Anyway, everything went well with the presentation and all that I shared was well received.  After the presentation was over, one of the employees in the store said to me that he was glad that I talked about the essentials needed for any adventure.  These essentials are needed no matter if it is an afternoon day hike or a three day kayaking adventure.  I don’t remember exactly how he said it, but in essence he said that he was constantly amazed how who many people are not prepared for an afternoon adventure, much less an overnight one.  We both commented on how if people had these items with them, that they may actually enjoy their trip adventure a whole lot better.

So I decided that I would dedicate my next blog to the 10 essentials needed for a safe and fun adventure.  These items are not in any specific order, but they are all important:

1)      Pocket Knife: A pocket knife is very useful for many reasons.  Cutting rope or twine for emergency situations, it is helpful in first aid matter and also for starting fire by creating a fire stick.

2)      First Aid Kit:  A basic first aid kit is really important to have.  Blisters, splinters, minor cuts and scrapes are easily taken care of with what you find in most inexpensive kits.  A few other items that you may want to consider having in your kits are antiseptic wipes, ibuprofen, latex glove and a pair of twisters.

3)      Extra Clothing:  Why extra clothing?  Let me ask you this question, how many time have you been out hiking with kids and they have fallen in the water?  A dry pair of socks, shirt and or light weight jacket to change into can make a wet hike much more fun for all involved.  In the colder months, this will be a life saver and help prevent hypothermia. 

4)      Rain Gear:  I can speak from experience on how many times I have been out and a unexpected rain storm blows in while I am hiking or kayaking.  Rain gear will be very helpful and keeping you dryer and more comfortable.  Also rain gear can be used as an extra layer in an emergency.  Remember even in warmer months, rain can be very cold, especially at higher altitudes. 

5)      Water:  I am simply amazed at how many people leave for what they think will be a short hike or adventure without anything to drink.  I recommend taking at least 32 oz of water per person on at adventure, even in the cooler months. 

6)      Flash Light:  Why a flash light?  Sometime you get out on a hike or kayaking adventure and time slips by you and you walk or paddle further than you think.  Or maybe the trail is much more rugged than you anticipated.  This could cause you to be later getting back to your vehicle.  Having a flash light will help relieve some anxiety of your group while helping you see the trail at twilight. 

7)      Food:  Having a snack on the trail is very helpful, especially when you have younger children on the trail with you.  A quick burst of energy can help you make the last mile of the adventure much easier. 

8)      Matches and or Fire Starter:  This is for those moments where you get wet and need to start a fire to dry off and warm up someone.  Also, if you should get turned around (you noticed I didn’t say LOST) and have to spend the night out on the trail, a fire at night is reassuring and can be easily seen by rescuers.

Jim by the fire we started with flint and steal while kayaking on the Suwannee River.

9)      Sun Protection:  Most people that live at the beach know this instinctively, but I am amazed at how many people forget this and get really sunburned while out exploring.  Sun Protection is absolutely needed on any adventure that is on water!

10)   Map and Compass:  A map and compass are essential for any safe journey into the wilderness.  You can get maps of the area at most park offices and outdoor adventure centers.  Spend a few moments studying the map before you set out, this will make a huge difference.  Map reading skills are very important and it is not hard to learn how to read a topo map.  Being able to read and understand a good topo map can save your life.

A compass is just as important as having a good map.  The compass will help your orient yourself and your map, allowing you to locate where you are at on the map.  Last reason is that if you take an occasional glace at the compass while out on the trail will help you from getting lost.

Having a compass is just as important as having a map.  Yes, there are smart phones that allow you to download a compass application, but please don’t depend on them.  If you have not or limited signal, this could be a big issue.  Plus I don’t know how accurate they are and it is impossible to orient a map with a cell phone.

Happy Adventuring!

I think part of the reason is a fear of the cold and not knowing how to deal with it. I hear from people who worry that their children will get sick if they camp outside during the colder months. Granted, I’m sure this can plays a role in how we get sick, but we are probably just as likely to get sick by being cooped up inside all winter also. As a parent of three kids, my wonderful wife and I wondered the same when our kids were smaller. I also must admit that it is harder to winter camping, but the rewards and memories have been priceless.

Over this past Thanksgiving Holiday’s our family went camping once again. Each morning, it was in the upper 30’s at Carolina Beach State Park, and then warmed up into the higher 50’s on Thanksgiving Day. So in my opinion the temperatures were just perfect. Yet, we were prepared and knew what to expect in the way of weather for this adventure.

So you ask; how to you prepare for cold weather camping? Well here are a few important tips that will help you when you want to attempt to try a colder weather camping expedition.

The first tip is to make sure that you layer you clothing when you go out. Layering is the best way to stay warm as the temps cool off at night. It is also important to properly layer so that as the temps change throughout your cold weather adventures, you can adjust your layers for comfort. More layers as it cools down and fewer layers as it warms up. Remember, layering allows you to control your warmth level by adjusting your clothing. Another important fact is that you can also have too many layers on. You can get warm quickly by properly layering but you can also get over heated quickly. Why over heated? Because with too many layers you will begin to sweat and once you start sweating, your clothing gets wet. With these damp or wet clothing from sweat, as the temps drop you will get colder. If you have a full day of activities planned, you may want to change clothing, getting out of the damp sweaty clothing.

