First Time Canoe Trip Antics >>>

Northern Dancer

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I Had coffee with an old buddy. [Old? When did that happen?]

We are sloshing down coffee and munching on a western sandwich.
Speaking of coffee, I'm amazed at the number of coffee shops that have opened in our downtown section.

What's with the surge of coffee shops all of a sudden?
Anyway......he says to me, "Do you remember the first trip to Algonquin?"
"Not really", I replied, [kinda hoping he wasn't going to continue with the subject matter.]
He then launches into his memory bank and paints me a picture.

We were young'uns at the time and with little planning and no experience were off to seek adventure in the notorious park.
I remember it now
.

It seemed to me we had cleared a hunk of can goods off the shelves, along with bottled items.
We learned when we got to the park that cans and bottles were prohibited on canoe trips.
Since we had a lot of money [not] we had to take half a day to figure out and purchase foods
we could take into the interior.
Fines are hefty if caught with cans and bottles in your pack.
Including the possibility of confiscation of the canoe and equipment.
Though we had rented a park canoe.

We got off track a hand full of times and missed a major portage.
We finally stumbled onto our site at dusk and set up our magnificent equipment.

One V-shaped tarp with no doors or screens or bottom.
I hadn't thought about mosquitos, other flying bugs, or creeping creatures.
One blanket bed roll spread out on the hard ground.

Ya...I can see it all!

It was a crude beginning to a wonderful and marvelous experience that has sustained me in life to this day.



 

ppine

Forester
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Minden, NV
It takes some time to learn the skills. Mostly it is trial and error, but Bill Mason and Cliff Jacobsen have saved me from making any major mistakes.
 
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