I have owned a Klymet Litewater Dinghy for several years. Andy has had his for a comparable length of time. While I’ve used mine now and then it has only been for short day paddles. I don’t think Andy had used his at all. Steve has owned a stand-up paddleboard for a little while and paddled it amongst local lakes quite a bit. None of us have used these watercraft for an overnight excursion. It was time to change that with an overnight trip that would require us to paddle from the public access point on Halfmoon Lake to the campground on the southern end of Blind Lake and back the following day.
Andy and I are carrying comparable loads. He likely has more food than I but it can’t be by too much. Hoisting his Klymet Litewater Dinghy, paddle, Granite Gear Slacker 25 Liter backpack, and other stuff he has to carry on the walk to the put-in point on the northeastern shore of Halfmoon Lake.
--August 7, 2022 at 12:16 PM.
The paddle can be lengthened if you hug the shoreline of Halfmoon Lake but I knew that Andy and I would have our work cut out for us in our rather slow packrafts. Steve would be able to zip along on his paddleboard. With that in mind we aimed to take a much more direct route to the campground on the shore of Blind Lake: paddling about 2 miles. I expected that would take us the better part of two hours.
We launched around 12:30PM under clear,bright blue skies, under a blazing sun. It was already well into the 80s and muggy so we fully expected it to be a sticky afternoon of paddling. After spending a good 40 minutes getting ourselves sorted out. About 17 minutes of that time was spent inflating the packrafts. It’s not exactly hard as you use the boat’s stuff sack which doubles as an inflation bag to fill the boat up. It is tedious.
Once we were on the water things went about as I expected them to go. The toughest part of the paddle was finding a comfortable position to paddle from. I am quite sure that my Alpacka packraft would be more comfortable and faster on the water too. The Alpacka is also probably twice as heavy which admittedly when you don’t have to carry the boat isn’t really a concern but for reasons I can’t quite explain I felt I should use my Klymet like Andy was doing. In the Klymet dinghies you definitely notice as the wakes of powerboats and jet skis roll under you. They’re never enough to cause a real concern but you certainly notice them pass on by.
Once Steve was standing up on his stand-up paddleboard I think he only squatted down to rest or when going under the bridge that spans the channel between Halfmoon and Blind Lakes.
—August 7, 2022 at 12:21 PM.
Ken is getting ready to launch his Klymet Litewater Dinghy into the waters of Halfmoon Lake. The odd-shaped bulge, which seems to shift from side to side, will vanish when Ken sits down in the packraft.Photo by Steve.
—August 7, 2022 at 12:25 PM.
About 20 minutes into the paddle. We have travelled around 0.25 miles at this point. Here is Andy in his dinghy. You can see that this is a busy lake with numerous docks and boats.
—August 7, 2022 at 12:56 PM.
We are approaching the channel that connects Halfmoon Lake and Blind Lake. Photo by Andy.
—August 7, 2022 at 1:49 PM.
Over the course of our paddle south and west on Halfmoon Lake we goggled at the large homes and watched as the motorboats and jet skis zipped by. Even though it was hot and muggy it was a pleasant afternoon to be on the water. In due time we floated through the channel that connects Halfmoon and Blind Lakes. It must be quite a bit shallower because there was an explosion of water lillies in the area. I am pretty sure I never saw anything like that any time I was near the shore on Halfmoon Lake proper. Then we found ourselves on Blind Lake stroking the last few hundred meters to the southern shore and the beach that grants access to the several campsites, water spigot, and privvy that comprise the Blind Lake campground. As we were arriving the clouds were conquering the sky so our timing was clearly pretty good. Not long after we pulled our dinghies and paddle-board out of the water the very distant sound of thunder could be heard.
Camp life can feel harried and a bit stressful even when you arrive with hours to spare before sunset. I had troubles with the guy-lines on my tarp. I didn’t have enough of them. Why had I removed them and where were they now? I had extra uncut cordage I could turn into guylines so I was able to set the tarp up but clearly there was a failure in my preparations for the trip. The distant roll of thunder, from a storm well to the north of us, added to the stress. After all, you want everything well in hand if and when a downpour ensues (it did not). In time everything was set up and everyone could relax. We even had surprise visits from people we knew. Steve’s friend Betina was out for an afternoon of paddling the chain of lakes in the area and stopped by Blind Lake to take a break. She was surprised to find Steve there. John Lawton hadn’t gotten the word in time that we were doing this overnight and was out doing a day-hike between Silver Lake and Blind Lake under the sweltering heat. He was happy to sit down at our table to rest for a spell before hoisting his daypack to make the six-odd miles hike back to his car. I think everyone had a fine time.
Steve’s friend Betina unexpectedly dropped by Blind Lake after spending an afternoon paddling the chain of lakes in this area. Here Ken is trying out Steve’s paddleboard but can’t quite bring himself to stand up (blame the recovering left leg which while far better than it was after the surgery at the start of May still feels a bit weak). Steve is testing out Betina’s paddleboard. Photo by Andy.
—August 7, 2022 at 5:50 PM.
After a relaxing dinner (various complexities for each of us) followed by a cleansing swim in Blind Lake it was certainly time for bed. I don’t know about the others but it took me far longer to drift off to a good night’s sleep than it should have. That was especially surprising because earlier in the afternoon I certainly was ready to take a nap (which I never did). Maybe I just never was in the ideal position for sleep inside my Hummingbird hammock.