Another part of layering is to stay away from cotton clothing in the winter months. Why? Because cotton dose not wick away your sweat, causing your clothing to remain damp. So when you are packing make sure you pack plenty of clothing that will keep you dry. Clothing made out of quick dry nylons, polypropylene, suplex, polar fleece, wool, thermax and other materials are great for layering.

When getting in your sleeping bags at night, also remember the layering principle. On cold weather adventures with my scouts, often I hear the next morning that a scout was cold. When asked what he wore to bed, I get this layer and that layer of clothing, or the clothing I wore yesterday. WRONG answer. The same layering principle applies when sleeping. First, find out what your sleeping bag is rated for. A 30 degree bag is designed to keep a person warm down to 30 degrees. The problem is that too often what happened is people will have two layers on and then get into their bag and get warm quickly. In the middle of the night the bag gets damp from the sweat and you get cold. In most instances a single layer of dry clothing or long underwear worn in the bag is just fine.

One last thing, dry socks are critical to saying warm. Don’t make the mistake of wearing the same socks you had on that evening in your shoes to bed. These socks are damp and your feet will get cold. We teach our scouts to take off their socks, dry their feet and place on dry socks. When you do this, you will be surprised how warm your feet stay.

The second important item to have is a good sleeping pad. A good sleeping pad between you and the ground is critical. You can have a 5 degree bag and still get cold without insulation between you and the ground. A good closed cell pad or a Therm-a-Rest type backpacking pad are great to use. If you don’t have one of those, you can use wool blankets or even several comforters from you linen closet at home will also work. The key here is getting a good layer of insulation between you and the ground. One last thing about standard air mattresses, they do not insulate you against the cold from the ground. These types of mattresses will allow the air in them to get cold, creating cold mattress for you to sleep on.

Third thing to have is a pair of warm gloves and a warm hat to wear. I typically carry two winter type hats to wear, one for the day’s activities and one to wear at night, even while sleeping. Enough said.

Lastly is a warm fire and warm drink. Having a nice warm cup of hot tea or hot cocoa by the fire at night is warming and cozy. The added benefit is that the fire is something special at camp that no camping adventure is complete without. You don’t have to have a huge bonfire to keep warm, but plan accordingly. Remember don’t let your fire burn unattended in camp, even when you head to the tents for sleep.

So, are you ready to give a Family Camping Adventure a try in the colder months? If so contact Mahanaim Adventure and we can help you have a fantastic and safe cold weather camping adventures!

So why the intrigue of kayak through this island that seems to be nothing more than tidal marsh land that has very few trees?  Maybe because it is there mentality; perhaps it may be the thought of kayaking under Hwy 17/74/76 bridge to watch all the cars and truck pass over as you lazily paddle by; or it may because you hope to see one of the large alligators rumored to be one the rivers in the island.  I can say that for me it was some of all three of these reasons, plus the thought of kayaking in some place that I have never been before that I liked.

Kayaking under the US 17/74/76 bridge on Eagle Island

Several weeks ago James Maclaren, a kayaking buddy, and I decided to head out and explore Eagle Island.  It is sad to say that we had kayaked for many years in this area, but never taken the time to really explore Eagle Island.  So we headed out for our day of discovery, it some ways we both felt like Lewis & Clark’s Corp of Discovery.  What we found was simply amazing.

We began by putting our kayaks in at Sturgeon Creek and making our way down to the Brunswick River.  Once at the river, we turned south to make our way across the channel to northern entrance to Alligator River.  The Alligator River is one of the few navigable entrance points into the island.  It was not long before we were lost in the natural beauty of the island.  Soon we began to see this island for what it was, a natural wonder and a gem.  It was hard to believe that such beauty could be a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Wilmington.  We saw firsthand what Eagle Island had to offer;  great opportunities to view wildlife in their natural habitat, too explore marsh land that for the most part remained untouched for the last 100 years or so; and a cool location.

James and I spent the next 3 hours paddling the island and exploring every channel and ditch that we found.  The thing that amazed the two of us was that it was so quiet and the amount of wildlife we saw.  For being so close to Wilmington, it was amazing how quite it was.  I found myself lost in my thoughts of what it was like when the first settlers came to this reason and explored this island.  How had the island changed or better yet, what would I find around the next bend?  Already this morning we had paddled up on several smaller alligators.  The only thing we saw was a quick glimpse of them scurrying away as we paddled around the bend.

The northern end of Eagle Island

I was also amazed at the large size of the tree stumps found in and along the river and channels that we paddled.  These stumps were enormous in size.  Several of them those stumps were nearly as wide as my kayak was long.  Another amazing sight we drifted along was the all the fiddler and marsh crabs we saw.  There is nothing special about these kinds of crabs in this area, but these crabs were huge!

As for other wildlife, on different adventures since that day though the Eagle Island; I encountered great blue herons, osprey, egrets, groups of wild ducks on the northern end of the island, and much more.  However on this day, we did not see any birds, maybe that was because the wind was up that morning.

