When: May 24-27, 2013

Where: Camp Pendalouan, Big Blue Lake

1243 Fruitvale RD, Montague, MI, 49437

Click here for the 2013 Symposium page.

When: Jun 7-9, 2013

Where: Newaygo State Park

2793 Beach ST, Newago, MI, 49337

Come join us at Newaygo State Park.

Newaygo State Park is the base camp for this WMCKA outing on the dammed up open water of the Muskegon River behind the Hardy Dam, the largest earthen dam east of the Mississippi. There are eleven miles of open water which is in a valley with steep banks which can be rough or mild dependent on conditions. Another great paddle for those interested is to paddle the Muskegon river below the dam which flows downriver to Croton Dam. We will camp at the Poplar loop of the Newaygo State Park campground and there is a trail to a small kayak launch, labeled as beach on the site map, which is between sites 66 & 68. We can take an evening paddle on Hardy Pond, which often is calm in the evening, for those interested. Saturday morning we will take a day paddle and everyone should pack a lunch for a stop at the park near the Hardy Dam. There is a swimming beach there as well.

The group meals planned are Dinner on Saturday night which will be a cast iron dinner, prepared by the guidance of Chef Robert Burmania, and a group Sunday morning breakfast. Please bring your cast iron cook ware and side dishes that will blend well with the main course of Fried Chicken and mashed Red skin potatoes. Bob will also make a peach cobbler, since we haven’t found out who the great cobbler chef was from last fall’s Annual Meeting in Mesick!

Bring your table service and beverages or any wine that will go well with the meal. We’ll have a group campfire after our cast iron dinner so bring s'more ingredients or marshmallows if you like.

Sunday morning we will have a group breakfast so bring along eggs, sausage, bacon and other things that will compliment these like yogurt, fresh fruit, bread for toast and any other thing you can think of!

Contact Steve Adsmond, camp host, at either home phone 231-924-37one9 or cell phone 269-532-05five3 or by email with questions or suggestions to make this a great weekend. For those interested there is a disc golf course at the Newaygo State Park for off water entertainment.

This State Park has an excellent launch site with a boat ramp that has a small protected harbor area off the main open water. Don’t worry about a reservation at this state park, it won’t be necessary. Camp fees are only $12 per site per night with large spacious lots and big space between campsites.

When: Jun 22, 2013

Where: Ramona Park

2/6/13 - More information will be posted later in the Spring.

When: Jun 28-30, 2013

Where: Gun Lake, Private Residence

Location: 1781 Edwin DR Wayland, Mi. 49348 Jim Mulders place. North west corner of Gun Lake. Private dead end road.

Space available for campers, tents, or hammocks. Water available by hose, no electric, port-a-pottys for the guys with some limited inside for the gals.

Mowed camping area with shade, fires ok. Tent site room also available in lake front yard (no fires on the front lawn please).

Sheltered garage area for inclement weather.

Launch area from low floating dock or boat house on property, or from the Yankee Springs State Park. Additional camping also available at Yankee Springs SP, or Deep Lake rustic park nearby.

Great swimming, fishing, sandy beaches over 2500 acres of exploring. Possible evening wine and cheese pontoon cruise planned. Several good restaurants nearby including fine casual dining at Bay Pointe Inn on the south side of the lake.

Please RSVP to Jim at: info [at] gunlakepaddlesports [dot] com or call 2six9-217-302nine.

When: Jul 5-7, 2013

Where: Warren Dunes State Park, Bridgman, MI

Join us for a weekend of paddling with the Northwest Indiana Paddlers Association and Berrien Paddlers Club.

July 5, Friday paddle, (WMCKA & Berrien Paddlers) St. Joseph to Warren Dunes paddle on Lake Michigan.

July 6, Saturday paddle, (Northwest Indiana Paddlers Assn) New buffalo to Michigan City on Lake Michigan.

July 7, Sunday paddle (WMCKA) Launch and take out at Warren Dunes State Park.

More Details will follow in early summer.

When: Jul 12-14, 2013

Where: Lime Island State Park

Spend the weekend exploring the rich history that Lime Island has to offer.

Check out the Lime Island Rendezvous Page for more details.

When: Jul 26-28, 2013

Where: Saugatuck, MI

26th, Kalamazoo River to Lake Michigan paddle.

27th, Holland to Saugatuck paddle.

27th, Saugatuck Venetian Festival-lighted boat paddle.

28th Saugatuck to South Haven paddle.

More Details will follow in early summer.

