White of the North fork Campout and Float

11 Rangers and Friends of Rangers are going camping tonight. Then a 10 mile float in kayaks and one canoe.

It's going to rain! WE don't care! It's going to Storm... well 50% chance of it anyway. I thougth well to be on the safe side we could all stay home and watch tv and die of heart disease or go out and enjoy life on the river! Woo Whoo!

Looking forward to the trip! Leaving in 2 hours.

Mark Jones

Report and pictures. In the middle of the float.

I had to remind a young man he was going to mind. I have only had to do it to that degree 3 times in 25 years. His Dad does not believe in spanking. I had to put the fear of man in that boys heart. It took grabbing him by his life vest in the middle of the river and lifting him up out of his kayak and yelling at him... about 2" from his face. We 10 of us saw an immediate improvement. His Dad apologized to me minutes later but he saw that it takes tough love to get through to some of these kids. Hey buddy wasn't working for about 45 minutes. His Dad never had a Dad at home he was raised by his mother. He is a great guy. He is a great man of God. Even a Marine. He shared one time with me that one of the guys in is barraks had it out for him. Egged him on, ridiculed him for being a Christian even punched him in the face and drew blood and this Man of God turned his other check and the man drew blood again. A couple weeks later the man got saved.

When a 11 year old boy goes walking down the river by himself dragging his Kayak because he is pulling a hissy fit and he won't respond to the group and won't stop with the group. It becomes a safety issue and at that point we had a Come to Jesus Meeting. I am pretty easy going and will over look a lot but out and out rebellion is a hard one to ignore for long.

We had a great time on the 11 mile float and the campout. Water was perfect. Here is the report and pictures.

http://readyrangers.tzo.com/2016northforkofthewhitefloat/2016northforkofthewhitefloat.htm

Been seeing those kayaks at Walmart and such. Are they any good? Also, what's better between a kayak and a canoe, or is it just personal preference?

Still wanting to get some for the outpost at some point.

Phillip Gross wrote: what's better between a kayak and a canoe

I've done both, but own 2 kayaks. Certainly, you can carry more gear in a canoe, but they can get overwhelmed by wind, as high out of the water as they are. I once went on a 3-day RR canoe trip, and the last 1/2 mile of the trip was brutal. Facing high winds, most of us paddled into the reeds for stability and waited for an outboard boat to tow us to the landing.

Kayaks aren't really affected by the wind, but don't stay on the water if it starts getting choppy. Not worth the risk, and that goes for any small craft. A good kayak has adjustable foot pegs and a seat backrest. When both are set right, you can paddle all day. Stuff will get wet inside, but you can buy a kayak that has built-in watertight compartments fore and aft. Worth the extra expense. I would never ride in white water and don't want a tight waterproof skirt around me. That being said, I always wear a lifejacket, and made for kayakers. A skier's jacket will rub you raw.

You get what you pay for. Yet they have come down in price and you can land a pretty good Kayak for under 250 now. I own 3 Sam's (Old Town knock offs) and one cheaper 150.00 Walmart.

For a 6 hour float just about anything will do. Longer trips and you will find the accessories ie adjustable seat and various other stuff makes things better. I own about 8 float dry bags.
I just make it a habit of getting out of the kayak about once a hour and stretching the legs.

Best money spent. Most rewarding.

Mark Jones