The highlight of the trip was kayaking under the two bridges of US 17/74/76 on Alligator River.  It was so cool to slowly drift under the bridges and listen to the traffic above.  I could not help but wonder what the people who caught a glimpse of us were thinking.  “That should be me out there kayaking” or maybe “Do they know there are alligators in there?”  To answer that last questions, yes we knew there were gators in there.  Just south of the bridges is where we had our encounter with three rather large gators.

Over the past year leading kayaking trips in and around this area, I have come to understand that most people have some weird beliefs about alligators.  The first belief is that if you fall in the water, every alligator within a mile will jump in the water and swim to your spot and eat you!  I guess they get this idea from watching Tarzan movies when they were kids.  Anyway, while knowing alligators have been known to attach humans, I have never seen this before.  I grew up canoeing in Central Florida Rivers and lakes and I can say that most of these rivers were infested with lots of alligators.  It has been my experiences that in about 95% of the time, the gators would rather leave you alone and simply disappear below the water.  And that is what happened this day.  As soon as these gators saw us, they slipped in to the water and were gone.  Shucks, I was hoping to get some photos of one of those big alligators.

James as we paddle in Eagles Island

We made our way thought our last section of Eagle Island without seeing another gator.  We found our way back into the Brunswick River.  Just across the way from where we exited the island was our landing spot at the at the Brunswick River Park on State Road 133 in Bellville.  As we came up on our take out spot James and I were reflecting on our adventure that day.  Both of us felt really blessed to have been out that day on such a great place.

If you are interested in exploring Eagle Island for yourself, contact us at Mahanaim Adventures and book your adventure for your family, friends or group.   You can also find more information about the history and current conservation efforts to preserve Eagle Island at the http://www.eaglesisland.org

This will be the third time Diane and I have gone on a Thanksgiving camping adventure.  The first time we did this was our first Thanksgiving that we were married.  We had only been married for 4 months and my parents and some other family friends drove up from Florida to North Georgia’s Vogel State Park for the holiday.  This was going to be fun, this would be our second time camping since our wedding day back in July, and Diane’s first time camping in what was to be some cold weather.

What a memorable camping adventure this was.  We arrived at Vogel just after dark with a COLD drizzle falling.   What a night, it was wet, you could see your breath and I had never set our tent up before this night!  I learned that night to never take a new tent camping before setting it up first in the backyard.  As we got started, I could tell Diane was not that thrilled to be helping.  You guys know the look on your brides face when she is not having fun.  Just then some family friends drove up in their motor home.  Diane decided it was time for her to sit in the motor home with Helen, while Jim and I spend the next hour trying to figure out how to set up this tent.  This was the most miserable campsite setup I can ever recall in my life and resolved to never set up again in a very cold rain.  (This was one promise to myself that I did not keep, this same thing happened about 15 year later on a backpacking adventure)  Anyway, once that was behind us, the rest of the weekend was fantastic, including the light snow we got later that same night.

Joseph sitting around our first at camp

Three years ago, Diane and I decided it was time for our second family Thanksgiving camping adventure.  So we decided to go to Carolina Beach State Park for our family camping adventure.  Yes, it was cold at night, but nowhere as colds as our first time.   This Thanksgiving would turn out to be very special and we had great fun that weekend.  Josh, our now son-in-law came with us.  After that adventure, I know that he was bound to be our future son-in-law just because he survived the weekend.  Hillary, Sarah and Joseph told Josh about all the times we had as a family camping our way around the Southeast.  They shared all the wonderful memories we had.  We laughed at when Sarah got sick all over Hillary.  We reminded Joseph about the picture we had of him with his pants down so far you could see his vertical smile.   We cried some as we talked about the last time we camped with my Mother on Cumberland Island National Seashore before she passed away in 1997.  It was truly a time for many fond memories and a time of Thanksgiving.  Thankful that God had so blessed our family with each other and all the wonderful times we have had together.

Dinner is served

Last year, we tried to go camping once again but at the last minute we had to cancel our plans.  Thanks Joseph.  Joseph broke his nose the afternoon before we were to leave and following the doctor’s recommendations we choose not to go.  So we are really looking forward to camping this Thanksgiving once again.  This will be Hillary and Josh’s first Thanksgiving camping trip a married couple and I wonder what memories they will have from this adventure to share with their future family?  I wonder what other memories we will be blessed with to tell around the campfire when our grandchildren join us on future family camping adventures.

Camping adventures are lots of fun, especially when you have family and great friends to share them with.  If you are looking for ways to draw your family together and create some lasting memories, you need to consider spending some time on a family camping adventure.  I am positive you will not regret your decision.  If you don’t know how to family camp or don’t have the gear, contact us at Mahanaim Adventures, we can help with that.

One of the most common questions I get when taking people on their adventures, is “what does Mahanaim mean, how did you choose that name”?  I like to tell this story for several reasons, mainly because it give me a chance to share more about myself and about my faith in the awesome God that I have. 

