The forgotten item

[Odyssey]

My memory has always been poor. Although at times it comes in handy (last time I remember I was 40 years old so let's just go with that) but mostly it's a complete pain in the whatever. I have however forgotten very few gear items on canoe trips. Remarkable perhaps or just plain lucky. In any case I blew my perfect record last year forgetting our maps. Maybe it was a change in plans that threw me off. For the first time I came prepared with a Plan A and a Plan B. I don't know why I did that; indecisive as to which would be funner? I don't know. Anyway we had two different routes leaving from the same put-in. Pretty clever eh? Not so clever being 3 hours into Plan A looking down at a map case containing maps for Plan B. She was perturbed until I reassured her that we couldn't really get lost given that the chain of lakes we were lollygagging through only had single ports through. It was an allez-retour route, one way in and one way return. We still had 2 compasses as well as my nearly infallible memory of the countless hours I'd spent daydream planning the trip. Well, at least we had compasses.

 

[Guest]

I forget small pieces sometimes but the worst part is getting the pieces I use on the way to paddle that don't make it into the canoe. It was my insulated coffee cup this last trip.

Oh hell no, I’d have to paddle back if I forgot my insulated mug. Via instant coffee, slurped from yesterday’s freeze dried beef stroganoff packaging, sounds less than appetizing. Probably spill it all over my jacket too.

There is a specific truck travel mug near the coffee maker at home; specific because the Tacoma’s weirdo cup holders necessitate a peculiar design.

There is a spare truck travel mug, also holder sized, that lives in the passenger’s door cubby, in case I have a mug-less traveling companion. Or forget my own, most likely left full of hot pre-dawn coffee, still on the kitchen counter.

(Off-topic, I’ve mentioned this before, if you walk into most any convenience store, late at night or pre-dawn, holding a Thermos and ask “How much to fill this up?” the reply is most often “Same as a large cup”. Be decent about it and don’t bring the mega 20 cup Thermos. Bored night-shift clerks have offered to make me a fresh pot)

And then there is my insulated camp mug, always in the breakfast bag in the barrel. A 20 year old Bodum, still my favorite (hint: the bottom sleeves into a foam Coozie, which fits in the camp chair receptacle, or in the minicel canoe console for extra insulation.

PA060090 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

Although yes, the item most often forgotten is the travel mug. Those very mugs I have set down, just for a minute, on the truck roof or cap. And then driven off forgetting they were there. I’ve thumpathumpa heard, and rearview mirror seen, most of them take brief flight. Few survived the landing fully intact.

Now more often solo, with fewer distractions - kids or shuttle companions milling about yammering - it has been a while since I forgotten a coffee mug on the roof. Or anything else; years ago I lost a favorite dry bag off the cap roof, and 6 months later lost a nice pair of binoculars. Both on the same remote stretch of south Texas blacktop.

Jinx!

 

[pblanc]

OK, which of you guys has forgotten the boat? I know you are out there.

 

[lowangle al]

With all of the details involved with packing for a trip it's easy to forget something. I don't work off a list, I just look through the pile of stuff that I'm not taking for anything I may need. The problem with the frying pan is that it was in the kitchen and not with the rest of the gear.

 

[Fitz]

I forgot my tent, twice!

 

[Black_Fly]

Forgot my portage yoke one time. Had to borrow one from an outfitter.

 

[Black_Fly]

Forgot my portage yoke one time. Had to borrow one from an outfitter. I always forget something. It's become a game to figure out what I forgot.

 

[sweeper]

I always forget something. It's become a game to figure out what I forgot.

That's why we stop at the Katadhion General store in Millinocket on the way to the Allagash, just to look at the gear and see if something jumps out.

 

[ErktheRed]

I was working at a small gear shop, and we had some awesome gear the employees could use whenever we wanted. So I came home one winter with a Mountain Hardware Space Station tent, the type you see on Everest, so I linked up with some friends for a winter camp outing. We got to the campsite (an off-free use at your own risk, unplowed campground) around 8pm so it was pretty dark already, and it started to snow really good. I dig through the tent bag, and we couldn’t find the instructions. None of us ever pit this thing together, but we tried. And successfully…. After 30 min by headlamp and car lights. The tent didn’t have floor, which was fine since we all kept our boots on. We were eventually ready to go to bed were all getting our places set up but I couldn’t find my sleeping pad! Another thing missing, I couldn’t believe it. And my pad of all things!! I tore the cardboard box apart that we were using for fired wood, grabbed the tent duffle, and slept on that all night. I have a nice down bag, but I didn’t get any sleep that night. Woke up extremely ready for a hot cup of mud…..my buddy forgot the coffee It was a great night with old friends, my pad was behind my jeep seat and we found the instructions folded into wallet size tucked inside of the bag. Go figure!

 

[dcloots]

Have only adventured once this season thus far and that was in May on the St. John River from Baker Lake to Dickey Bridge with my father. As per the usual when preparing for a trip like this a smart person would go through their gear more than once which I did, but here is the not so smart part. I had already been packed for a solo Allagash trip that didn't materialize and the solo tent was packed. I did happen to remember this at the very last moment and exchanged the solo for the 6 man tent and packed that tent. This St. John trip was with a very large group (which I am not accustomed to) and upon arrival and setting up camp at Norm L'Ataliens Pelletier campground in preparation for an early morning transport and departure I realized that the tent poles were not in the tent sack. My college aged children had used the equipment and placed the poles in another tent bag. Shame on me for not checking but I was up against the clock and the tent bag weight was appropriate enough for an educated guess that they had to be in there. Luckily, Norm had an old tent in his rental house basement that he rented to me for $20. I did feel like a complete numbskull, however I know for sure in the future I will not forget tent poles again and more than likely will forget something else.

