Back to Reality

The Boundary Waters was a great trip.  We really moved, camping on Moose Lake, our entry point, Friday night, then covering half our intended distance on the first full day.

I broke (in this order)

• My Paddle
• Our Tent
• Our Portage Yoke

I was able to repair them all with a little tape and some cord, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid for the structural integrity of most of the objects I touched.

I brought my dog, Ole, along.  This was his first trip to the Boundary Waters, and also his first time in a canoe, so he tried my patience.  Eventually I got him to behave pretty well in the canoe, but that was just about the time we pulled out of the water.

The wind on the last paddle was an absolute bear, and it felt like if we didn’t blow backward too quickly we were doing pretty well.  Finally my partner and I simply had to kick it into high gear.  We looked like human washing machines, and if that lake had been cream there’d have been butter in our wake.  I don’t think either of us will be using our arms too much over the upcoming week.

The weather was absolutely beautiful and other than the wind, the dog, and all the things I broke, there’s little to complain about, and even those don’t seem to be so much when I stack them up against the good time I had.

Unexpected things are dealt with!

Biking around the lake tonight with Jenna, the chain fell off her bike and we were unable to thread it through the rear derailleur without tools.  We were about 6 miles from anything in either direction and were faced with a pretty long walk since cars can’t go on the bike trail and we were too stubborn to call for help.

Then the idea hit us.  Linking our locks together we were able to make a tow-line.  With Jenna’s chain neatly pinned away to keep it from dragging on the ground or getting stuck in the spokes, we cruised, quite well to her house.

Ingenious?  Of course it was.

Biking

I’ve been on the trek quite a bit the last few days, and I’m enjoying it thoroughly.  The bike is light, fast, responsive, and even (gasp) comfortable.  There is a slight issue with the left shifter that I need to work out, so I’ll be taking it back to Home Place soon.  It seems to be more of a mechanical defect than something needing minor adjustments.  It tends to be extremely difficult to down shift, and will shift down two stages at once rather than one.  It’s not a huge problem for riding, just annoying.

In other news the Boundary Waters canoe trip is fast approaching.  I need to dust off my gear and take inventory soon.  I’m planning on bringing a fairly spartan rig.  I don’t want to bring any unnecessary junk with me.  This is more about simplicity than lightness.  I’ve always been pretty wary about getting into the whole “fast and light” school of outdoor adventure because it seems like “fast and light” really often means “dumb and naked.”  Being dumb and naked can be fun, I do it regularly, but on trail it seems like all the grief you avoid by leaving things behind can come back at you in force when things get tough.

Actually, I’ve changed my mind.  I will be going fast and light on this canoe trip.  I’m bringing:

1 Knife (Small and sharp)

1 Umbrella

1 Straw

Total weight, 3.4 lbs.

I can use the knife to murder/forage my meals, the umbrella is my shelter, and the straw will allow me to easily drink water from lakes, streams, and puddles.  I intend to be completely naked, and swim rather than canoe around the BWCA.  If you see me, try not to laugh too hard.

Trek 1.5

Home Place Bike Shop assembled my Trek and gave me a call today.  I took it out for a brief spin (just a few blocks) and I’m pretty sure it’s rocking my world.  Should do a longer ride tonight or tomorrow.  I’ll keep you updated.

BWCAW

Haven’t been able to write for a while as I’ve been without the internet.

Labor day weekend three friends and I will be paddling around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. It’s going to be nice to get away for a while.

In other news I’ve got an ‘09 Trek 1.5 on order that should be assembled and ready to go at the end of the week, and I’m pretty excited. It’s a decent bike.

I’ve been running lately trying to get my basic conditioning up and its going quite well. I’m essentially trying to prepare myself for Finlandia, a 50K XC Ski race that happens here in Bemidji (I believe there are also 25K and 100K races at this event). I figure the best I can do without some training equipment that I can’t afford is just get my cardiovascular system into shape and train skiing once the snow falls (in Bemidji that won’t be too long of a wait).