Aug. 21-26. on beautiful Rock Island State Park in Lake Michigan off the northern tip of Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula with Not only did this location offer us a new destination to explore (our previous sea kayaking events were held in the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior), the short 1-1/2 mile paddle to the island allowed us to include more veterans with a range of kayak skills and disabilities — seen and invisible. Our group consisted of nine veterans from as far away as California, Maryland and Kentucky, plus six civilian volunteers.
ACA-certified instructors led sea kayak skill sessions each morning. These included strokes, bracing, edging, risk management and rescues. The idea was to prepare paddlers for future TRR sea kayak trips. In the afternoons we offered kayak tours, hiking and sightseeing on the historic island. Each evening we gathered near the dock to watch a spectacular sunset, followed by sharing stories and laughter around the campfire. Breakfasts and dinners prepared by our amazing volunteer camp cook Jacob — another highlight of a great week of camaraderie.
