The clock is winding down to the beginning of the 22nd Annual Memorial Weekend Canoe Trip. It is officially official that Bug and I are going to be the only ones to go this year. I think it is going to be a grand adventure for both of us. I just wish we could have gotten The Tank for the trip as I am still trying to wrap my head around how the hell I'm going to get all of our gear into the Core Craft. I just don't know what I could leave behind that we really don't need to free up space in the canoe. About all I can think of is one of the lanterns and the table. Both of which don't take up a lot of room, however, the table does add a little weight. I'm pretty sure that Little Minnow has a picnic table there and with just the two of us we shouldn't need the camping table yet on the flip side I would hate to get there and have no table at all. Still that isn't the biggest problem. The biggest problem is the coolers.
I would like to bring two average sized coolers on the trip. One for drinks and the other for food, but the reality is that I only have room for one of them because I need room for the mess kit. The mess kit has all we need for cooking along with our dry food storage. There isn't a way around leaving it behind so it has to come with us. I all reality I could bring the two coolers and the mess kit, however, I then wouldn't have room for the other gear like clothes, sleeping bags, tent, cots, chairs and the few other dry bags with odds and ends in them. In some ways I wish Ducky's canoe had license on it so I could take that one. I believe that it does have a little more space in it which would make the loading of gear a lot easier. I do have a smaller cooler that I could potentially use for the food, but that doesn't leave me a lot of room for other items ya know.
I think I have got it figured out on how I'm going to load all the gear into our canoe. I'm going to keep a lot of the weight, big cooler and mess kit, towards the front to counter the weight difference between myself and Bug. I'm going to take the little cooler in the back with me along with the gear in the dry-bags. I think that should give us a good balance and free up a little extra space. I should also be able to put a few things in front of Bug as he is just a little guy and would have room at the bow of the canoe. Nevertheless, all this could be simplified if The General would let me borrow The Tank.
I did request to use it, but he said he may take a day trip with one of my cousin's kids. I would be willing to bet that he wants to take the trip in his canoe because he would also be brining he new puppy Oliver with him. Having a puppy in a tippy canoe would not be a wise thing as the potential to take a chilly dip in the river is eminent. I may give him a jingle tonight and see if they would like to make the same run we are doing so they can stop and say hello and then be on their merry way.
Well it is almost time for Bug and I to head out. Until next time I will remain...Crazy Joe.
The story of The Bigfork River Runners begins back in 1996. It was the end of my first year of higher education and to celebrate I put together a motley crue of friends to take a canoe trip down the Bigfork River on Memorial vacation. The trip was a blast to say the least; since then we have carried on the tradition of canoeing the river every year on Memorial Weekend. Through this blog The Bigfork River Runners will share their stories and pictures from trips past and trips to come.
Friday, May 26, 2017
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Still No Word From The General
I look at the clock and see that it is only 54 hours until I'm done with my work week and headed home to start the 22nd Annual Memorial Weekend Bigfork River Runner's Canoe Trip and I still have yet to hear from The General. This is getting to be so damn frustrating not having any clue as to what is going to happen over the next few days. I hate that he is keeping me in the dark about everything. I'm about ready to just say FUCK IT and just plan the trip with Bug and I in mind, planning out the food and what gear we are going to need to bring to make it a successful, relaxing trip. But there is a problem...canoe space.
I have a nice sized canoe, however, it is a tad limited when it comes to space for gear. Having done this trip many times over I'm a pro at loading gear into a canoe insuring the load is balances, nevertheless, I feel I'm already at a maximum limit for space consumption and don't really know if I have the space for some of the extras we would need to make the trip. What I'm thinking is stove, white-gas and the Power-Bow-Saw...AKA chainsaw. I could possibly get away with a simple one burner stove as it would only be Bug and I, however, I really don't want to leave my chainsaw at home as it is a great tool for making wood for the fire. There have been trips we have had it and trips we haven't, let's just say we always had better fires when we had a chainsaw to help cut our wood.
UPDATE: 5/25/2017
On a different note, we finally broke the news to Bug that he was going to get to go on the trip this year...let's just say he was very excited to say the least. Logan didn't take it too well as I knew he wouldn't. I think he is feeling like he is being left out, but that is very far from the case. He has already been able to go on the river a time or two and Bug has only had one opportunity. If all goes well this weekend, with Bug that is, I'm actually thinking about making this a family canoeing trip every year to get them into the tradition. If that is the case, then we would need to find some more canoes. As of right now I only have two canoes, well one is Ducky's canoe, but I know I could use it anytime I want, still that leaves me one canoe short for my entire family.
It is going to be interesting to see how well Bug does with paddling a canoe this weekend. He is a little small for his age, however, he makes up for it with pure will and determination. We do have a small set of rapids to go through, however, I have went through them a couple of times already and they weren't nothing compared to Highway One or The Muldoons. He needs a few years in a canoe before I allow him, or any of the kids for that matter, to go through them.
