gear for zen in the bwca in the time of covid
in two weeks, i’m heading to the boundary waters canoe area with my aunt rae, uncle greg, and cousin lori! we’ll be there for four overnights, then on the fifth night i’m heading to judge magney state park (must be my destination camping park, i guess!).
the last time i was in the bwca, i was 14 years old! that was 27 years ago! i’m old, peeps. the last time i was on a canoe trip was in 2002, which was closer to 14-yr-old me than current me, so that’s also scary to ponder.
before i start to wax eloquent about time like i usually do, let’s get back to the task at hand.
while i have a lot of car camping gear, you can’t just throw your regular camping gear into the canoe and portage it all. well, i guess you CAN (i’m talking to you, norm wallace), but portaging would just be awful. (portaging is hauling all your gear to the next lake.) as such, i’ve had to buy some gear.
i decided to NOT buy a canoe. lori and i rented a canoe and paddles for the trip. but everything else i either have or have purchased.
what did i have?
- canoepack from the great 2002 river trip debacle
- waterproof bags that nate inherited during his time as a repo man. (yes, you read that right.)
- several camping odds and ends, like headlamp (thanks, ragnar!), rainjacket, small LED lantern, etc.
- nalgene from the 2002 river trip. that bad boy is still going strong, so it’s coming with.
what did i purchase new for this trip?
- a pair of rainpants
- a pair of keen watershoes
- new, more compact sleeping bag (now nate and i own 5 sleeping bags. don’t ask.)
- fluffier, more comfortable air mattress (this will work well with my cot, too, for the future)
- $45 ON A (compressible) CAMPING PILLOW DANG IT I’M GONNA SLEEP WELL
- a hardcase for my CAMERA because you can bet your bottom i’m gonna take my camera and a small tripod with me. my only dilemma now is if i make do with my one lens, or if i bring a second. and which one? wide angle or long? WHAT IF I SEE A MOOSE AND IT’S FAR AWAY?? what if the milky way is super awesome and i want to supersize it?? any additional lens would require some sort of protection that i haven’t figured out quite yet.
speaking of moose, i’m totally on #moosewatch2020. if this year can do one thing right, it can let me see a moose.
so this morning, my aunt rae sent an email with links to videos from the bwca peeps on how to prep for the trip. it was so calming seeing the lakes, and then they had this calming music in the background. i’m looking forward to having a zen week with no access to internet and news. sigh. so ready for that!