When: Aug 8-11, 2013

Where: St Ignace - Mackinac Island

Guided by Uncommon Adventures

List price $550/person, WMCKA member price: $450

Skill level: intermediate/advanced

Have you ever driven across that five mile span of Mackinac bridge and wondered what it would be like to paddle way down there? If you have some experience and some solid skills in bracing and capsize recoveries, you can find out! Join us for a long weekend paddle across from St. Ignace to a really sweet little campsite on a small public island. During our stay, we'll get to swim in the calm bay, explore other nearby islands and maybe even do an evening paddle over to Mackinac island, exchange our booties for dancing shoes and go out on the town. Follow this up with a moonlight paddle back to our quiet camp and you've got a recipe for a truly unique trip. This is a great trip for paddling couples and families with older children over 14.

Skill level required: comfortable in active seas to 3 feet, be able to handle a 12 mile day and cope with a variety of boat and shipping traffic. The crossing is five miles to camp, the following afternoon paddle will be seven miles, the circumnavigation of Mackinac Island is 8 miles, and we could do more miles with a trip to Bois Blanc Island.

Included: Uncommon Adventures famous and fabulous well-known backcountry foods, all group gear including tents if you don't have your own, instructor/guide (ACA Level-4) and overnight fees. A variety of really nice rental kayaks (NDK or Tempests) are available for $100 for the trip if needed. Tandems available for families if requested. Call or email Michael to sign on for this adventure. There is only space for ten on this trip and two spots have been spoken for already.

Cheers,
Michael Gray
Uncommon Adventures
PO Box 254
Beulah, MI 49617
info@uncommonadv.com
www.uncommonadv.com
1-231-882-5525
Because life is short!

When: Aug 23-25, 2013

Where: Interlochen, MI

This is our fourth annual Twinkie at Interlochen State Park on Green Lake Outing.

More Details will follow in early summer.

When: Aug 31, 2013

Where: Allegan Lake to Lake Michigan

27 mile marathon paddle on the Kalamazoo River from Allegan Lake to Lake Michigan.

More Details will follow in early summer.

When: Sep 20-22, 2013

Where: Platte River CG, Sleeping Bear Dunes NL

Platte River Campground 5685 Lake Michigan Road, Honor, MI at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

We will have an option between paddle trips scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. More information will be posted as the date draws near.

Usually the WMCKA members rendezvous at the picnic loop on Lake Michigan Road in the late afternoon for a caravan departure to a local restaurant for dinner.

If camp sites are not available, please email Kenneth at TillWeDance [at] acd [dot] net for suggestions.

For more information about the park and reserving a campsite, go to: http://www.nps.gov/slbe/planyourvisit/platterivercamp.htm

When: Oct 4-6, 2013

Where: Northern Exposure Campground,

ASAP you'll want to reserve sites #71-105 in the WoodyWorld (East Area).

The fall outing and annual meeting takes place at Northern Exposure Campground, Mesick, Michigan. The business meeting will occur at 6pm with a meal to follow.

Saturday Night's Dinner (at 6pm) will be a repeat of 2011-12's SOUPER MEAL which was will received by the membership. WMCKA will provide a variety of soups and breads, you provide the appetite. If you'd like to bring something for the table (appetizers, salad or dessert) it would be appreciated.

Feel free to bring a friend! You do not need to be a current WMCKA member in order to attend - although we encourage memberships to help support our efforts to promoted safe kayaking in West Michigan!

There will be several groups paddling throughout the weekend, most of the day trips will leave by 10:00am Saturday or Sunday, so you will need to be ready to paddle by then.

About The Area: Northern Exposure Campground is located north of Grand Rapids, traveling US 131 to M-115, then northwest to Mesick, Michigan. From Grand Rapids, it is approximately a 2-hour drive to Northern Exposure.

The campground is located on the lake formed by the Hodenpyle Dam, which is on the Manistee River. The lake is approximately 6 miles long and about a mile wide. It is surrounded by beautiful pine and hardwood forests. The lake’s waters are clean and clear.

In addition to paddling on the lake, there is an opportunity to paddle on the Manistee River above or below the dam. This would be an option in the event of extremely windy or inclement weather. For anyone interested in paddling on Lake Michigan, it is approximately 25 minutes to a launch site.

The campground itself will have numerous open sites. During October, very few other campers will be found at Northern Exposure. The campground manger has reserved an entire section of the campground exclusively for the WMCKA event. Each site has piped-in water and electric. Typically they give us a break on campsite fees, check back later for exact amounts! There are excellent launch opportunities at every single waterfront site. This campground has newly paved blacktop access roads, and numerous hiking trails on the camp property, as well as access to the North Country trail nearby.

Northern Exposure still prefers advance registrations, but will handle last-minute visitors. When you call for a reservation, please be sure to say you are with the WMCKA group so they reserve a site in the WMCKA area for you. Normally, there is a $4 fee for day visitors, BUT this fee has been typically been waived for the WMCKA event. There are no parking restrictions at Northern Exposure, so we should have no problem accommodating any day visitors.

The campground phone numbers for reservations are toll free: 1-800-563-7425, or 231-885-1199. Please refer any questions about the event to Bill and Anne Keith at eakeith1[at]gmail[dot]com