Well I sent The General a text to see what is up, but haven't gotten anything back from him. I at least hope he goes to the river land and puts some paddles under my canoe so I can go get them tomorrow night after school, along with the canoe of course. Tonight is going to be all about collecting our gear and getting the Expedition loaded for tomorrow night.
Like every year, I start to prep my gear the weekend before the trip and do bits and pieces here and there throughout the week. Nevertheless, come Thursday night, it is assholes and elbows to get all the gear ready and loaded into the Expedition.
Over the years I have gotten a lot better and packing because I learned long ago to make a list and check the items off as they go into the truck and/or its respective tote. The big one is the mess-kit as it contains all we need for cooking the meals. I think I have got it narrowed down as to what I all want to pack in it for the trip. One pot, two pans, small ones that don't eat up a lot of room. I don't think I'm going to bring the coffee pot this year because I haven't had a cup of coffee in over a month and I don't really drink all that much on the trip anyways. Leaving that out also means that I don't have to bring any coffee ground with to make the shit. I'm also thinking about only bringing one of the large pots used to boil water for dishes. Dishes are going to be minimal in light of only a few people going on the trip.
Well, The General is officially out of the trip this year. He just got a new puppy and has a messed up shoulder from an accident last dear season. He is afraid that once he gets a ways down the river his shoulder may give out meaning he is going to be screwed trying to paddle a canoe. I can see his logic, but it still kind of stinks because there is now only two of us. Well, this isn't the only time there has only been two people on the trip. One year it was just Regina and myself and the other one was with Ducky. I did ask if I could use The Tank this year, just waiting to hear back from him. I hope he says yes because it will make things a lot easier for Bug and I as we will have a shit-ton of room for all the gear we need. Not to mention that the canoe is very stable and would be very hard for the little guy to tip it.
With only two of us going a lot has changed. I'm going to need to bring the Coleman stove and fuel. I think I may need another 50 feet of rope and two more LP tanks for the lanterns. I was only going to bring one lantern, but without anyone else coming, I'm going to bring two of them. The rope is going to be for the tarp we are going to need to put up for a rain-fly around camp. This way if it rains we don't have to hole-up in the tent to stay dry.
Man I am getting really excited for this trip!
I'm thinking that two coolers should be enough for us. One is going to have the soda and beer and the other will have water and food. With just the two of us, the food isn't going to take up a whole lot of space. I know I am going to have to add a few items to the food list that I didn't have before, like some milk, sausage and hash browns. I suppose that is all going to be taken care of this evening when Bug and I go to the store to shop for what we are going to need.
On shitty thing about this trip that I just thought of is that we are going to have to do all the work ourselves. Granted there isn't going to be a ton of work that we have to do, it is still enough were we are both going to be somewhat busy making and breaking camp. The good thing is that we are not going to have to rely on anyone else to get going, we can go at our own pace.
This is going to be a challenge for little Bugsy because he will have never had all this work that he needs to do himself. He may have to build the fire and gather wood. He is going to have to help with setting up the tent and the tarp rain-fly. He will have to do the dishes and help cook the meals. In short he is going to have to do a lot of work, but that is a lot of what river camping is all about.
I suppose it is time for me to go for now. Until next time I will remain...Crazy Joe.
I have a nice sized canoe, however, it is a tad limited when it comes to space for gear. Having done this trip many times over I'm a pro at loading gear into a canoe insuring the load is balances, nevertheless, I feel I'm already at a maximum limit for space consumption and don't really know if I have the space for some of the extras we would need to make the trip. What I'm thinking is stove, white-gas and the Power-Bow-Saw...AKA chainsaw. I could possibly get away with a simple one burner stove as it would only be Bug and I, however, I really don't want to leave my chainsaw at home as it is a great tool for making wood for the fire. There have been trips we have had it and trips we haven't, let's just say we always had better fires when we had a chainsaw to help cut our wood.
UPDATE: 5/25/2017
On a different note, we finally broke the news to Bug that he was going to get to go on the trip this year...let's just say he was very excited to say the least. Logan didn't take it too well as I knew he wouldn't. I think he is feeling like he is being left out, but that is very far from the case. He has already been able to go on the river a time or two and Bug has only had one opportunity. If all goes well this weekend, with Bug that is, I'm actually thinking about making this a family canoeing trip every year to get them into the tradition. If that is the case, then we would need to find some more canoes. As of right now I only have two canoes, well one is Ducky's canoe, but I know I could use it anytime I want, still that leaves me one canoe short for my entire family.
