Life in the Cheese Drawer

of course every trip starts with a list. you can’t go wrong.

i pulled out all my gear, cleaned what i could scotchgarded the pack, purchased what i needed to, etc. pushed everything in the living room and thought how i was going to get everything inside the pack.

let’s see what we’ve got!

Nalgene: this is the liquid vessel for the trip. when we went down the river in 2002, i bought this and never thought it would be such an investment. no wonder all the study abroad bennies carried nalgenes with them all over europe. it’s a sturdy piece of equipment.

camera & gear: i got a hard case for my camera and walkaround lens. i has two lenses in the bag but nixed one in favor of space. so now i’ve got the cam, a 24-74 walkaround, 70-300 long, my ND filters, a remote release cord, two extra batteries, 2 32GB SD cards, and one 8GB CF card (well you never know). oh, and a small tripod. stars will hopefully be awesome up there.

Headlamp: yalumi headlamp purchased for night running. it works great, so why mess with anything else. i put new batteries in it.

Solar Charger: i got this a few years ago, and i’m not sure how well it will keep a charge, but i have it attached to a caribener on the top of the pack. also bringing a phone cord to charge. the phone will be an easy-to-grab camera, and nate said this morning while i was hemming about me yeeting it toward a moose: “it’s cheap enough that it’s ok to fall in a lake.”

entertainment: i brought two books, a skinny water resistant notepad, cards, quiddler, and a crossword book.

toiletries: what you’d expect: toothbrush, lotion, some allegra, contacts just in case. i am NOT bringing the wetwipes. i’m gonna hope that i don’t need to be clean LOL

down vest: it’s supposed to get to high 40s overnight! gotta bring this sucker to stay warm in the sleeping bag.

campsite shoes: i went back and forth between sandals and light shoes, but went with the shoes based on the temps.

sunscreen, bug spray, KT: the sunscreen is reef friendly, so i’m hoping it’s bwca friendly as well! bug spray is 25% deet, and KT tape is for my feet because inserts won’t stay put in my watershoes. gotta tape them up really well!

sleeping bag: this is an amazon purchase to get my stuff more compressed! it’s rated for 4 seasons, so i hope it’ll keep me somewhat warm in high 40s. it’s a mummy style but a little spacious.

fancy sleep mat: i got this from klymit based on how i liked their simple sleeping mats. i used it once on my cot at leech lake, and after figuring out that i needed to clasp something, it stayed inflated for 2 nights. so i’m hopeful for a (somewhat) comfortable sleep. i’ll followup on this one because it’s a $150 mat and if it works, it’s worth it.

fancy pillow: this one i got from coop after reading a crapton of reviews. the pillow was $25 and (red) pillowcase $15. again, i feel like this is a splurge, and i’ll followup on this one as well. i did throw it on the floor and put my head on it, and it felt nice, so i’m hopeful about the ground in a tent.

sitting pillow: this is the klymit cush pillow i purchased on a whim thinking it would double as a head pillow at night, but i decided to get an actual pillow. it’s just a long, inflatable piece that you can sit on, rest on, put on your seat, etc. it’s small enough that i don’t feel bad about bringing it.

towels: so i have a microfiber towel, but it’s actually my yoga towel that i wanted to bring for…yoga… so i went to amazon and got an actual set of appropriately sized towels, which includes a bath towel, hand towel, and washcloth size.

yoga towel mat: what, you think i go to the boundary waters and not do yoga? as if. i had this one hand, and it doubled as something to wrap my camera lens in.

rain gear: after experiencing two different types of rain gear for canoeing, i decided this time i would make an investment. columbia has been my go-to outerwear for a long time, so i got their rain pants. i have 3 stinking rainjackets now, but i ended up going with the anorak i got from costco because it’s just a little bit longer than my two columbia ones and the hood seems to have a bit more of an overhang. here’s hoping on that one. i’m not worried about the pants.

