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Your toughest/dumbest /out/ings ?
Two camping trips I've done that were hell:
1. > (pictured) Paddle and portage a 74 lb canoe about 15 miles to a remote pond which was interesting because of its size (5 mi diameter) and inaccessibility (no trails, no waterways). Brother and I first paddled 10 mi up lake before embarking on the portage, last mile of which was swamp and bog. Making things fun was 95 deg heat and peak of bug season- deer flies, black flies, mosquitoes biting through shirts. We wore headnets, pants and long sleeves despite the heat and the daunting physical task. I used a towel as a cape to keep protect my back from mosquitoes. After the first 50 feet hauling the canoe from shore we questioned the wisdom of this plan, but went on, stopping every 100 feet to rest and slap bugs. After 4 hrs we covered the 2 mi and reached the bogs. Canoe was back in water but hell had just begun. The swamp only inches deep, mazes of beaver dams and fallen trees separating us from the pond, which was never within eyesight. Eventually we had to give up, ditched the canoe innawoods for the night and camped back at the lake. Have still never seen that Pond, someday we'll try again.
2. > First winter camp, ~5-6 mile January hike to an off-trail Pond with minimal supplies, including no snowshoes or skies, and me forgotting extra socks. The last 2-3 mi was bushwhack in 2 ft of snow. We dragged a sled behind with a small bundle of kindling and sleeping bags, no pads (!). When we got to the campsite our legs and boots were drenched, the site was blanketed in snow, unused since Fall. Dark fell 430 pm with temps in the teens, fire was no help. We shivered and slept maybe an hour- toughest night /out/ I've ever had. At 7am there was enough light to see that my boots and socks had become blocks of ice. At that point we were desperate enough to consider ditching our gear before going back, but we were able to start a fire, warm up and hike the 5 miles back safely.
