Things that interfere with or otherwise screw up canoe trips

Not quite a canoe trip but I was all packed for a 21 day private trip down the Grand Canyon, manning the oars on one of the rafts. The plan was to take the train with all my gear to work in Boston, then zip over to Logan Airport and be gone for a month. It was that morning that the Governor got on the horn and told everyone to stay home due to some strange pandemic that hit Massachusetts pretty hard. I did the right thing for my family and bailed out of a "trip of a lifetime". Unbelievably, it would have been the second time they closed the Colorado River behind me. The first was 1983 when the flow reached 100,000 cfs.

Patrick Corry said:

Things that interfere?.....

Foremost is a concerned wife who thinks this nearly 70 year old with heart disease shouldn't venture out alone in my canoe!

Somehow It's OK for me to continue working in the building trade, framing walls and roofs, shingling those roofs, working on scaffolding on the exteriors, using shop & job site power tools... all pursuits which have contributed to more injuries than any outdoor pursuit of mine. Just sayin'...

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I don't want to alarm you Patrick, but it does get worse. I'm nearly 75 (Oct.) and have had triple bypass and an aortic valve replacement. Not only is my wife concerned, my adult sons (both over 50) side with their mother. I don't go alone anymore and don't use my solo Wilderness much, but I still go even if the sons aren't able to go. Thank the Lord for good (younger) canoeing friends!

Bugs, bad weather, injuries, illness, missed connections, screwed up shuttles, getting lost, ... the list is extensive.

Jobs! Way back, I was working seasonally, and my canoe partner was underemployed. We planned a multi-month trip in Yukon/Alaska for the next year. Then he got a real job.

Kathleen and I were on a two-week trip on the barren grounds this past July. We endured a lot of strong winds and large waves that kept on shore. Most of the time we were not having fun. We did make it, though, to where we were supposed to be to be picked up by the float plane, which arrived pretty much right on time. It circled around for about 10 minutes, and then flew away, 300 km back to Yellowknife. I called the float plane operator on my satellite phone. He said the waves were to big to land. They would try again in three more days.

We hurried to put the tent back up.

Then lightning struck right above our heads. Kathleen began to cry softly. Then the wind and rain intensified. The tent wall on the windward side was bowed in almost to the tent floor. Was worried a tent pole might snap. We spent two hours just pushing back against the wind. If we lost the tent, and shelter, we were truly screwed.

Was the trip ruined or interfered with? We sometimes thought so. But We got some good stories.

PaddlingPitt said:

Then the wind and rain intensified. The tent wall on the windward side was bowed in almost to the tent floor. Was worried a tent pole might snap. We spent two hours just pushing back against the wind. If we lost the tent, and shelter, we were truly screwed.

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Lots of things can go wrong with tents and poles even in my backyard. Do you ever consider bringing a second, backup tent—maybe another six pounds—on a non/few-portage river trip in the unforgiving barrens?

Glenn MacGrady said:

Lots of things can go wrong with tents and poles even in my backyard. Do you ever consider bringing a second, backup tent—maybe another six pounds—on a non/few-portage river trip in the unforgiving barrens?

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With our groups of four, two with solo tents, two others take two person tents should problems arise. We could squeeze in an extra in any of the tents if necessary. And we take solid tents. For a group of two, I'm not sure. Losing a tent up there is on my mind though.

Glenn MacGrady said:

Lots of things can go wrong with tents and poles even in my backyard. Do you ever consider bringing a second, backup tent—maybe another six pounds—on a non/few-portage river trip in the unforgiving barrens?

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Good suggestion, Glenn. We have never considered that. This trip had no portages, so an extra tent would have been not too cumbersome, although our canoe is pretty darn full. I was thinking that we should have left some stuff home, like the tripod, which we used only once.

Might be a moot point at this juncture. I’m 74 and Kathleen is 70. We had billed this as our last trip. On the other hand, we both felt stronger as the trip progressed. Could be another canoeing adventure in our future.

PaddlingPitt said:

Might be a moot point at this juncture. I’m 74 and Kathleen is 70. We had billed this as our last trip. On the other hand, we both felt stronger as the trip progressed. Could be another canoeing adventure in our future.

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For what it's worth, one of our group on the 6 week Wollaston Lake to Hudson Bay trip celebrated his 71st birthday on the trip. It was a tough trip with lots of portages with heavy packs. Another friend who's in his early 80s is still doing relatively easy northern trips.

Glenn MacGrady said:

Lots of things can go wrong with tents and poles even in my backyard. Do you ever consider bringing a second, backup tent—maybe another six pounds—on a non/few-portage river trip in the unforgiving barrens?

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I like a roomy tent for tripping but I I thought about bringing an extra, easy to pitch 2 man tent. Not necessarily as a spare, but to use as a quick to set up free standing bug shelter w/o the fly, for lunch breaks. If you're in the wrong place at the wrong time in the far north you can't eat without choking on mosquitoes.

I would not consider an extra tent but I do have a 10x10 CCS tarp and have been carrying an 8 oz 8.5x8.5 cuben fiber tarp. I could make do with those two if my tent were to completely fail.

