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Listening Point - General Discussion

Called Off The Trip And Drove Home.

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wetcanoedog

06/08/2012 11:12AM

in all my years of BW tripping,since 1982,i never turned back and went home.on the 6Th i never even got to the landing at the Indian Sioux.
everything was going great,the packs were lighter and the gear well thought out.my old "canoe car" ran like it was new and the drive up was on the cruise control with not a traffic hassle anywhere.
the lay over night at Jennette Lake felt like a good start with a big gold sunset against passing rain far to the West.i set up my older dome tent and sleeping mat and bag and then a dinner of canned beef stew on a classic camp stove with photos for the stove gang in the UK.
3:30 AM it all went bad-- i woke to cold water dripping on my face from the open door,it was pouring out and the rain was running off the cap at the top of the dome and onto the bug net part of the door and i had deep puddles everywhere.the clothes i drove up in were wet as was the polyfluff hoodie i was going to wear on the trip.i zipped up,mopped up with a towel ment for the wash up on the return and went back into a fitful sleep.
at sun up with the rain still on i went to the car and in bare feet,shorts and a damp tee shirt drove up and down the Echo Trail to heat the car and try and dry out a bit.
at this point the small car with two canoes on top that came in late last night drove off,i hope they had a good trip!!
things seemed sort of confused,i mulled over just what i could do.
i had left the stove on the table along with the coffee makings,the dome tent was a sodded mess,i was groggy and damp.
i decided to go home...the thought was i'm retired and can come up anytime and i get that half off rate for the over 65 gang so the only real loss was the gas for the car.i stuffed the wet tent,sleeping bags and so on in the trunk and drove off vowing to return in the next month or so where i could get a permit.
thats not the end of it-------at Cook where i stopped for coffee and a sweet roll i made the call home to let my Wife know what was going on,she was not at work....i called home..she was sobbing--the old dog had died during the night at at that moment the vet was taking it away......the old canoe dog was 17...it was a hard drive home..
the packs are in my den and my Wife and i are going back up at the end of the month with just one canoe dog----

it's just a level trail thru the woods.

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billconner

06/08/2012 11:44AM

Many condolences.

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Zulu

06/08/2012 11:54AM

I am sorry about the trip and the old canoe dog passing.
Take care.

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Ragged

06/08/2012 11:55AM

So sorry for your loss, it would seem that maybe a higher power had decided you were needed elsewhere in that time of sorrow, I know my wife would be destroyed if our little yipper passed away and nobody was there to talk with.

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serenityseeker

06/08/2012 11:59AM

so sorry for your loss. but I'm glad you and your wife are together during this time. The bw will be there in a few weeks. Take care of yourselves. Its very hard to lose a member of your family.

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cinna

06/08/2012 12:02PM

It's tough to put your best friend down. My sympathies. His spirit will live on in the many future trips you have coming to you.

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alpine525

06/08/2012 12:04PM

Very sorry to hear this news. Pets are part of the family - and the loss is always great.

Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace. Dalai Lama

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Savage Voyageur

06/08/2012 12:18PM

so sorry for the loss of your friend. Trips can be taken again, you were needed at home.

"So many lakes, so little time."

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boss_angler

06/08/2012 12:41PM

Sincere condolences on your loss WCD... Always terrible to lose a friend no matter what the species. I agree with Ragged... sounds like there may have been more at work here in the bigger picture.

There is no Sin greater than Ignorance. ~ Rudyard Kipling

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fitgers1

06/08/2012 12:41PM

Bummer. Sorry the loss of your dog and that your trip was ruined by the rain.

Your dilemma with the rain and tent raise a question with me. I wonder if this has happened to anyone in the past and what they did? If it happened to me I think I would have tried going to a laundromat in Ely and try to dry everything in a clothes dryer on low heat for the tent and regular heat for everything else. Then hopefully be able to continue on with the trip. Of course this would not happen in an event such as yours, I'd go home to.

Again, condolences on your dog. It sucks. Been there a few times.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Ralph Waldo Emerson...and...“Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".

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mooseplums

06/08/2012 12:45PM

Sorry for your loss...I put my buddy of 14 years down a couple years ago...it was one of the toughest days ever

"I am haunted by waters"~Norman Maclean "A River Runs Through It"

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Ho Ho

06/08/2012 01:08PM

So sorry about the canoe dog passing away! But s/he had a long life and it must have been a good one.

Obviously, that night was cursed for you. Glad you can come back again soon.

