Obituary for "Kanoes" Jan Johnson

To get started on remembering Kanoes, here’s a link to a thread a year after he passed away. I invite people to add memories and links to other threads about or with great contributions by Jan.

Kanoes, a year later

I didn't really know Jan too well, and never met him personally, but he was a huge presence on the message boards. He could be equal parts curmudgeon and super nice guy, often within a couple of posts. :) I would regularly run into him in chat later at night and he was always pleasant and helpful. Never forgot my name once I told him and always made sure to say hello. He was also extremely generous with his gear - I bought a couple things off of him over the years and couldn't believe what a break he gave on price. He considered it used, but everything was in new condition. The most notable was a CCS tarp. Not only was it in great condition, but it came pre-rigged with tie out loops and a ton of extra rope. I think about him often when I surf through the boards and always look for his name when I need some good advice about tripping. He is definitely missed.

Brandon

Been thinking about getting rid of my Ursack and upgrading to the bigger one. This made me remember how I got my Ursack:

Jan’s Ursack Group Buy

Thanks Jan!

I did love that Jan had strongly held opinions about what gear he liked but that those opinions could change, such as adopting Ursacks and carbon fiber paddles. I liked that he thought things through. Although, I did sort of hold the Ursack purchase against him because we were already using them and I was afraid he got so many people in the BW to use them that the bears would learn about them. But it showed how much he wanted to help people have a great trip. A group buy like that and all the shipping back out afterwards is a lot of work.

I admired that while he could be a curmudgeon, he also apologized if he went too far. Not many people do that. It showed how much he cared.

And, of course, his annual calls for donations to this site were so important.

I regret that I never got to meet him. But I certainly learned a lot from him.

What is amazing and scary about the internet, is that I can reread old posts from Kanoes, and hear his personality all over again.

Here is a link to his trip report going solo down the Frost River. This report convinced me that I could also do a solo trip, and I went down the Frost River:

Jan’s Frost River solo trip

He posted a couple more that are a good read.

So many great memories of Jan. One in particular haunts me. He started posting gear and his boat for sale. I wasn't visiting the forum daily but when I did and saw those posts I thought I should call Jan and see what's up. I VERY nearly did that night. That was the night he died. A serious regret and lesson learned.

RIP brother

Great memories. I'm so grateful to have had the chance to know him even if it was only for a few years. Still missing him. I will always remember that laugh of his! RIP, my friend.