[Captain Kidd]

Glad you got your trip in too, Doug. That's the kind I'd enjoy as well though I've not done much fishing in my life. Have done some backpacking in the mountains, mostly Blue Ridge in VA MD PA. Again, colder weather was my preference.

Just happen to have these on my phone. This is my younger daughter. She's maybe 6 or 7. Our first backpacking trip together. We went up to South Mountain in MD. That's Pine Knob Shelter just off the AT. It had snowed. We waited for the snow to melt where we lived an hour east. I failed to figure that the snow would last longer on the mountain. My bad! We did fine 'til morning when it was blistering cold. She was freezing and crying. I packed everything and drug her back to the car. I had intentionally camped not far from the car in case we did get in trouble. Someone had egged our car but it started and we warmed up. Made a memory! HA.

I still use the tent, which I bought the day we went, and that green pack. I have some small bits of the tan sleeping pad but I've cut it up over the years and used pieces for this, that, and the other. This was 30+ years ago.

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[Doug SC]

Your daughter crying because of the cold. Reminds me of one of our annual 5-to-6-day winter backpacking trips. Many hiking up from the low elevations to the high ridge that run the spine of the Smokey Mountains with many of the highest mountain's east of the Mississippi.

We had packed up the six mile 2,000-foot elevation gain to the snow covered top of Mt Sterling. We pitched our tents and gathered firewood. After which I had to get in my sleeping bag to warm up as exhaustion and the single digit temps had me close to hyperthermia. A hot chocolate and two hotdogs brought me out to the fire.

About this time (it was after dark) a recently divorced father and his daughter hiked in and came to the fire the 11-year-old girl was very cold and crying. We gave them both something warm to drink. Once their tent was up and they ate they got in the tent and their sleeping bags. The girl would cry and complain about the cold. Waking us up several times during the night. It was hard to listen to and we felt so sorry for her.

We had talked to him that night telling him he needed to head back down in the morning. He told us he didn't think it would be as cold as Ohio where he was from since it was farther south. We told him at the elevation we were at he was in a Canadian ecosystem not a temperate one like Ohio. He was set on hiking on to Tricorner Knob which was even farther than we had planned to hike that day. He wanted to introduce his daughter to hiking and camping so they could go on trips together when he had custody. We told him if he persisted in doing what he wanted to do he would be endangering his daughter. That even if she didn't get frostbite or worse. He would ruin any future chance of her doing this again with him. That the conditions up this high are harsh and can be deadly. To take her back down and ask what she might like to do. Maybe Dollywood would be more appropriate or Gatlinburg. Even some day hikes not far from the car, but to get her off the mountain. The next morning, he still intended to continue. We were then adamant about him not putting the girl through what we knew would be ahead for her. He relented and headed back down.

We told him that we understood he wanted her to bond with his love of the outdoors and his need to share it with her, but we said do it in moderate weather and forget the hard stuff and long distances until she wants to do that.

We started doing the mid-winter hike in 1976 and still try to get together each year to camp mid-winter if not hiking with backpacks as much.

I also started out with one of those tan pads. They were better than nothing but not much better. I did the same thing and cut it up for other purposes. I still have a piece I cut to insulate the bottom of my stove from the ground in winter. Camping gear has come a long way since the canvas tent days when I started out.

[Norm L.]

It's great to know that Cappy Kidd and a few others would have been able to join in an all hands call to help in a passage of Cape Horn. When they were younger. So could I when I read one of those books as a teenager.
It is impressive that you are still into cold weather wilderness.

[Captain Kidd]

We told him that we understood he wanted her to bond with his love of the outdoors and his need to share it with her, but we said do it in moderate weather and forget the hard stuff and long distances until she wants to do that.

I'd say you did the fellow a big favor and good for you for pressing the issue. Hopefully he and his daughter have been able to bond in the intervening years.

My Tiffany is tough as nails. She never hesitated going back. She's the one that is doing the marathons and just did the P'cola trip with me last October.

Here she is at the helm having a load of fun in a pretty good breeze:

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And in our earlier days, maybe 25 years ago with Flying Lady, my first boat - a Kells 23':

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[Frank B.]

Congrats on a great trip! I'm envious and it is not lost on me that I have had to abort two trips recently due to a chronically and mysteriously malfunctioning motor.  Maybe a much smaller and simpler boat that has a third propelling option, rowing, is the way to go.  I'm stymied by the inability to get back to my difficult approach slip under sail, particularly single handling, if the motor quits.

My Bateau FS14 draws the same kind of attention at the ramps.  I'm often asked where I bought that boat and then a discussion on stitch and glue epoxy glass laminating ensues.