Edit- I missed the barrens part. Tarps may not be the best backup there. Most of my tents weigh less than 6 pounds so I might consider a backup if I’m on a long river trip with few/no ports.

Barry

Waterdog said:

I would not consider an extra tent but I do have a 10x10 CCS tarp and have been carrying an 8 oz 8.5x8.5 cuben fiber tarp. I could make do with those two if my tent were to completely fail.

Edit- I missed the barrens part. Tarps may not be the best backup there. Most of my tents weigh less than 6 pounds so I might consider a backup if I’m on a long river trip with few/no ports.

Barry

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Barry,

You are correct. A tarp would not have saved us. I carry a tarp, but there were no trees available. Besides, it would not have kept us dry and warm in the strong wind and heavy rain. Hypothermia would have been a real possibility. This is our camp the morning after the float plane flew away. Tent (MEC Wanderer 4) is up on the tundra, left side of image.

PaddlingPitt said:

This is our camp the morning after the float plane flew away.

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I can see how a float plane would have trouble landing on that stream and am impressed that you and Kathleen can still paddle such raging waters. What kind of canoe is that? Didn't you used to have a green one?

Glenn MacGrady said:

I can see how a float plane would have trouble landing on that stream and am impressed that you and Kathleen can still paddle such raging waters. What kind of canoe is that? Didn't you used to have a green one?

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Glenn,

That is not a stream. It is water on the beach. When the float plane flew away, Kathleen wanted to pitch our tent back up on the tundra. I disagreed, as we would have a little more protection from the wind on the beach. So we pitched on the beach. It rained so hard that eventually a river was flowing beneath our tent. It was like a waterbed. So we pulled out the pegs and dragged the tent up onto the tundra, where we battled the wind for two hours.

We were camped on Lynx Lake. Here is the float plane coming, before it flew away. The waves didn’t look that bad to me. But I’m not a float plane pilot. I will eventually post a trip report.



Many years ago we had a green Mad River Explorer. Our current canoe is a Wenonah Prospector.

PaddlingPitt said:

That is not a stream. It is water on the beach. When the float plane flew away, Kathleen wanted to pitch our tent back up on the tundra. I disagreed, as we would have a little more protection from the wind on the beach. So we pitched on the beach. It rained so hard that eventually a river was flowing beneath our tent. It was like a waterbed. So we pulled out the pegs and dragged the tent up onto the tundra, where we battled the wind for two hours.

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Michael, I didn't mean to cause you to respond to my whimsical jest about a raging stream. My serious interest was actually in the canoe. However, your pictures and explanations do starkly illustrate your lack of protection from wind and rain. Perhaps in a tent-less emergency you could have created some sort of ground shelter with your tarp pinned down by a barricade of canoe and packs.

Glenn MacGrady said:

Michael, I didn't mean to cause you to respond to my whimsical jest about a raging stream. My serious interest was actually in the canoe. However, your pictures and explanations do starkly illustrate your lack of protection from wind and rain. Perhaps in a tent-less emergency you could have created some sort of ground shelter with your tarp pinned down by a barricade of canoe and packs.

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That would have been our best option, other than perhaps calling in for a helicopter rescue. I have never before felt so vulnerable.

I can relate to many people on here. For me, it’s been a busier than normal schedule in life with cancellations and reschedules. We bought an older GMC Savana 2500 van and have been converting it into a camper, which has been a crossroads between very fun and frustrating. The Heat has killed the drive to be motivated, especially when I work outside in it all day long. Medical setbacks have improved, but also let me know my “endurance” is garbage now. Building displays and shelving for my wife’s herbal craft events. Previous campers lack of cleanliness, or perhaps etiquette aka respect, has called in bear troops that shut areas down until further notice.

After next weekend will be one of, maybe two, weekends that have had no responsibilities, plans, or expectations for anything. My year has been filled with events, family get togethers, doctors, and chores. None of which I wish I missed, other than every pointless doctor “meeting” that costs more in 15 minutes than I make all day.

Going into the cooler season

Finally

I am pulling myself away from most gatherings, projects, and chores to recollect some overdue paddling tripping. Also… my summer job is about to be up, which means a break in between that and transitioning to my winter gig…. Aka… paddling/biking

Patrick Corry said:

Things that interfere?.....

Foremost is a concerned wife who thinks this nearly 70 year old with heart disease shouldn't venture out alone in my canoe!

Somehow It's OK for me to continue working in the building trade, framing walls and roofs, shingling those roofs, working on scaffolding on the exteriors, using shop & job site power tools... all pursuits which have contributed to more injuries than any outdoor pursuit of mine. Just sayin'...

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I can relate 100%

Most recently the one item which has caused interference for me is an aging, and not in good health mother. I needed to cancel a trip this summer to help with her care. The emotional toll of dealing with her health and missing the trip is greater than the sum of the parts. Fortunately she is doing ok now, but ultimately the aging process has but one destination.

I lost this year to hernia surgery last fall. Didn’t heal as quick as advertised. Had shoulder surgery in January, and that recuperation went well. I’m about ready to do a solo. You never know when you may be planning your last canoe trip.