Paddle Camping & Book Updates
It’s all about the paddlin’
Another summer adventure has come and gone. This time, we loaded up kayaks and paddleboards stuffed with waterproof bags of sleeping gear, stoves, and food, and headed to Ross Lake, a 23-mile long body of water nestled in the North Cascade mountains. Myself and my husband, our friend G, and my sis and her fiance made a lovely sized adventure group.
Our journey began on Lake Diablo. We shoved off about 7am Thursday, pleased to find the water quite smooth and glassy. Sunlight already lit up the tops of the surrounding ridgeline, and the blue sky promised a hot day.
About a mile in, we entered the ravine, my favorite part of the lake. Rock cliffs dotted with evergreen and moss rose epically on either side of the gorgeous green water. The ravine felt more like a river than a lake, and we drifted along, not having to work too hard as the current flowed in our favor.
At the end of the ravine, we unloaded on the well-maintained dock (situated right before the dam that separates Lake Diablo from Ross Lake) and called the shuttle that would carry us over the dam and drop us off at Ross Lake. A quick thirty minutes later, the cheerful, energetic shuttle driver showed up, unloaded the group heading out, then got us quickly situated for a bumpy yet comfortable ride over to the next dock.
Ross Lake surprised us with calm waters as well! Last year, we had white caps and gray skies coming in. This time, our boats cut through smooth water effortlessly, and closer to the shore, we could see all the way to the rocky bottom. We took our time paddling the four miles in to McMillan campsite. Located at the south point of a bay, McMillan contained three separate well-spaced out campsites situated among tall evergreens and bright green vine maple. No one else had claimed the other spots, so we had the place to ourselves that first night.
We slung up the hammocks and set up the tents, then enjoyed an evening paddle checking things out. We spent the next four days exploring the bay and opposite shore. The bay contained several small coves and even a short waterfall tucked back into a narrow crevice. The lake levels were so low that the docks had all been grounded. At first this made me a little sad, to not be able to sit on the floating dock, until I realized how much more beach we had. Normally the water rose right up to the tree line. When our campsite filled up with other groups, it was lovely to have the beach to sit on and drag our boats up on shore when not in use. Without it, we would have all been cramming onto the dock.
At night, we lay out on the rocky beach and watched the waxing crescent moon rise, then drop behind the jagged ridgeline of the opposite shore. Once the moon set, the stars shone even brighter, and the milky way stretched across the sky. In the mornings, the shade from the trees kept our tents cool. Several deer showed up to nibble on the moss and grass around the tents—two does and a young buck, who tried to push in on his mother’s feeding area.
On Monday, our last day, we awoke to an overcast sky and a cooler temperature. The remaining group that had camped there the night before packed up and left quite early (and noisily) around 7am.
An hour later, we emerged from our tents. Wind had already begun to sway the trees above us. Unlike the previous mornings, the normally smooth water now rippled in tiny waves, a prediction of a rougher paddle out. We had a quick coffee and instant oatmeal before packing up. A huge black raven hopped around a mossy stump, then flew over us into the trees. It emitted a strange call that added to the witchy, autumn feeling that had crept across our camp.
Coming out of our protected bay, the wind whipped against our faces and waves sloshed over the hull of my kayak. The spray quickly drenched my legs and I had to fight with my paddle against the opposing current to keep my kayak moving forward.
My sister hollered from up ahead, “Arr, she be a mighty tempest!”
But the wind that blew was still fairly warm, and mist swirled around the peaks above us. It was exhilarating!
By the time we battled our way to the Ross Lake dock, the enthusiasm had worn off. We were cold and tired. My husband, on his 14-foot paddleboard laden down by all our sleeping gear, had fallen in to prevent the board from tipping (he was fine—wearing his life jacket and used to swimming in cold water). We got lucky; the shuttle had already arrived and no groups waited in line before us to get portage. We immediately loaded up and headed back to Lake Diablo, where the ravine helped shelter the water from the worst of the wind. Exiting the ravine, the sun started to poke through the clouds and the waves worked with us to push us toward the dock where we had parked our cars.
We slowed down a bit, enjoying the last leg of the trip. I paddled by a mother goose with two goslings, and just beyond her, a little duck hugged the shoreline with her fluffy brood of ducklings.
As soon as we got home (despite being so happy to see our ginger kitty Paul), I wished I was still at camp. It was just so lovely there, and I missed being on the water. That being said, I think we did narrowly escape some pretty bad weather. We had the most wonderful time, and I cannot wait to go back!
Lishka Updates
LISHKA is still with the proofreader, and it is going delightfully well! I am so happy I had the chance to partner with this amazing editor—she is funny, excited to work on the novel, and clearly a pro at what she does. I’m also getting to learn more writing tips from her, which I’m going to use in editing the very rough first draft of Book 2.
What is not going so well? Figuring out the publishing process. I tried to research Amazon KDP and am now pretty sure I got suckered into talking to a third party masquerading as KDP this morning. After googling and clicking on what I thought was KDP, I found out the publishing package, inclusive of editing and design, was $2k. Holy moly! I was shocked. I figured I’d be able to just upload my final art and utilize the print on demand service, with a percentage going to Amazon. I had no idea there would be such a hefty initial fee.
I entered into the online chat with a representative to try to figure out my options. This led to a VERY frustrating phone call with her manager, this guy who clearly was trying to sell me on the service. He kept talking over me and not answering my direct questions. I had to get a bit sharp with him on the third interruption. I even asked if there were any other options to upload and he said no. Now I understand why he was so hedgy—I wasn’t talking to Amazon KDP.
Thank goodness for my friend (one of my first editors) who helped steer me in the right direction! He confirmed it should be free, and sent me the real link to the actual Amazon KDP. I happily created a KDP profile this morning, and feel so much better about the whole process.
Fellow self-publisher newbies, do yourself a favor and go to Amazon’s actual website to access KDP, ensuring you are 100% in the right spot. There are so many shady folks out there!
My next step is to purchase my ISBN, fill out my KDP profile, and get myself set up on Ingram Sparks. Here’s hoping all that is relatively smooth sailing (or paddling ;)!
