July 2022 • Nebraskaland 19
Above: Lindsey Chizinski of Lincoln enjoying the scenery while kayaking the Niobrara River.
Opposite: The author's tent illuminated underneath the night sky at Anderson Bridge Wildlife Management Area in
Cherry County.
ayak camping is exactly what it sounds like — a unique
adventure that combines the best of two worlds. In high
school, I was fortunate to spend a week in Alaska with
the Girl Scouts, and like a dream come true, we paddled
our way around the Kenai Peninsula and camped each night
on diff erent beaches. From the tranquility of a kayak, I
witnessed marine wildlife from a perspective that would've
been diff erent had I been sitting in a loud motorboat. And
for miles each day, I admired and contemplated the beautiful
shapes and contours of land from the water looking inward. It
was an experience I'll never forget, and sadly, I waited a long
time to go kayak camping again.
More so than camping or even backcountry backpacking,
the planning that must go into kayak camping can get
complicated, especially without the help of an outfi tter or
guiding service. But it's not impossible if you know a group of
trustworthy people willing to put in the eff ort. Fortunately,
I fell in with the right crowd when I worked at the Nebraska
Game and Parks Commission offi ce in Norfolk, and while I've
joined plenty of day fl oats with this group of friends over the
years, plans fi nally fell into place in summer 2020 for a long
weekend of kayak camping on the Niobrara River.
Experience Level
Kayak camping can suit a variety of experience levels.
The more important consideration is choosing a route that
fi ts your ability, because overshooting your skills can turn
disastrous. While paddling in a remote area might seem
enticing, keep in mind that most of Nebraska's 79,000-plus
miles of rivers and streams are several hours away from
medical assistance and outside of cell phone service.
"Unlike backcountry backpacking, you can't turn around
and go back up a river in a kayak if things go wrong," said
Kelly Corman of Bassett, an experienced kayaker. "Kayaking
ranks up there with rock and ice climbing in terms of fatalities
annually — it's no joke."
Corman advises fi rst-timers to stick to more well-traveled
routes, such as the national wild and scenic sections of the
Niobrara and Missouri rivers and other mapped-out Nebraska
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