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arctic

06/08/2012 01:11PM

Very sorry to hear of the loss of your dog. Perhaps it was best that you went home to be with your wife during this hard time. As for your wet gear, I would consider buying a new tent, unless your getting wet was just a result of an open door.

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sunnybear09

06/08/2012 01:16PM

My deepest sympathies for the loss of your beloved friend. May you always recall the joy and affection he brought you---and you him.
Sunnybear's Dad

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2K10

06/08/2012 01:21PM

quote Ragged: "So sorry for your loss, it would seem that maybe a higher power had decided you were needed elsewhere in that time of sorrow "

I was thinking the same thing.....maybe it was old canoe dogs spirit telling you to come home. Very sorry for your loss, I know how tough it is :-( Cherish the memories of the many great years you had together, and know that his spirit will be with you on your future trips!

"Live in the Moment: You can't change yesterday, but you can ruin today worrying about tomorrow"

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Merganser

06/08/2012 01:25PM

Bummer on multiple levels.

"That sort of thing is my bag baby."

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Longpaddler

06/08/2012 01:35PM

Sorry to hear this...but I'll bet your dog had a great life and is regaling his buds in Heaven about his great 17 years of canoeing w/ you...."All Dogs Go To Heaven"

..there is nothing- absolute nothing- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats - Wind in the Willows

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gutmon

06/08/2012 02:05PM

Everything happens for a reason. I think your wife needed you at home.

"The trouble with the world isn't that people know too little, but that they know so much that just ain't so." Mark Twain

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ozarkpaddler

06/08/2012 02:51PM

So sorry about your loss, my pups are special to me too. I have a similar story from 1998.

My mother-in-law had a heart attack and ended up in the hospital just prior to a trip. After she was doing better, my wife encouraged me to go solo. Since all was well and she was going to be getting out in a few days, I headed north. A solo trip starting on Sag headed to Ester.

The rain started pounding me about half way across Red Rock Bay. I recall having to pull over and empty the canoe a couple times between American Point and Swamp Lake. Rain let up and I made camp hurriedly. I'm usually comfortable in the wilderness, but just had this sense of "Foreboding." Didn't get much sleep that night. Next morning, I just felt like I couldn't go on. Couldn't put my finger on it, but I headed back.

When I got back that afternoon, I called my wife from a pay phone at the end of the trail and she said nothing was wrong, I didn't need to come home. But, I told her I just didn't feel good about staying, "Something" just wasn't "Right." So, after meeting up with some friends at Sven & Ole's, the next morning I headed the 970 miles straight through, stopping only for gas. I got home about 1:00 am, LITERALLY just as my wife was on the phone with a friend, another nurse, telling her that her mother had just died suddenly. IMHO nothing short of "Divine intervention" could have placed me at home at just that time, after a 17 hour drive.

"Let us live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." Mark Twain

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kanoes

06/08/2012 03:11PM

my sympathies dave.

i think bigfoot is blurry. (mitch hedberg)

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ducks

06/08/2012 04:30PM

So sorry. Losing a dog is very tough. We've lost 2 in the last 2 years. Your wife definitely needed you at home. Enjoy the trip when you get to go.

Pura Vida

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chesapeakes

06/08/2012 07:48PM

Sorry for your loss. Hope your next trip goes better.

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IBFLY

06/08/2012 08:06PM

Well that sucks. I'm very sorry about your dog. You are right trips can get rescheduled and itg's good you could get back to be with your wife.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

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TomT

06/08/2012 08:08PM

Damn, that's a tough day. Hope you find a new canoe dog someday.

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Thwarted

06/08/2012 08:44PM

I am so very sorry for your most miserable turn of events.
I am heading out EP 14 next Wed greatly encouraged because of
a trip report from you. Is there anyplace in particular you would
like me to check on for you? Let me know.
Planning to round the Lac La Croix horn to Pocket Creek and return
through Finger et. al. Have a copy of your portage shortcuts in
my map case already to go.

Would have made my day to run into you.

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SunCatcher

06/08/2012 08:56PM

Dave,
amazing what happens in life. Sorry for the loss of your "worlds best dog" I lost Molly April 17th and I know how you feel.
Start planning again, and have fun on the next trip.

SunCatcher

Dad Always said "We don't Always catch fish...but we ALWAYS have a good time"

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wetcanoedog

06/08/2012 11:32PM

Thanks for all your kind words,my Wife got sort of broken up reading them and had to stop part way thru.
i should note that the dome tent and gear that got wet was old and i just use it for the camp at Jennette the night before i leave.my tripping gear was in the car packed and ready to go in the AM.
the dome tent was also the canoe dogs "dog house" when we go camping!

it's just a level trail thru the woods.