To start with, I believed that God created each of use and given us specific gifts and talent.  I also believe that He gave us those talents so that we can live a life full of adventure; honoring Him with the life He created.  I believe we all too often never use these gifts at all and when we do, we use them in ways that is not really honoring of God.  For me, this past year had been about me learning to live the life I was designed to live.  To live it before a loving God who takes great pleasure showing me how to live.  You know, kind of pleasure a loving father showing his son how to ride a two wheeled bike for the first time. 

Just recently I have come to discover that I am a lot like Jacob in the Bible.  Jacob was always taking the talent God had given him and used them for his purposes.  Working and trying hard to find ways to get ahead and trying to get the things he wanted.  Trying to get the things the things God promised in his own way.  Yet God still loved him very much and still lead him in all his stubborn ways.  Then oneday while Jacob was on his way back to Canaan, he came across some of God angles in the desert and decided “this is the camp of God!”, so he named the place Mahanaim.   Later that same night Jacob wrestles with God.       

Mahanaim, God’s campground, what a perfect name for our business.  The name seemed to be a place where Jacob recognized God to be at and he stayed there for the night.  On that journey Jacob had some big concern facing him, bigger than he could deal with.  What was going to happen when he met his brother?  Would he want to kill Jacob and his family?  This may not be the “what if” questions you face, but we all face the “what if” questions all the time.  There that night Jacob turned to God.  What a night of wrestling with God that was; life changing to say the least. 

For Diane and I, this has been a life changing year.  One where we are learning how to take what God has given us and letting Him guide and provide for us.  It has been a year of wrestling with God ourselves, learning that He is there even when it don’t seem like He is.  This has been a year of learning that just because we can’t see how things are going to work out, this don’t mean that God can’t do what He promises.  We have learned that God is limited by what I don’t understand, I just limit Him by my faith.  Trust me, He has shown us time and time again this year that he is not limited by my short sightedness. 

So just like Jacob, we are wrestling with God and learning to trust Him with things that we don’t understand and can’t even begin to figure out.  Yet the adventure with God this past year has been one that we would not dream of trading for anything.  Life is an adventure and we are learning that life lived by God’s design is even more of a grand adventure than we could have imagined. 

So the business name, Mahanaim Adventures reflect more than a business, but what God can do in a person’s life when allowed.  How about you, where do you need to wrestle with God a bit?

I’ll go ahead and admit it, as parents of three of the most amazing kids a mom and dad could ever have, my wife and I have been protective of them.  This protectiveness has been from the worldly prospective and the bad things this world offers.  Let’s face it, there is a lot of bad in this world that we need to protect our kids from.  If you are a parent, you know what I am talking about.  Diane (my beautiful wife of 28 years) have provided our kids with a loving and secure home, an awesome church to attend that supports our belief in God and kept them involved in positive activities such as organized sports, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.  But that is not all.  Our kids have been introduced to wilderness adventures from a early age.  I also believe that these experiences have shaped them into who they are today.

But I am amazed at the number of families who never attempt a grand outdoor adventure of any kind.  You know a weekend camping trip, a kayaking adventure through a beautiful swamp or a day long hike to some remote mountain lake.  To me, a great outdoor adventure is something that every family and young child needs to experience in their life.  Why?  Kids are naturally curious and like exploring.  These experiences help them to learn to deal with the unknown, but grow in confidence in who God created them to be.

Are we there yet?

Camping, hiking and adventure was one thing that Diane and I enjoyed while we were dating and even after we were married.  So when our kids started coming along, our adventures naturally began to include them.  Yes, we had to make special accommodations for them, our oldest daughter, Hillary was only 3 month old when she went camping for the first time.  I remember that first time camping trip, she was with us.  It was Fathers Day weekend and off we went into the mountains of North Georgia, to camp in one of the many wildlife management areas.  On this adventure there were three other families joining us, enjoying the weekend of rain, mud, cool North Georgia Mountains mist, fellowship and adventure.  One of our fiends with us was 6 months pregnant.  Once we got to camp, her husband said that he thought that she was going to have the baby on the road driving in because of all the bouncing over rocks we did getting to camp.

Our family has many other stories about our time spent in the wilderness camping, hiking or even kayaking together.   I realized just how important these times were to my family two years ago when my son-in-law,  Josh started coming around to date Hillary.  Josh was bold enough to come camping with us the first Thanksgiving he was dating Hillary.  We spent the holiday at Carolina Beach State Park, eating a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner, all cooked over the fire and sharing stories with Josh about all our adventures together.  But was so amazing to me was to hear my children talking about that these camping adventures with so much excitement and enthusiasm.  It was so cool to see our children regal Josh with their stories and the joy of re-living all those times that we had shared together.  For Diane and I, this was one of those moments that we will cherish for a long time.  What parent would not want to share something like that someday with their children?

I understand that everybody has the knowhow or even equipment to properly and safely do there own outdoor adventure with their children.  There may even be some fear about the unknown involved.  Questions about bugs or animals, what to do if you get lost, or a storm should come up on you.  Maybe questions about how do we stay warm if it turns off really cold.  These questions can go on.  I get questions like this when I take people on kayaking adventures; what happen if I fall out of the kayak, or will a snake fall out of the tree on me?  These are natural fears that people have, and from time to time, I even have some fear about something of my own that I don’t know about.  But over the years of adventuring in the great outdoors, I have learned that if I use my God given senses and have the proper equipment to support me, I will be ok.  Yes, I get caught in a storm every now and then and I get wet, real wet.  Yes, I have been lost in the woods before, but I used the knowledge I learned in Boy Scout to find my way.

