Summer Indymoot

[Greg]

Greetings, all!

I am, despite the rumours, alive and well, and am looking at putting together yet another excursion, but of a different sort.

Sadly, I had to sell my precious canoe before moving across the states this last year, but I work at a campground that rents canoes for day use. We have quite a few here, and gaining the use of a few for several days would be child's play.

In short, I'd like to propose a two-night, three-day paddle on Salt Creek, IN out onto Hardy Lake, Indiana. I'm working out the details of a dropoff and pick-up, but I need some info about interest, first.

This would definitely be a live-fire scenario. Unlike some of my past events, where things like sparring equipment and other goodies have been welcome in order to practice our skills, heavy shields, armor, and other extras will weigh down the boats and make things more difficult, so this would be a strictly-Tolkien, book-accurate glance into paddling the Anduin. Sharps are welcome, of course, but please try to minimize polearms or other non-mobile arms.

For this trip, we'll be paddling with the current for most of it, ending with a flatwater haul. I'll happily give a short introduction on paddling technique and whatnot, so this would be a great event for first-time paddlers to get their feet wet, so to speak. We won't be covering extensive distances on this trip, so you needn't be worried about that.

The put-in is about 20 minutes south of my workplace, where the past two indy moots have been held. Googlemaps for Story, IN and you'll have some idea of the location. We would be meeting up at my workplace, in Nashville, IN, and you would be driven to the put-in and picked up at our destination and returned to your vehicles.

Date-wise, I'm looking for a 3-day spread in early July. I don't want to let it get later in the year than that, or we'll have to do a few portages to get over high sandbars in the slackening flow of summer. Let me know what your thoughts are, and we'll go from there. If we don't have enough interest, we can always make the event into another ground camp. I just don't want to let things get dull around here...*chuckles*

Cheers!

-Greg

[Peter Remling]

Sounds great, I'm interested if the timing works out. Northeasterners could meet and carpool. If I'm able I don't mind driving.

Oh and I havn't canoed in decades so prepare for a living sight gag.

[Eric C]

It's funny, but I went camping with my son, another father and his sons this past weekend. Another guy heard about it and suggested taking a flat-bottomed boat down the Tar River. I'm thinking of trying a couple half-day trips with my son to get the hang of it. We would build up to a full day paddle before going to an overnighter. It's a doable goal and I think it would be great fun and training.

So anyway, it's interesting that this subject is coming up often.

[Greg]

Pete, when you say "If the timing works out", what exactly do you mean? If there's a possibility of you making it, I'd like to try to accommodate your schedule.

[Peter Remling]

I was waiting for a majority consensus, but I'll check on what's available early July and post back later this week.

At least 5 other Rangers are within a 2hour drive from me, so if this pans out, I have room for 3-4 others in my car.

[Ringulf]

There is a remote possibility that I could get up to you Pete, I wanted to try and get up to see you guys possibly heading through Georgia to visit another Ranger too. Just kinda spitballin at this point but I would really love to get to meet some more of you guys this summer!

[RangerKellen]

I wish I still lived in Georgia! If I did then I could go! But sadly I'm in Oklahoma so I'm a ways away from you guys...

[Greg]

The current status of the waterflows in my area were, until yesterday, looking grim for this, but we just had two days of off-and-on thunderstorms, so flows are high at the moment. That doesn't bode incredibly well for July, however.

That being said, whether it winds up being a canoe trek or a ground camp, this is definitely happening. It would all be in the same basic area, so don't let that alter your drive times or concern you as far as gas prices go.

Just throwing out ideas, here...

How do either of these weekends look for you guys?

July 13-15th?
July 20-22nd?

The weekend of the 27th-29th is blocked out because Odigan already told me that's a weekend he can't make. Thoughts on the others? We could look at the first weekend in July, too, but I expect that getting that weekend off for myself would be difficult, seeing as how it's right around the fourth of July and I work a recreational job...

[Greg]

Haven't gotten any input yet on the forum here regarding dates, but it just has been brought to my attention that there are about 800+ acres across the road from my work which are government-owned public land, and camp-legal. I've gotten permission to carry out there, so the $5 fee would be waived, and have selected a site already, which sits on the shore of a lake made entirely by beavers. Goregous country, hike-in only.

Any takers? I'll try to hike in and get some pics here shortly...sometime this week, most likely.

[Greg]

Due to the busy nature of this month, including excessive heat and communications with the bank which currently owns the home we’re attempting to purchase, plus a baby shower and Lori’s cousin’s wedding…this isn’t going to work well as a true meetup. There hasn’t been much chatter in the way of interest in the event at any rate, so I think we can look forward a few months to cooler temperatures and try again. I’ll be doing a one-nighter in about two weeks, when Lori and her family have a girls’ night, which I’ll post a recap on. In the meantime, happy rangering, and we’ll see you Midwesterners in the early Fall!

[E.MacKermak]

Early July wasn't going to work for me, but I would love to try to make a fall moot. Any month except September please.

Erich

[Greg]

We'll may shoot for November, same as last year. I'll have a kid by that time, so we'll have to play it by ear, but the location described a few posts back with the beaver dam and such would, I think, make for an excellent fall outing. Details to follow. I'll hike out there soon to get some pics.