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analyzer

06/09/2012 01:29AM

I feel your pain. We put down our 13 yr old golden ret, this past April. It was the hardest thing I've had to do in my lifetime. I am also sorry about your truncated trip. I can relate to that as well, as we nearly lost our trip do to truck malfunction. I hope your next adventure goes better, and soon. Sorry for your loss.

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OneMatch

06/09/2012 02:19AM

My heart aches just reading this. I hope you and your wife's healing begins soon woth memories of your family member bringing more smiles than tears

We all have to believe in something. I believe I'll go paddle.

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WhiteWolf

06/09/2012 02:53AM

Losing a pet... rips your heart out. It's almost like a family member. Lost my dad when I was 18. really Bad.. But close to that is losing a pet rabbit of 9 years that was 11 when passed. I know not a human and all,, but the attachement/relationship you get with a pet is hard to explain to those who don't have one. Put to sleep,, buried in the back yard. Just pissy. But the memories and wonderful times... AHHH!!!! I ,,and think most would do it all over again,,, evening knowing how you feel now.
I hope you feel better. and have fun at the end of the month.

"What good fortune for governments that the people do not think." — Adolf Hitler

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Beaverjack

06/09/2012 03:37AM

Sorry about the dog. They don't live long enough.

About the rain - bad weather can dampen spirits. I try not to make rash decisions when my spirits are down. If the sun had broken out that PM, then you've lost a little time, so what? You're retired, remember? A stiff upper lip and a good book will help you prevail over dampened spirits. I've done the same thing, and later regretted it. Once, in 1982, I think, I drove from El Passo to a trailhead near Mogollon, NM in order to backpack into the Gila Wilderness to hunt mule deer. I got to the trailhead in the afternoon, and hiked up the mountain. It was too late to drop back down into the valley, so I made camp on the top. Well, a snow storm came in that night and I woke with the tent touching my nose. I had to get out several times and knock snow off. After that night, I was tired and facing a hike in a 18" of snow, into an unfamiliar area. I went back down to the car, cooked some cocoa, headed home, got a ticket. The weather cleared nicely and all the snow melted at lower elevations within a few hours, but once down, I didn't want to cross that snowy divide. Seemed like a huge undertaking for my tired soul. Had I pushed on from my camp, I would have been rewarded with better weather and less snow, and probably some damn good hunting. Packing a buck back over that divide would have been a mess, but what the hell, it would have been a fun trip. I never made it back to that area, although I did haul stock 2500 miles and enter south of there in '96. Now, much of that has burned. I heard they saved the town of Mogollon, though. Lesson is that decisions made with dampened spirits are less than perfect ones.

Tony

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Basspro69

06/09/2012 11:08AM

Wetcanoe im really sorry to hear about your dog, you have my condolences. The one and only time I left the Gunflint was during a snow event in October, I had heard about the minepits near Crosby and decided this was a good time to go find them. It turned out to be a good decision because not only did I wake up to a gorgeous sunrise, but I caught about 40 rainbow trout that day, it worked out well. Heres a picture of what the area looks like

" I want to know Gods thoughts , The rest are details " Albert Einstein.

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mjmkjun

06/09/2012 04:57PM

I feel your pain in loss of your dog.
It's a good thing you are able to listen and respect that inner voice. So many dismiss the alerts.

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slackard

06/09/2012 07:54PM

i will preface with only this.. i am a cold, ruthless, insensitive bastard.

That being said, it sounds like your trip could have been salvaged with a little effort the night before.

Why not just take the precaution that evening of planning for rain by battening down camp??? something I always do. No matter what.

If I read correctly you left your dome tent open, or your windows or something? ...bad idea. :(

On the bright side, as you say, half off for seniors isnt a bad thing!

Personally I've scratched 3 trips. One where my buddy tore his achillies tendon 2 days before our entry date. -- Another, in early spring where the rangers actually called me to tell me the Kawishiwi lake road was closed due to snow pack. D`OH! -- And a winter trip where my overly gung-ho buddy overly did it on an overly frigid day, and overly started coughing up blood on Tuscarora. We left immediately the next morning. Taking it slow! At the time I was pissed at him for not pacing him self. His brazen (im a badass) stupidity could have gotten him a lot more sick than he was, or dead.