Father and daughter making their way through some trees on Holly Shelter Creek.

What I am saying is don’t let your fear of the unknown keep you from having an adventure of a life time with your kids.  There are many resources to learn about how to camp or kayak.  If you are not sure what to do or where to go, chose a guide service like Mahanaim Adventures to provide the knowhow and equipment for a first time adventure with your family.  Its great fun and I promise you this; you will be making a family memory that will last for a long time.  Who knows, you may learn more about yourself in the process.

So I want to say a huge “Thank You!” to each of these guys who went with me and all the others who have served.  Also, a big thank you to Josh Coalson, my son-in-law, who is a Corporal in the US Marines. 

This day began at 11:00 AM, when a large white van from Fort Bragg pulled into the parking lot at Gordon Lewis Wildlife River Launch.  All of a sudden a group of men and one woman piled out of the van.  They were full of energy and excited about not having to do some sort of training the rest of the guys were doing back a base.  I also heard some good rock-in-roll music pouring out of the van.  I remember thinking at that time; this was going to be a fun trip.   

After a few minutes of instruction and prepping the kayaks for the guys and we were off on Town Creek / Rice Creek for our adventure.  It did take long before these guys were splashing each other or challenging someone to a kayak race.  This is one of the great pleasures I have co-owning Mahanaim Adventures with my wife, watching people having fun in a wilderness setting.  To see these guys relax and have fun was rewarding.  Soon, I rounded one of the bends in the river to find several of the solders bouncing on a submerged log in the middle of the creek.  I could only wonder what the family on the pontoon boat was thinking when they went by.   The mother on the boat asked me as they went by, if they knew there were alligators in the area.  I told her yes, and that some of them wanted to wrestle one of those gators.  I think I even heard one of them bet another that they could win in the wrestling match.    

Soon we came to our lunch spot.  Today we were stopping over at one of the three Cape Fear River Watch camps on Town Creek.  As soon as we were there, the guys were out swimming in the creek have the time of their lives.  One of the guys, was floating around in the creek, slowly bringing in his kayak to shore.  This was just what some of the other guys needed.  Out they swam and swamped his kayak.  It was great to see them trying to climb back into the kayak.  Now, if there was only a tire swing over the river!  That is the only thing missing to make this moment more fun.  

Soon we were finished eating lunch and back on the creek headed back to the launch area.  I hung back and started talking to the Army Chaplin who was responsible for the spiritual care of these men.  Jeff is a man with a passion for God and the men he has been entrusted to care for in some difficult situations.  Jeff told me about their last deployment and the extreme difficult situation they were in.  After listening to Jeff, I came to understand more about what a “Wounded Warrior” was.   It must extremely difficult to see so many of your buddies hurt and even die in the call of duty. 

After about 15 minutes paddling with Jeff, I noticed a bunch of splashing in the water ahead of me.  I told Jeff that I needed to go investigate and make sure all was OK.  Normally on my ordinary kayaking adventure when I see someone splashing in the water, someone has capsized their kayak and was trying desperately to get out of the water.  Not this time, these guys were jumping out of the kayak and challenging each other to grab a hand full of sand from the bottom of the creek!  To be honest, it was more a hand of muck instead of sand.  Who cares, I didn’t have to worry; these guys were having fun and knew how to get in and out of their boats without any help from me.  I guess it is all about prospective, what other may seem to be a bad situation, is not so bad after you have had bullets flying at you. 

All too quickly my time with these fantastic guys was over.  Soon we were back at the river launch site, all my kayaks were loaded onto the trailer by the solders I was there to serve.  I am glad that I had this chance to take these solders on a fun day of kayaking in the wilderness of Town Creek.  I am glad that I could give them a fun and relaxing time, lazily kayaking in the sun and warmth of the North Carolina sun.  I hope that they will have some fond memories of this day that will help them remember the simpler things in life when the stress of being a warrior comes charging back at them.

Check out the video of our trip! Wounded Warrior Town Creek Adventure

I don’t know about you, but stress is something that has always been too common in my life. For a long time, I would not admit just how much it affected me. I would deny it if my friends asked me about it, saying that it was no greater than normal. Yet, if you asked my wife and kids, they knew the real truth. From time to time the stress would build to the point where I felt like I was going to actually explode. For my whole adult life, I have worked in the printing industry, working my way up in responsibility as the years passed. I learned to deal with unrealistic delivery date, customers who knew my job better than I did (just ask them and they would tell you so), unreal expectation from upper management and all kinds of employee issues. The stress of all the deadlines and expectation upon expectation in the printing industry are huge. Just deliver a graduation program with a misspelled word or a page out of order. It is always the printer’s fault, no matter what the external customer dynamics were. Then add to this, the stress of raising teenage kids at home.

