Rainstorms, cool weather and waters: kayak camping in the foothills

[Doug SC]

Friday afternoon I get a call. "Can you camp Sunday and Monday night on Lake Jocassee?" Sure thing! "Looks like rain and cooler weather." What a relief from the heat that will be. I'll bring my hammock and see who else might want to join us at the last minute. That's how it got started.

We watched a thunderstorm developing SW of the ramp as we unloaded kayaks and then loaded them with gear. Rusty would join us in camp as he couldn't get there at one. We had some light rain, but the storm stayed west of us. Set up camp at Rock Creek. Lisa had most of the firewood in camp by the time Bill and I had finished setting up. When Rusty arrived, he realized he didn't have his hammock. I gave him the tarp I brought for sitting under if it rained while in camp. The highs were 79 and 80F and the lows in the lower 60s.

The next day we paddled up to the Toxaway River Bridge and ate lunch and soaked in the river some. Cold water and lying on sun warmed rocks afterward. what a great way to detox. Rusty renamed the river the "Detoxaway" Another storm came up and we paddled in the rain on the return to camp. I actually enjoy doing that. After the rain we collected more firewood for lighting the evening stories.

We broke camp the next morning and head back. On the way we checked out a hidden gem of a narrow cove with a small waterfall and an overhanging ledge. the endangered Oconee Bell grows there, and the water is colder than the lake. The lake was down this visit and made access easy when water is up it's a tight Rhododendron tunnel to get back in there.

We ate Lunch at the halfway point on a small island and watched another storm build. We didn't stay long and headed for a point that would put us in the lee of the wind. The storm hit us before we got there. There was some intermittent lightening to add excitement.

Once the worst of the storm pasted, we paddled on in the rain. Bill's back was giving him a bit of trouble so to make it easier on him we set up an inline tow with all of us connected. We crossed the last two miles of open water this way as the rain came to a stop. Another memorable kayak camping trip.

Almost to camp 8 miles in.
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Tarp, and hammocks.
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Lisa's photo from the bridge.
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Some flowers along the shore.
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Sunset on Rock Creek.
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Part 2 next

[Doug SC]

The rest of the story!

Ripples
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Headed home.
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Hidden cove
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Lunch (photo by Lisa)
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Racing the storm.
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Storm won.
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Made the lee of the point.
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Back underway
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Part 3 next

[Doug SC]

misty mountain water.
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Lisa's photos of the inline tow back across the 2 miles of open water to the ramp.
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I so enjoy these outings. I hope you did too.

 

[Captain Kidd]

Jealous! Thanks!

[Norm L.]

Question from a non kayak user. How much water can be collected in heavy rain with out a spray skirt?  Is it just uncomfortable or have an effect on stability/flotation. 

[Doug SC]

Question from a non kayak user. How much water can be collected in heavy rain with out a spray skirt?  Is it just uncomfortable or have an effect on stability/flotation. 

Yes, if you get a lot of water in the cockpit it does reduce stability when sloshing weight side to side. It would depend on how hard and long it would rain and the size of the cockpit opening on how much water you would take on. In most storms I would think less than an inch in the cockpit without a skirt in my kayaks. On my sea kayaks one has a modified ocean cockpit which is a small opening, on the one I built and was paddling on this trip it has a larger more modern opening called a keyhole style. On both kayaks I always wear a skirt. That allows for much less water to enter in a capsize. I can do several different self-rescue techniques. My roll fails more often than not these days, The 4 of us two months before had all practice self and assisted rescues and camped overnight at the sail club. We got to practice towing 2 miles on this trip.

There are lots of different types of kayaks, most of your recreational kayaks have big open cockpits. Sea kayaks have smaller openings to the cockpit and waterproof bulkheads front and back to limit the amount of water a cockpit can hold and to provide ample flotation and dry storage.