July 31 - August 3, 2014, Hartman Creek State Park, Waupaca, WI

Once again, it was time for a chaotic family camping trip with Lorraine's siblings and their children. In all, there were nine kids and five adults, which is fewer than some of the previous years. I took a half day vacation on Thursday to finish packing and taking care of some chores before we took the two hour trip to Hartman Creek State Park. We arrived around 7 pm on Thursday evening to find two of the four families were already there and setup. We reserved four campsites - #s 35, 88, 90 and 92. I had seen these campsites before and didn't think I would want to camp in them because they are fairly open, but having our group in the 35, 90 and 92 area made it feel like a group campsite. After walking around, we decided we liked sites 22 and 25, both of which have lake views. Anyway, we quickly setup our camp just in time for it to get dark. I didn't want to deal with a mess, so I grabbed a cold ham and cheese sandwich. As a rule I don't eat after 8 pm, but I think I cheated a little that night with the justification that I was "on vacation." I'm not positive, but I think it's a safe bet that Amber had a cherry pudgie pie. Since one of the other families already had a fire and since it was late, I didn't start one. I tried being social by joining them around the fire but had a hard time enjoying myself around screaming, fighting teenagers and tweens. I called it a night around ten or so, looking forward to some relaxed paddling the following morning.

I must have been tired, because I didn't roll out of bed until 8 am. Well, I did wake up around 4 or so to a full bladder and to Lorraine getting up. I figured I would sleep better if I made a bathroom trip, and I guess I was right because I had another good three hours or so of sleep. It felt good to sleep, but my body complained with stiffness. Having eaten later than usual the night before I wasn't very hungry, so I just grabbed a banana and a granola bar. Well, honestly, I call them granola bars, but I don't think they have any granola. My favorite is the Nature Valley Peanut Crunch...mmmmm. Anyway, we spent a couple hours trying to rally the troops and decide where we were going to paddle. I urged everyone to head to the beach because there would be a little bit of something for everyone. Having so many people with so many different priorities and different waking times and eating habits makes planning a group outing extremely challenging, but we managed to get everyone on board to head to the beach.

Still, it must have been nearly 11 am before we finally got down to Hartman Lake. My family and I left the campsite first and unloaded the canoe and portaged it a few hundred feet down to the beach from the parking lot. Then, I inflated this 300 lb capacity raft I've had since college but haven't used in a dozen years. I had tested it out before the trip, but I was still surprised to find it had some life in it. It turned out to be a big hit with the kids. The group had four kayaks that we all helped get down to the beach. Everyone, especially the older kids, were pretty excited to get out and paddle. It was the first time for some of them, so I was really glad we all decided to bring our boats and convert some of the next generation into paddlers. It was a decent morning to paddle, but Hartman Lake is pretty small (I'm guessing 10-20 acres, practically a pond) and not very exciting to paddle. Lorraine and I made a couple trips around in the canoe, then I decided to kick back and relax. If I was in charge, the beach and picnic area would be renamed Chipmunk Beach because of all the chipmunk activity. Those guys hardly have any fear of people, and crumbs and handouts must be their main staple. Thunder moved in early in the afternoon, so we decided to pack up, but I took a quick spin in a kayak before we headed back to camp.

 

After getting back to camp, we had brats for lunch, then buttoned up camp as the thunder kept rolling in. The last time we got heavy rain, I had water pooling in my tarp, so I decided to work on my rigging and think I had a good rain proof setup. Despite all the storms around us, we only got some sprinkles, so I never got to test out my tarp setup. Once it was obvious the storms had passed, all but a couple of us walked over to the amphitheater to goof around. Rumor has it that Amber was doing the chicken dance, but she won't let me post any videos (if there actually are any ;) ). I took that opportunity to enjoy some alone time and even dozed off for a few minutes. I had just gotten into my nap when everyone returned. I decided to build a fire at our site to avoid the flaming pokers and sharp marshmallow sticks being wielded by nine kids. Lorraine and I also decided to try our dehydrated chili. To our delight, it turned out just like it was made at home. I bought a pot with a lid and made a cozy out of some reflectix to help with the rehydration. It worked like a charm. I just mixed the water with the dehydrate chili, brought it to a boil for a minute, then let it sit in the cozy for ten minutes and voila! We're planning on dehydrating a bunch of meals for our boundary waters trip now that we now how great the food can turn out.

On Saturday morning, Lorraine took an early morning hike around Allen Lake. She saw some deer, ducks, and a heron. Afterward, she cooked us eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast. Once again, we were having trouble getting started and planning what to do with all the people. Part of the challenge was having 5 boats (capable of carrying about 7 people) and 14 people. I and a few others were adamant about not returning to the beach as we wanted to paddle new water. After my brother-in-law and I scouted out the put-ins and picnic areas of the Chain O' Lakes, we decided on the Marl Lake boat ramp and picnic areas. It required some logistics to launch on one side of the lake and get cars to the other side, but we managed. The area is really nice, and the water is clear and pretty. However, the area had an amusement park feel because  of the crowds. I solo paddled my unloaded canoe across several lakes, and the passages between the lakes were jammed. We spent a good part of the day there taking turns in the boats and picnicking. We made it back to camp in time to have "walking tacos" for supper and make it the naturalist's program on bats at 7 pm at the amphitheater. After walking back to camp, I built a fire, and Amber ate the last pudgie pie. She reports to have eaten six pudgie pies this weekend, and I have no reason to doubt her as the can of cherry pie filling was completely eaten. The night ended after one of the families made an early departure.

After some socializing and a short hike around Allen Lake on Sunday morning, we broke camp and were ready to head home by about 11 am. Once again, we stopped for lunch on the way home, and chowed down on some Subway.

Final thoughts: I think we would like to come back to Hartman Creek and paddle the Chain O' Lakes when it isn't so crowded since the water is so nice and clear and since the lakes are all small, manageable and no-wake. The weather on the trip was basically perfect. It was hot enough to swim during the day and cool enough at night to want to climb in the sleeping bag. I like visiting with Lorraine's siblings, but some of the kids can get out of control and induce stress to an otherwise peaceful camping experience. It also makes me grateful for the family I have.