Stress was all around me! Why, because I felt like I had to be in complete control of the chaos. So in one since, my stress levels are self induced. Self induced stress all because I want to be in CONTROL! So how do I deal with this stress and my control issues? I would tell my boss that I needed a mental health day and take off kayaking. What a stress release kayaking became for me. It was a way for me to get away from it all and talk to God about what was going on. I found that talking to God and kayaking was reducing my stress levels and allowing me to find some needed relaxation. Kayaking itself is amazing stress reducer. Somehow the smooth strokes used to propel myself through the water helped to create a sense of calmness and a feeling of peacefulness. It allowed me to refocus on what was important to me.

On these kayaking trips I would ask God for the strength to get me to get through these stressful times. My prayers were honest and from my heart. I was seeking Him for strength and I know that he listened to me each time. Somehow I found the strength to get through, but I was still worn out, spent at the end of each day, not having anything to give to those most important to me.

It was not until very recently that I discovered that I was praying of the wrong thing. Yes, I said praying for the wrong thing. I realized that I was asking for the strength to control and deal with these unrealistic demands. I soon realized that this is not what God actually wanted to give me and not what I really needed.

You see, I failed to understand that I really needed to allow God to be in control and for him to provide for me. This has become clear to me since I was laid off from my job 8 months ago. When this happened, I was completely stunned. I had so many questions running through my head that has to be answered. Questions like how could this happen, the university needed me; I was the “Print Guru on Campus”. No one know more about the printing processes on campus than me, how could they do this to me? How would I provide for my family, how would I make enough money to make our house payments? What would happen when I lost medical insurance? The stress that I was facing at work was now gone, but those stresses were replaced by other worries that created stress.

The morning I found out I was begin laid off, God reminded me of a verse in Proverbs. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight”, Proverbs 3:4&5. I was in turmoil and stress was all around me. What would I do now? Fortunately, I was reminded of this promise about a month later on one of my mental health kayaking trips.

I began to ask myself what would happen if I really trusted God and did not lean on my own understanding. Would He really do what he promised? Could I really trust Him? Heck I thought that I was good at control things around me. Then I thought that if I had actually been in control, I would not have been laid off. What a thought that was. As I struggled with these questions and talked to God about them, he began to show how he had been providing all along. Wow, and I thought it was my hard work and a little bit of God, giving me strength. Don’t get me wrong, I believe God wants me to work hard at what I am doing. The difference here is who was in control, God or me.

I began to trust in what God wanted to do and in him for my provision. As is began to trust, I discovered something really great. Peace. In a time where I should have been stressed even more, I found a crazy peace. This peace came when I realized that I did not have the strength to “control” what I was facing and that I had no other choice but to “Trust in the LORD with all my heart”.
What a stress release this has been for me. To realize that I don’t have to be in control, even when Diane and I were lead to start Mahanaim Adventures (and doing so using only what God provided us). It has been so cool and wonderful to watch and wait in expectation before God, to see what he is doing next. It has also been reassuring to see God keep his promise that he wants to provide if I just let him. Yes I have to admit there are still moments when I start stressing out. I am still learning just how to truly let go. But I am reminded each day that all I have to do is turn over my weak attempts of control, over to the One who made me and the world around me.

Am I there yet, by no means? Do I forget and try to take over control once again, yes. Am I still learning to let go and trust, yes. I can also say that I have begun to really enjoy the life I have been made for, now that I am learning to relinquish control; relinquishing control to the Creator of the whole world.

After about a 20 minute drive from my house, I found myself standing at the river launch, watching some fishermen pull their boat onto their trailer. I could only imagine what they were thinking when I carried my kayak to the water and started gathering my gear to head out. By the looks on their faces, I think that they thought I must have a screw loose. That didn’t matter; I knew what I was doing, and what could be wrong with kayaking with a full moon over your shoulder anyway? Sounds romantic I guess. Even if it does sound romantic, I could not talk Diane (my Bride of 28 years) in joining me. However, my goal for this evening was to paddle the 3 miles to a campground on Town Creek and pull out for a little while and wait for the moon to rise. Once the moon was up, I was going get back on the water and find my way back up stream to the launch site by the light of the full moon.

Once out of the Town Creek, the evening was quite nice. The wind had died down and was not blowing as hard as it was earlier that day. The sun was going down behind the large cypress and black gum trees that lined the banks of the creek, casting long shadows on the water. I quickly discovered that I was the only person on the creek that evening, go figure. Yet I was not quite alone. If you have spent any time out in the wilderness, you know that just before dusk the forest comes alive with all kinds of sights and sounds. I discovered it was no different kayaking on a creek.

As I was paddling downstream, I followed a group of three Great Blue Herons. These birds are tall wading birds that can stand as high as 4 feet tall. These 3 birds would take off as I got close to them and fly about 150 to 200 yards down the creek and then land. Once I got back up to them, they would do the same thing once again. This went on for about a mile. These birds are big and surprisingly graceful in flight. I also saw a number of wild ducks and king fisher’s along with a few other egrets on this evening. It is amazing how close some of these birds will let you get to them if you just be still and let the current move you along.

