Paddle Camp & Showers

Day 5- 25 miles

January 9, 2023

Slow moving morning and it felt goooodd. I sat in the morning sun in the damp sand letting my hands warm up in my armpits before we took off. Stuffing away a wet tent in the cold morning is always rough. The day warmed up quick though and before I knew it we were ten miles in pulling up to the paddlers camp and I was sweating. We pulled the canoe on the shore and walked up the wooden staircase to the camp. It was a beautiful spot. sidewalks winding through screened in pavilions, a bath house with running water and beautiful campsites. I was sad our mileage didn't line up for us to stay here but hoped we'd catch one of the other ones farther on down the river.

Ready to paddle & warm up

The camp had the sweetest hosts. The older woman immediately set to work heating up a frozen pizza for Henry and I and I couldn't wait to devour it, I had been thinking about pizza ever since I smoked that joint last night. We showered while we waited, I made the water as hot as it would go and scrubbed all of the sand and sweat from my body and then brushed out my hair. Back out at the picnic tables the camp host had left us two trays of food, pizza, clementines, mashed potatoes, biscuits, and pecan pie. We ate everything but the mashed potatoes which we decided to pack out and eat for dinner.

Back on the river I paddled in my bikini, relishing the warmth of the sun and letting the breeze dry my clean hair.

We got to camp later than usual and more tired than any night before. We're starting to form blisters on our hands from paddling and I try to pop mine with my teeth. Camp chores seemed to take forever tonight and as usual as the sun dropped and darkness fell, so did the temps. I was shivering as I brushed my teeth, dancing around in the sand trying to warm up, wanting so badly to be done with all of the necessities so I could just climb in bed and cuddle.