Kayak Camping on the Santa Fe River

The concept of “Everyday Explorer”, as mentioned in my very first blog post, is about finding adventures in everyday life. To do that takes intentionality. Such was the case with a recent kayak camp trip. Simply put, I love camping. Though it’s something I did a lot when I was younger, it’s an activity that has been crowded out as life has gotten busier. The opportunity cost of camping usually involves missing my weekend bike rides, which I have not been willing to give up. But lately I’ve been craving the serenity provided by camping, and I wanted to take advantage of the cooler weather in Florida that we have in the winter months. In fact it’s really the opportune time to camp in Florida. Anything beyond April is just too hot and buggy.

I planned a trip with a friend of mine where we would leave mid-afternoon on a Friday and return mid-morning Saturday. I’m very fortunate to have the Santa Fe river close to my house. So I met my buddy at my house at 2:30 PM on a Friday, loaded up the camping gear and kayaks, and headed to our launch point on the Santa Fe river. It took about 15 minutes to load up the kayaks and head out.  The overnight adventure was underway!

Loading the kayak at the boat ramp

My kayak is a Wilderness Systems Tempest 170, and my buddy paddled a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 160. Both are equipped with adequate storage for camping gear.

Although I was hoping for a bit cooler weather, we had a short warm spell which boosted temperatures to the mid 70s. For early February that’s warmer than normal for our area.  The section of the Santa Fe river that we paddled is fairly remote. We saw not a soul as we paddled upriver to our campsite. The trip to our campsite took just 90 minutes.. Paddling (or hiking) to campsites is my vibe, as it provides solitude often not possible in public campgrounds.. Though we couldn’t completely escape the sound of traffic noise in the far distance, we met the goal of finding seclusion along the banks of the Santa Fe river.

Temperatues were unseasonably warm, in the mid 70s as we paddled, but the weather was beautiful.

We were the only 2 on this section of the river.

The campsite that we found was just off the river with plenty of trees for hammock camping. This was actually my first camping trip where I camped in a hammock. I recently purchased a bridge style hammock, a Warbonnet Ridge Runner. I’ve been testing it out in the backyard to get the set up right. For those not familiar with hammock camping, it’s much more technical than just pitching a tent, putting down a mattress and sleeping bag and going to sleep. You really have to get the strap angles and  insulation right.  A good under quilt and good top quilt are crucial for staying comfortable. I’ve tried sleeping overnight in a gathered-end hammock and was not able to get comfortable. But the bridge style hammock, also called spreader bar hammock, is absolutely the most comfortable sleeping I’ve ever done in the outdoors. I also got the insulation dialed in with a down underquilt and down top quilt. I had a few nights in the backyard where temperatures got in the 30s, even below freezing, and I was totally comfortable. And FYI, a down balaclava is also key!  I was really stoked to get out in the cold weather in nature and try out the hammock. However, with the warm spell, temperatures only got down into the low 50s…still cool enough to keep the bugs away.

Campsite set up and time to chill

Next to the Santa Fe River…now that’s a campsite!

We set up our hammocks and our camping chairs and pretty much just hung out, reading and gazing at the river and stars. The great thing about camping is everything seems to slow down. And that is what is refreshing and revitalizing. Although cell service still existed, I made it a point to not spend much time on the phone. I wanted to unplug and enjoy the surroundings.  Goal met!

After countless tent camping trips, this was my first one in a hammock

My new Warbonnet Ridgerunner hammock. The most comfortable night sleep in the outdoors I’ve found

My home in the sky

I crawled in the hammock just after 9 PM, about an hour earlier than my normal bedtime. I fell right to sleep but was woken around 11:30 PM by three loud gunshots. Because this was a rural area, people sometimes shoot guns on their properties. Who knows why someone was shooting a shotgun or rifle at 11:30, or what they were shooting at. All I know is that it was startling, to say the least.  I’m sure it was a few miles away, but it sounded like it was next to our campsite! I was able to fall back to sleep around midnight and slept like a log. I normally get up around 5 AM to 5:30 AM. However , since I knew there were no chores or activities waiting for me, I was able to sleep until 6:30 PM…quite enjoyable. I finally crawled out of the hammock around 7 AM and made some oatmeal.

Nighttime at the campsite

After some more chill time by the river, we had the campsite broken down and kayaks loaded by around 9 AM and started our paddle back to the car. Because we were now going down river, the trip back was much quicker. As we neared the boat ramp, we passed a group of about 10-15 elderly folks paddling up river.  How great to see!  When I encounter people staying active in the outdoors as they advance in years, it brings me joy.

Ready to paddle away from the campsite

Rush hour traffic on the way home

Passing a group of kayakers as we neared the boat ramp

I got home, put away the gear, cleaned the kayak, hung out with my wife and then got out for a 3 1/2 hour bike ride. I’ll have to say, waking up in a hammock by the river, paddling, and getting in a bike ride in the afternoon is about the perfect way to spend a Saturday.

Short trips like this, although requiring intentionality and not always convenient, can be mentally and physically refreshing by breaking up the routine that we get into week after week. Thanks for reading and take the effort needed to keep exploring!