After about an hour of paddling, I was at the campsite and pulled off the creek for a short break. By this time the sun had fully gone down and the forest was really coming alive. I sat on a concrete block that I found next to the landing and pulled out my water bottle and a snack that I had brought along. The evening was cooling off nicely and the mosquitoes were coming out in full force. Just my luck, I had forgotten to put my insect repellent in the dry bag before I left. Darn, I guess I would have to swat some mosquitoes for a while, not the first time I have had to do this.

As I waited on the moon to raise high enough over the creek, I began to hear the sound of an owl. It was not too far off from me by the sound of it. I have always enjoyed listening to the sound of owls at night. The seemingly lonely sounds, echoing through the forest is quite soothing to me. I remember one family camping trip as a kid, my brother Chris and I were asleep in our tent when a screech owl started do what they do best, screeching! It scared my brother and I half to death, it was not funny then, but it is now.

Soon I began to hear a second owl some distance off calling back to the one close by me. It was really cool just to sit back and listen to them calling back and forth. I could only wonder what they were saying to each other.

Soon the moon was up and it was time to head back to the launch site. I have to be a bit honest here, at first it was a bit weird kayaking on the water at night by myself. But I knew where I was at and all the binds in the creek, so I was ok. Besides, there were some lights off in the distance marking the spot where a few cabins were located along this part of the creek. Once I was past those lights, the darkness began to creep in all around me. Yet, I had the moon to light up the way.

I was very surprised how bright it is on the creek when the moon is full and high enough to light the creek. It was bright enough for me to paddle without my head lamp or the bow light that I had on the front of my kayak. What is really interesting was the bats that were flying above the river this evening. There were literally hundreds of bats this evening flying around dining on all the bugs that were flying around. Maybe the bugs were attracted to the lights that I had on the kayak, or maybe it was the open space. No matter the reason, it was cool and some bats were flying really close. Glad they have great navigational skills and could sense that I was there in my boat.

The only thing that scared me this evening was when fish started jumping around me. Consider paddling quietly up the creek, watching all the bats fly by and all of a sudden, you here a unexpected big splash next to you. Then there would be another. As it turns out, it was the fish in the river feeding on the bugs that were landing on the water around me. I got splashed once by a rather large fish. I could not help think that I should have brought a net or at least a fishing pole with me.

It was about 9:00 pm when I made it back to my launch site where I had put in several hours earlier. The moon was high in the sky and the evening had cooled off nicely. This moonlight kayaking trip confirmed my thoughts that this would be a fun trip to offer our customers and would be very enjoyable. It would also be adventurous.

If you are reading this blog and want to find out more about how you can schedule a moonlight kayaking adventure for yourself, let me know. I have several locations that you could enjoy a nice kayaking trip by the moonlight.

Our adventure began early on December 20th as I was driving to pick up Lawrence and Joe. It was a cold frosty morning here in Wilmington and the weather forecast for the next three days was going to be “Cold”! It was not the first time I have been backpacking in cold weather like this, but this was going to be the first time for the other three on this trip. I could not help but wonder if Lawrence and his son followed the instruction I had given them about how to pack for a cold weather backpacking trip. I made sure my Joseph had packed everything he many need, without bringing too much.

The challenge with cold weather backpacking is that if you pack to little, the cold will hurt you and place you at greater risk of getting hypothermia. On the other end of the spectrum, it is carrying too much extra clothing and supplies. This mistake will keep you warmer, but carrying all the extra weigh will make the hike very unpleasant. There is nothing like being too cold or carrying about 30 pounds more than needed and I wanted to avoid both.

Anyway, after our 3 hour drive to the Uwharrie Forest, Woodrun Trial Head just to the west of Troy, NC, we were ready to begin our three day adventures. The sky was clear and we had a cold wind blowing steady from the NW, so we were anxious about getting on the trail to get warmed up. After about a mile of hiking, we pulled over at a nice stream crossing to adjust our packs and for a quick drink of water. After about 10 minutes of adjustments and arranging items in our packs, we were back on the trail hiking. We hiked another mile and half and found a nice large flat area overlooking a forest service road below. This spot was perfect for lunch.

Lawrence and Joe as they eat lunch on the Uwharree Trail

It is amazing how good a simple trail lunch can be when you are in the outdoors. Some granola, gorp, cheese, some crackers and summer sausage make a great filling meal. I really enjoy backpacking in the winter months because you can carry some food items that will not spoil. Summer sausage is one of them. In the colder month, you can enjoy items like this without fear of spoilage. Anyway, we enjoyed about 40 minutes of rest and conversation before we got our packs back on to head out. I was quickly reminded how your muscles can tighten up over a short lunch break.

Now began the real work with our first real climb of the day. The Uwharrie Mountains are more like foothills when compared to the Appalachian Mountains further to the west. But to flat land folk like the four of us, these mountains might as well been the real thing. What made this even more interesting was the trail was covered with a large amount of fallen wet leaves. These wet leaves make the trail somewhat slippery if you were not careful. It was a good thing that there was no ice on the trail, which would have been even more fun. We did see a few places that had some remaining snow from the storm the week before.