coffee mug: i was going to bring my tin mug but saw an insulated travel short coffee mug at DG last week for $5 and picked it up. i bought a couple stickers from scheels and stuck them on there.

food & creamer: well, rae and greg are really taking care of the food, but i picked up some trail mix and clif bars. i also mixed some powdered creamer for myself, a proprietary blend of french vanilla and hot chocolate.

nuun: these little tabs are handy. you just pop one in your water bottle and get a shot of electrolytes and caffeine. i actually drink some of these before a long run and they work well.

clothes: well wouldn’t you know it’s supposed to be rainy and a little chilly. so, i’m bringing shorts, a run tee, flannel, sweatshirt, and some duluth trading company hiking pants for everyday wear. for night, i have a wool long sleeve, yoga pants, and long underwear.

waterbags: like i said before, nate grabbed these during his time as a repo man. here’s what’s going in the waterbags: camera & gear, which will be at the top of the pack; clothes, which will be wherever it fits.

and then all of this will fit into my canoepack, which i got for the 2002 trip. i have to imagine that probably cost around $100 at that time. it’s actually a brand called woods. i can’t find it online for sale anywhere, so who knows what it would be now.

but, i stuffed it in and it all fit.

then of course this morning, i did something to my back while mowing the lawn. perfect! i iced it and i did some yin yoga, then did this weird thing i found online that sort of helped a little, but now i’m like, well, here’s hoping it just fades away overnight. -_-

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!

oh hello! so i went to san antonio for a work conference, and i was pleasantly surprised with the area.

1. the place we stayed at was a resort, and a pretty nice one at that. good job, conference organizers
2. the weather. the weather! there was humidity. there was 80º+. there was perfect sitting by the pool weather. i got a slight sunburn. huzzah!
3. the allergens were a little intense. at this point, i’m waiting to see if it was actually allergens that affected me or if i have the beginning of a cold. i’m hoping NOT the cold, as my half marathon is 3.5 weeks out and i really slacked on the running while i was in TX.
4. we visited the missions. first, conquistadors in the guise of missionaries was pretty disgusting. but, the architecture of the missionaries is pretty awesome, and it’s held up over 300 years. it’s pretty awesome to think that san antonio was settled before some of my ancestors even thought to immigrate. (i say some because i think some of my mom’s peeps were here at that time.)
   
5. and the riverwalk alone was worth the trip! that was an especially pleasant surprise. a lot of food, a lot of people watching, a lot of chances to trip into the drink. but really, it was nice to walk outside in warm weather and enjoy the greenery. it makes me that much more excited to be home at the beginning of spring trying to burst forth!

this afternoon i sat down and scheduled my campsites for my state park visits. i had to pay money, so i guess i’m actually going to do this*!
at the end of the month, i’m heading down to rochester so i’ll pick up a few parks on the way. then i gotta get moving!
june 9 i’ll be camping in split rock creek, which is in the very southwest corner of the state. after the derry reunion, i’ll head north, camping at zippel bay on lake of the woods on july 24, then lake bemidji on july 25. august 11 i’ll be at jay cooke and the 12th up at judge magney.
that last one is the key. after reading “the end of night” i’ve become slightly obsessed with lighting and our night skies. according to a dark site finder, magney is in a dark spot with an expanse of darkness to the south (lake superior). i even checked my weather calendar to make sure the moon phase, moonrise, and moonset were appropriate for a dark sky.
this is PRIMO milky way viewing and photographing. I AM SO EXCITED. i am so obsessed with getting some good shots that i’ve got a weekend in september set aside in the horrible event of cloudy skies. so on top of visiting all the state parks this summer, i guess i’ve tacked on “photograph the milky way”.
i’ll have to do some star shooting beforehand to get back into the groove of that and make sure i remember how to do it. it’s a lot of rigamaroll to get a camera set up for star shooting, but the effort is worth it!
(oh, and i’m looking into upgrading my personal camera to a full frame. we’ll see what happens!)
*i will see SO MUCH of MN this summer. i may even pick up the four counties that i haven’t visited!