You can follow our paddle between Halfmoon Lake and Blind Lake here.
* * * * *
I wasn’t really ready to get moving when Andy came on by a little before 09:00 and gave my hammock a shove. Back and forth and back and forth I swung. I waited for the swinging to subside before I unzipped the bug-net, swung my legs over the side, and managed to stand up and out from the hammock. The plops of water upon the overhead tarp made it seem like it was still raining. But that is always somewhat deceptive. Take what you hear and downgrade the actual amount of falling water. In this case the falling water was just what had been clinging to the leaves above our heads from the small rain storm that passed through during the very small hours of the morning. By the time I stepped out from under the tarp it was clear that while it was solidly overcast the potential for more rain was pretty much nil.
Andy’s eggs, mushrooms, sausage, bell pepper, and cheese breakfast hash. Photo by Andy.
--August 8, 2022 at 9:05 AM.
It took quite some time to make this bacon-veggie-egg hash. It would have been done sooner had I managed the alochol fuel better. Letting it go out was definitely a source of much lost time. But cutting the potato, pepper, and bacon certainly took it’s share of time too. We were not in a hurry so though it took the best part of an hour it was time well spent.
--August 8, 2022 at 10:27 AM.
Water is dripping off the trees but the sun is peeking through the forest now and then too. We are taking our time making breakfasts and packing up our camp. There is no reason to rush as the weather report looks pretty tame.
--August 8, 2022 at 10:53 AM.
I wonder what Steve thought as first Andy and then I made our breakfasts. I don’t actually know what he had but I’m sure it was made in a small fraction of the time I needed to make my veggie—bacon-egg hash. But when you have the time and enough desire to try something a little more exciting than a poptart or basic add-boiling-water to dehydrated food meal it’s worth taking the time to try and do it right. I did enjoy what I made.
But all things must end and after a good 3 hours we all had eaten breakfast, relaxed in various ways, broke down our campsite, and packed our water-craft. It was just after noon when we all pulled away from the beach and began our 2-mile paddle back to Halfmoon Lake. The sun was showing signs of breaking through the dispersing overcast. Each time was paddled into a sunny patch we felt the temperature rise. But the weather on Blind Lake was calm as we paddled across it’s deep green reflecting waters. The wind wouldn’t become a factor until we passed through the channel into Halfmoon Lake. At that point we did notice it shoving us sometimes in directions that weren’t optimal but I don’t think even Andy would claim it was that bad.
Leaving our campsite at Blind Lake. We were in no rush to depart so taking 3 hours to really get up and going to departure was not a problem. Photo by Andy.
—August 8, 2022 at 12:04 PM.
It’s time to paddle forth from Blind Lake back to our put-in point on Halfmoon Lake. Steve certainly looks ready to paddle.
—August 8, 2022 at 12:05 PM.
Here comes Andy from under the bridge that spans the channel that connects Blind Lake and Halfmoon Lake.
—August 8, 2022 at 12:29 PM.
They aren’t really visible here but sprinkled amongst and on top of the lilies are yellow and white flowers. Steve has pulled ahead and Andy is soon going to paddle out of the channel into Halfmoon Lake.
—August 8, 2022 at 12:32 PM.
Halfmoon Lake is home to many particularly large homes. This is just one rather substantial example.
—August 8, 2022 at 12:54 PM.
We made our way past the large homes dotting the shores of the lake and enjoyed the considerably quieter passage across Halfmoon Lake as there were far fewer powered boats on the water. That made for a much more enjoyable, due to the lack of engine roar (there was some from ashore), paddle under slightly blustery but continuing to clear skies. With the aid of the wind and maybe fewer breaks we returned to the public-access point in about 90 minutes. Our trip had come to a very good end.
The trip has come to an end as Ken pulls his Klymet Litewater Dinghy out of the water. Photo by Andy.
--August 8, 2022 at 1:30 PM.
You can follow our paddle from Blind to Halfmoon Lake here.
Camping at Blind Lake
If you are thinking of camping at Blind Lake keep in mind that it is only accessible by walking, biking, or paddling to it. There is no nearby overnight parking. You are also limited to a one-night stay. There are 10 campsites with sites 1, 2, 4, 5, and 9 having posts set up in a grid to support up to 4 hammocks at each site. If you plan on hammock camping I suggest you pick one of those sites as the others may not have trees you can use. The posts permit one to set up hammocks without worrying about doing possible damage to the trees. Sites 4 and 5 are close to each other so are suitable for larger groups. The posts also are handy for hanging packs. The posts have eye-screws that you can attach a tarp ridgeline too and a hammock. However, you may find it preferable to wrap your hammock’s tree hugger straps around the post at your preferred height.
The Potowatomi Trail runs right through the campground and the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail is just up on top of the hill from the campground. This makes the campground very popular for weekend campers especially on Saturday nights between June and September. It will often be full. On other days it is far less crowded and you will likely be able to get a site even on the day of camping. The campground is open year-round.
The posts are arranged in a grid that can support up to 4 hammocks. You can attach your tarp and hammock directly to the eye-screws but I find it is better to wrap my tree hugger straps around the post are the appropriate height. The posts are approximately 15 feet aprt which is an ideal seperation for hammocks. Photo by Andy
--August 8, 2022 at 10:13 AM.