I wanted to get to camp quickly this day since this was the shortest day of the year. I was expecting it to get dark quickly after the sun went down. Usually in the winter months when the sun goes down, the temps drop quickly and I expected tonight to be no different. So I wanted to get to camp with enough time to get set up and gather firewood. A fire tonight would be greatly appreciated. So my main focus this afternoon was to keep everybody moving and not wasting too much time. I have experienced getting into camp late on cold afternoons like. It is not much fun rushing to get everything set up, gather firewood, get the fire going and starting dinner. So I wanted to give us as much time as possible to enjoy the evening.

The four of us made it to the first Dutchman Creek campground around 4:10 pm after a 7 mile hike. Lawrence had fun when he took off his pack in camp, showing us his moon walk. Granted, he is no Michael Jackson, but it was funny, well at least it was to me. We quickly set up our tents, stored our gear and started gathering firewood. It is amazing how much a good fire can warm a person. Not only did our fire provide some much needed warmth, but also some great light to finish up cooking our meals that evening.

Our camps site for the night, it is amazing how warm a fire can be.

Today was not only the shorted day of the year, but we also found out that there was to be a full lunar eclipse very early the next morning. It was a first for me to be camping on a lunar eclipse and I was hoping that I would be able to see this wonder. The night was clear and cold. Soon after the sun went down, the “Frost Moon” as the December full moon is called, was up. Wow, it is simply amazing to see how bright the moon can be on a clear night like this. We were able to walk around camp that evening, hang our bear bag and anything else we needed to do without the use of our head lamps. If you have never been in the outdoors on a night like this, you will never be able to appreciate how bright it was.

The moon was so bright it was had from me to go to sleep this evening. Usually I don’t have a hard time falling asleep, but I did this night. I laid there in the tent for what seemed like an eternity listening to the silence of this night. The only thing that I could hear was the soft sounds of the creek that we camped next too. No owls to sing me to sleep tonight, not even the rustling of the leaves by the wind. Sometime later I must have fallen asleep, because I remember waking up in the middle of the night, thinking the lunar eclipse was in full swing. The brightness of the night had faded as if the moon were not out. So I was sure that the eclipse was in full swing, but it was in full swing elsewhere, because here it was behind a thick blanket of cloud cover. Darn!

The next morning came quick enough. It had warmed up a few degrees because of the clouds, but it was still cold. So it was to my best interest to get up and get moving quickly. As we got moving around fixing breakfast, I began hearing and feeling something hitting me and the ground. It was sleet! Nothing new, I have had this happen before, but this was a first for Lawrence and Joe. The sleet lasted for about 10 minutes and then passed by. We didn’t get much, but it was cool to see Joe’s expression on his face as we were preparing breakfast.

This morning we had a decision to make. The day before, my son slipped on some slick leave and fell directly on his knee. He was not hurt bad, but this morning he was very sore and stiff and could hardly walk. The section of trail that we were to take this day was more rugged than we covered the day before, making this a concern for me. So after a group meeting we decided to backtrack to Big Island Creek campsite we hiked past the day before. We could day hike out of here while Joseph remained behind in camp. So that is what we did. Remember, when out in the wilderness, you have to be flexible and adjust your plans according to the circumstances that you have at the moment. When you fail to do this, problems will arise.

Joe and Lawrence standing at the trail crossing.

So, slowly off we went making it to our new camp 2.5 miles away in just over 90 minutes. Slower that I would have liked, but the time traveled was good since we had a bum knee in the group. We quickly set up camp and off Lawrence, Joe and I went day hiking. It is amazing how much more ground you can cover when you are not lugging a 40 pound pack on your back. After about 3 hours of day hiking, we made it back to camp to find my son, stretched out on his camp map taking a nap! Teenagers!

After gathering firewood and pumping water for the evening meal, we got a fire going once again. Joseph’s knee was still stiff, but he had no problem building a nice fire with Joe. Once again we were in business with a warm glowing fire to gather around for fellowship and some dinner. There is something about sitting around a fire in the great outdoors. Something peaceful and relaxing; something that allows your mind to wonder and settle down; to simply enjoy the moment before you. Now add to the mix a few toasted marshmallows, some graham crackers and a Hersey chocolate bar (hum, I wonder what that makes). These moments simply become magical.

The next morning, Joseph was up early and ready to go. It was funny watching him give the countdown to the time we were to be on the trail. It was almost like watching a rocket lift off at Cape Canaveral. Anyway, the morning was still cold and cloudy with a chance of partly cloudy day ahead. We had an easy 4.5 miles to hike out this morning, so we know we would be on the road home before noon. I think Joseph and Joe were more interested in getting to a Subway to get “Real” food for lunch.

All in all Lawrence and Joe’s first backpacking adventure was a huge success. I have always enjoyed spending time with my son on adventures like this and with good friends. I felt that I had accomplished my mission; it seemed as if Lawrence and his son had a wonderful time. Joe even said that he would do this again. That is good news. It was also good to hear that my son had a good time despite his knee problem and his first desire to stay at home and sleep the Christmas holidays away.

If you are up for creating a memory and an adventure for you and your son or daughter, let me know. It would be a privilege to help you create such a memory for you!