 

[dcloots]

Have only adventured once this season thus far and that was in May on the St. John River from Baker Lake to Dickey Bridge with my father. As per the usual when preparing for a trip like this a smart person would go through their gear more than once which I did, but here is the not so smart part. I had already been packed for a solo Allagash trip that didn't materialize and the solo tent was packed. I did happen to remember this at the very last moment and exchanged the solo for the 6 man tent and packed that tent. This St. John trip was with a very large group (which I am not accustomed to) and upon arrival and setting up camp at Norm L'Ataliens Pelletier campground in preparation for an early morning transport and departure I realized that the tent poles were not in the tent sack. My college aged children had used the equipment and placed the poles in another tent bag. Shame on me for not checking but I was up against the clock and the tent bag weight was appropriate enough for an educated guess that they had to be in there. Luckily, Norm had an old tent in his rental house basement that he rented to me for $20. I did feel like a complete numbskull, however I know for sure in the future I will not forget tent poles again and more than likely will forget something else.

 

[lowangle al]

I wonder what I'm going to forget on this weekends trip. I hope it's the stopper for the champagne bottle.

 

[Carp]

Water filter. Twice in 2 years. Always managed to buy a new one before the trip started. I have a nice collection going...

Also a food bag with all your food once upon a time as I recall!

Also his bucket once upon a time as i recall!

 

[WMass Paddler]

I forgot the coffee pot while in the North Maine Woods staging for an Allagash trip. We though we were in a spot to camp overnight, after a 6 hour drive, to be able to wake up the next morning and put-in early. Instead, we jumped back into the truck, back to Millinocket (2 hours) to buy a pot.

 

[goonstroke]

That's why we stop at the Katadhion General store in Millinocket on the way to the Allagash, just to look at the gear and see if something jumps out.

I was just there Friday evening. I bought some chocolate milk and my friend bought some (cough) brake fluid. We made it to our campsite before dark.

 

[Mike McCrea]

OK, which of you guys has forgotten the boat? I know you are out there.

(Still takes a couple moves to get logged on, but here goes)

The closest I can come is miscalculating the number of canoes needed on a group trip.

Bunch of far flung guys meeting up at the Tortoise Reserve in coastal North Carolina for a weekend of rivers. I had my canoe on the van and racked a loaner for a friend. I was perhaps not clear about exactly for whom and how many loaner boats I was bringing.

We came up one short. Thankfully there are three loaner canoes available at the Tortoise Reserve, and Topher kindly volunteered to paddle one of them. He had not actually seen the available selection before volunteering. Those available canoes were:

A poly MRC Adventure 16, with an active wasp nest in each and every one of the 16 molded-in cup holders. Topher might have paddled it tandem with someone, it’s actually not a bad paddling canoe, but no one wanted to deal with the wasps.

An early fiberglass (woven roving? chopper gun?) Old Town Stillwater 12 “tandem”, the most “pumpkin seed” of canoes; seemingly as wide as it was long, with a single semi-rotted thwart where a yoke should have been. I did repair that one some years later, it hasn’t moved since.

An ancient square stern 12 footer, a Raddison or Sportspal, whichever one had the beer can thick aluminum with folded over flaps glued together to form a patchwork aluminum “skin”. It had not seen water in 30 years, had no seat, and the black foam everywhere on the interior had degraded into itchyscratch crumbles at the slightest touch. One aluminum rib was missing, two were sprung loose. Beauty.

Upon inspection, always up for a challenge, Topher chose the Beer Can Special. Unable to sit, he stood and poled it throughout the day. Bow backwards, standing far back in the bow at an absurd uplift angle; the transom and half the stern end leaked like a sieve.

I need to find those photos.

 

[sweeper]

lowangle al Thanks buddy, I was doing really well at taking everything I needed and forgetting only the small stuff, right up until this Friday. I had the canoe all loaded and ready to slide into the water, 50 miles in the woods when it hit me like a ton of bricks. I forgot the paddles! Fortunately, I was able to get one from the ranger back at Chamberlian Bridge.

 

[Seeker]

Water (on a day trip when I was relying on that bottle, and not carrying a filter.)
Paddles... Had no choice but to leave my canoe hidden in the woods off the highway and run 3 miles back to the house to get them.
Seat. This is not a good thing in a sit-in solo. Fortunately, i forgot it at a portage, and only had to walk a few hundred yards to get it.
Pillow. Not good. I'm at the age where you go to sleep and wake up injured... NEED my pillow. oh well. stuffsack full of clothes to the rescue.
Seam seal. Forgot to seal a new hammock tarp. Of course it rained. Of course it leaked.
TP. Fortunately, a day trip and I improvised.
Spoon. Seems to be what I forget often. Fortunately, I'm a good whittler.
Lighter. Bummed one off a couple camping nearby, so not fatal. I now carry a half dozen or so sprinkled in my gear.
Walked off and left my shoes and socks on shore once, got to the takeout, and had to walk 1/3 of a mile barefoot... uncomfortable, but not deadly.

Generally, unless it's tarp, sleeping bag, fire maker, or cooking pot, you can improvise or do without.

 

[DanOver]

Pee bottle for the tent on a downpouring night…..sigh. A Nalgene was sacrificed. I was pissed off, but better than being pissed on.