You are not logged in. Would you like to login or register?

8/06/2025 11:15 am  #1


Our greatest stupidities

A few things that I believe:
I make mistakes
I can (try to) not repeat the same mistake twice.
The greatest thing about mistakes: I can be reminded to be humble… and to treat my favourite place - solo my canoe - with respect — in the sense that screwing up can result in amusement but potentially in a very dangerous predicament.

So… what’s been your greatest bit of backcountry stupidity?


____
My greatest (worst).
On an enormous lake, I pulled my canoe up onto the site’s little sand beach.  I unloaded a pile firewood.  I did pull the canoe WAY up into the sand.  It wasn’t even touching the water… but I did not flip it, I left it upright on the sand. I was looking forward to going for a paddle in a while
Pulling it up so far seemed a bit wise but not really…
I completely forgot to go back partly because a hell of a storm came through.
I battened down the camp but forgot about the canoe.
I got into my tent to ride out the downpour that blew sideways.
Apparently, a 40lb prospector (very flat bottomed) canoe can be blown across sand and out into the lake.
Remember?… enormous lake?

I was incredibly lucky.
I was on Opeongo.
A water taxi turned up just after the storm ended.  “Is this your canoe?”.

Seriously humbling.
Amazingly lucky that I was even on the only lake with water taxis.
The kindness of that water taxi driver was extremely appreciated…
…without it, I did still have an out (Zoleo wife, have her phone water taxi to hire one to retrieve us and find the canoe)..,
On any other trip, I would have been in very big trouble.
Especially since I do most of my trips in the shoulder season and, especially in the fall, it’s common for me to not see anyone for days at a time.

**A MASSIVE SHOUT OUT TO ALGONQUIN OUTFITTERS… I stopped by on our way home to thank them in person and spent some money in the store.

—/
So… anyone else?
🤪

 

Board footera