As I've gotten older, I realized that my son and god-daughter have NEVER camped without me. They love to camp and canoe.....but they've lacked the motivation or guts or something to just get out there without me. It's started to bother me.....what will they do when I'm gone? Will they just stop? And who do I give all my gear too? You know, existential questions like that. So I threatened to kick them out of the nest, so to say...paddle out there with them, spend one night, and return without them....all in the guise of training a puppy to canoe camp. I wasn't sure she would be good in the canoe, good in the tent, any of it. They kinda panicked and the deal making began....what if we did ALL the work, and you just sat around in your camp chair and offered advice when we had questions? They admitted finally that they were nervous to do it alone, and I admitted that I'd been a control freak in camp up til now, and we had a deal!