Anyway, glad you were still close to the car and could get out of dodge safely.. This situation could have been bad, bad news, had you been miles deep into the woods.

Better luck next time :)

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bellolake

06/10/2012 07:18PM

So sorry that things all fell apart at the same time, Dave. Sometimes one can't help but wonder why things happen how and when they do. You needed to be home and Mother Nature gave you a push in that direction.
When anyone posts here about the loss of a pet, it reminds me of one of my favorite Mark Twain quotes, "Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in."

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Beaverjack

06/10/2012 07:33PM

quote slackard: "i will preface with only this.. i am a cold, ruthless, insensitive bastard.

That being said, it sounds like your trip could have been salvaged with a little effort the night before.

Why not just take the precaution that evening of planning for rain by battening down camp??? something I always do. No matter what.

Better luck next time :)"

I guess I'm also cold and insensitive, but I'm trying. Still, I gotta say that slackard is right. You gotta not leave crap laying about and not squared away. An ounce of prevention...and all that. If anything, that would be the lesson I'd take from this adventure. We've all been there, so it ain't no big deal. I often wonder how many canoes are blown away overnight in the BW.

Tony

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sterngirl

06/10/2012 08:57PM

So very sorry about your dog.

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wetcanoedog

06/11/2012 10:35AM

Slack..i don't want to drag out this post anymore but all the gear for the trip was safe and dry in the car.it was just the old tent and sleeping gear i take for the drive-in camp that got wet.
i have gone out on a rainy AM and would have this time but 2010-11 were so stormy that i was storm bound for days at a time and did not want a replay of that wasted effort.
this Youtube is what i wanted.

a fine start on the LIS

not this!..

Storm Bound

a day or two i can take,five days in the same camp not so.
so anyway thats why the trip was called off and the whole thing with the phone call at Cook and the Old Dog made me feel like it was ment to be..
lets move on.

it's just a level trail thru the woods.

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BWPaddler

06/11/2012 04:19PM

quote 2K10: "quote Ragged: "So sorry for your loss, it would seem that maybe a higher power had decided you were needed elsewhere in that time of sorrow "

I was thinking the same thing.....maybe it was old canoe dogs spirit telling you to come home. Very sorry for your loss, I know how tough it is :-( Cherish the memories of the many great years you had together, and know that his spirit will be with you on your future trips!"
Absolutely.

Wherever there is a channel for water, there is a road for the canoe. -Thoreau

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Dbldppr1250

06/11/2012 05:39PM

I am not up on the "half off" you are referring to. Can you explain what you get at 65 that is half off?

Walking School Bus

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DuluthPak

06/11/2012 06:39PM

I am so sorry about the pooch. I have a feeling that the old dog was somehow signaling you to come home. My condolences.

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HighPlainsDrifter

06/11/2012 09:04PM

I am sorry for the loss of your dog.

"Boredom, Tyler - that's what's wrong. And how do you beat boredom, Tyler?... Adventure...(Never Cry Wolf, 1983)

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wetcanoedog

06/12/2012 11:21AM

Db..at age 65 i get a lower price for the campgrounds,$5 a night and i have a Senior Pass that covers the Forest Service,National Parks and a few others so i get into the BW at a lower rate.

it's just a level trail thru the woods.

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paddlefamily

06/12/2012 11:32AM

sorry for the loss of a dear companion. hope your trip turns out better next time.

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yellowcanoe

06/12/2012 12:02PM

quote wetcanoedog: "Db..at age 65 i get a lower price for the campgrounds,$5 a night and i have a Senior Pass that covers the Forest Service,National Parks and a few others so i get into the BW at a lower rate."

To clarify, you can get Senior Pass at 62. Its good for reduced camping fees and free admission to any Federally run recreational site. A one time ten dollar fee..the card is good for a lifetime.

senior pass

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wetcanoedog

06/12/2012 01:56PM

thanks yellowcanoe..i'm so muddled lately that things are not coming thru right...
HOWEVER...i just got the last permit for the Moose River North that was in my date range!!! August 11th..my Daughter will be off to the UK to finish up her PhD and will be gone for a year and that will be the last i'll see of her for a long while.so quality time with her and then into the BW will round out the canoe season.
i hope the weather at that time of year will have calmed down and the bad last two years down the LIS will be replace by a grand time via the Moose to LLC.
i'm keeping my fingers crossed for the June 25 trip to loaf around Lake Jennette with my Wife and the canoe dog.
i picked up some day permits so we will be in the BW to look around.

it's just a level trail thru the woods.

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