Campfire
BRING IT ALL AND BRING IT ON. PHOTO: ROBIN POWELL
[ EDITORIAL ] There Be Dragons Exploring the uncharted waters of each and every what-if
The first time I paddled into the backcoun- try on an unguided trip, I was prepared. Our over-loaded canoes held enough
supplies to start a new life on campsite 33. Oh, sure, we’d brought far too much food—any rookie can make that mis- take—but we’d also brought the kitchen sink, including: A five-pound military- grade shovel for digging an unneeded la- trine; a flare gun, for any emergencies at sea that we might encounter on our inland lake; and more than one hunting knife— not because we planned to do any hunting, three of the four of us were vegetarian, but just because you never know. The badminton kit was probably over
the top. Unfamiliar with our canoes and un-
skilled in campcraft, our preparations had taken the form of buying out the local outdoors store. What if we were attacked
6 | Canoeroots
by a bear? What if we got lost? What if we got bored? These are the dragons of newbie camp-
ers everywhere, and we tried to slay them all with our purchases, preparing for any eventuality. In our inexperience, each imagined scenario—extraordinary or mundane—seemed equally as likely. Outdoor education research shows that
the less time people spend in the back- country, the more risky a place they per- ceive it to be. Getting lost, wild animal attacks and grave injuries top the list of common wilderness fears. That each of those events occur relatively rarely in the backcountry doesn’t change the inexpe- rienced camper’s perception of their own risk. Being told I was far more likely to get a sprained ankle than a sucking chest wound didn’t stop me from passing up the Tensor bandage for more surgical tape.
When I look back on that trip, I’m not
surprised that we went laden with enough parachute cord and emergency blankets to weather the Apocalypse. But I cringe to re- member that we paddled out in near gale- force winds with neither the knowledge or strength to rescue a swamped boat stuffed with hundreds of pounds of tied-in gear. So concerned with the imagined dan-
gers, we failed to see the real peril in the cold water all around us. Our own assess- ment of the hazards left us woefully mis- guided; only knowledge and experience can lead to an accurate perception of risk. Not surprisingly, at campsite 33, we had
an emergency-free week—no bears, burns or boredom. The military shovel was never unfolded, the knives stayed sheathed and the flare gun remained unloaded. Slowly, with each subsequent trip, our
worries fell away, as did the unnecessary gear. We’d been so busy packing to slay unlikely what-if scenarios, it took years to realize that only the finely tempered edge of experience can strike a dragon’s heart. A decade later, Canoeroots’ managing edi-
tor, Kaydi Pyette, still brings the badminton kit—just in case.
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