We had a great time last year! Let's do it again!
UPDATE: Endless Summer Paddle Company (Megan) out of Louisville and Simply Fitness (Erica) out of Nashville, Indiana will be joining me in this event. Both of these ladies do paddleboarding events along with yoga and much more. If you're curious about paddleboarding and would like to try out a paddleboard, this is your chance. The are very experienced and are always looking to help people get outside.
My good buddy Ron White (not the comedian ;) who runs Ohio Valley Backpackers + will be having a discussion on backpacking. I think he'll be doing a basic layout and answering your questions. So if you're curious about backpacking, this is your chance to get some information from an experienced backpacker.
End of Update
Details:
I've reserved the South Shelter at Hardy Lake. It's above and overlooks the beach area while being beside the Sunnyside ramp. The plan is for everyone to bring their boats (I'll be bringing a few of mine for people to try out), bring some food to share (if you can), bring any excess outdoor gear that you may have for a swap, and to have an awesome day and potentially meet some new friends.
While we're hanging out, sharing some grub, and telling tall tales, we'll also have our swap meet. Bring any outdoor gear that you have and may want to sell or trade to someone else. This is not a flea market or yard sale. Outdoor equipment ONLY! If you have a lot of stuff, you may want to bring a table.
WARNING: This is GEAR SWAP ONLY! You can trade goods onsite. If you wish to purchase an item from another individual, please make arrangements to do it off state park property. I don't want to run into any problems with DNR regulations and risk getting us shut down. Thank you for your understanding!
After we get done hanging out, we'll head down the lake. I'll be bringing a bunch of boats and they will be available for people to try out. The best part is that it's FREE! Hopefully, other people will be willing to allow others to try out their boats. I'll also be giving some basic instruction for those of you looking to try out kayaking for the first time and you're not sure how to get started.
You do not need to own a kayak to attend this event. The purpose of this event is to give people an opportunity to paddle a variety of kayak types and to, hopefully, help some people out that are trying to break into this sport. It's also a chance to hang out with likeminded people and potentially coordinate some events for later in the season.
After we're done hanging out and trying out some different boats, we'll go for a paddle around the lake.
Hardy lake has a campground, hiking trails, one of only 2 raptor rehab centers in the state, a large lake with beach, marina, and tons of other stuff to do. If you're coming from farther away, you may want to consider camping out for the night.
I hope to see a ton of people out there. This will be a super fun event!
