East enough with shovels and picks. Not so much with a paddle.

The long blades paddle I have is a work of art.  Custom made and hand crafted, it’s intended use is not earth removal.  Bruce Smith, the maker of the fine instruments, would never make me another one if he knew what I was up to with this one.

Here’s the end result of 30 minutes of excavating and filling, with a sorinkling of grass to keep the sand and fine gravel off the tent floor:



Sorry Bruce. The paddle’s a bit worse for wear,  but we beat the rain with only minutes to spare and saved ourselves the misery of a muddy departure the next morning. If anybody asks, I’ll say it’s doable, but neither advised nor recommended. Unless it’s raining. Or muddy and your running out of options. Perhaps all the above.