It is going to be interesting to see how well Bug does with paddling a canoe this weekend. He is a little small for his age, however, he makes up for it with pure will and determination. We do have a small set of rapids to go through, however, I have went through them a couple of times already and they weren't nothing compared to Highway One or The Muldoons. He needs a few years in a canoe before I allow him, or any of the kids for that matter, to go through them.
Well I sent The General a text to see what is up, but haven't gotten anything back from him. I at least hope he goes to the river land and puts some paddles under my canoe so I can go get them tomorrow night after school, along with the canoe of course. Tonight is going to be all about collecting our gear and getting the Expedition loaded for tomorrow night.
Like every year, I start to prep my gear the weekend before the trip and do bits and pieces here and there throughout the week. Nevertheless, come Thursday night, it is assholes and elbows to get all the gear ready and loaded into the Expedition.
Over the years I have gotten a lot better and packing because I learned long ago to make a list and check the items off as they go into the truck and/or its respective tote. The big one is the mess-kit as it contains all we need for cooking the meals. I think I have got it narrowed down as to what I all want to pack in it for the trip. One pot, two pans, small ones that don't eat up a lot of room. I don't think I'm going to bring the coffee pot this year because I haven't had a cup of coffee in over a month and I don't really drink all that much on the trip anyways. Leaving that out also means that I don't have to bring any coffee ground with to make the shit. I'm also thinking about only bringing one of the large pots used to boil water for dishes. Dishes are going to be minimal in light of only a few people going on the trip.
Well, The General is officially out of the trip this year. He just got a new puppy and has a messed up shoulder from an accident last dear season. He is afraid that once he gets a ways down the river his shoulder may give out meaning he is going to be screwed trying to paddle a canoe. I can see his logic, but it still kind of stinks because there is now only two of us. Well, this isn't the only time there has only been two people on the trip. One year it was just Regina and myself and the other one was with Ducky. I did ask if I could use The Tank this year, just waiting to hear back from him. I hope he says yes because it will make things a lot easier for Bug and I as we will have a shit-ton of room for all the gear we need. Not to mention that the canoe is very stable and would be very hard for the little guy to tip it.
With only two of us going a lot has changed. I'm going to need to bring the Coleman stove and fuel. I think I may need another 50 feet of rope and two more LP tanks for the lanterns. I was only going to bring one lantern, but without anyone else coming, I'm going to bring two of them. The rope is going to be for the tarp we are going to need to put up for a rain-fly around camp. This way if it rains we don't have to hole-up in the tent to stay dry.
Man I am getting really excited for this trip!
I'm thinking that two coolers should be enough for us. One is going to have the soda and beer and the other will have water and food. With just the two of us, the food isn't going to take up a whole lot of space. I know I am going to have to add a few items to the food list that I didn't have before, like some milk, sausage and hash browns. I suppose that is all going to be taken care of this evening when Bug and I go to the store to shop for what we are going to need.
On shitty thing about this trip that I just thought of is that we are going to have to do all the work ourselves. Granted there isn't going to be a ton of work that we have to do, it is still enough were we are both going to be somewhat busy making and breaking camp. The good thing is that we are not going to have to rely on anyone else to get going, we can go at our own pace.
This is going to be a challenge for little Bugsy because he will have never had all this work that he needs to do himself. He may have to build the fire and gather wood. He is going to have to help with setting up the tent and the tarp rain-fly. He will have to do the dishes and help cook the meals. In short he is going to have to do a lot of work, but that is a lot of what river camping is all about.
I suppose it is time for me to go for now. Until next time I will remain...Crazy Joe.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
One Week From Tonight...And Then a Few Nights Closer.
One week to go and it looks like there will be only three of us on the trip unless The General can find someone to go. I have put the word out on Facebook but like the loser's people are I haven't gotten a bite. Or maybe I'm the loser?
Bug and I checked out the first camp site tonight and she looks to be pretty good. There are a lot of dead trees around that I think I could whack up for other campers. You know, leave something behind for the next camper to appreciate. Even though in this day an age the next person may just take it for granted that there will always be wood there or even worse...expect it.
5/23/2017 8:57 PM Update
Well, I think I am done for the night. Until next time I will remain...Crazy Joe!
Bug and I checked out the first camp site tonight and she looks to be pretty good. There are a lot of dead trees around that I think I could whack up for other campers. You know, leave something behind for the next camper to appreciate. Even though in this day an age the next person may just take it for granted that there will always be wood there or even worse...expect it.
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| This is where we launched from last year. |
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| This isn't our favorite spot to put in on the Bigfork, but it is nice for its close access. |
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| A view of the steps from the Highway Six Bridge. |
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| The General and Gary launching. |
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| Radar and Jess putting the finishing touches on their gear. |
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| Johnny Rambo always goofing off. |
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| We are off. |
Some say that no plan survives first contact, and to that I say bullshit, because over the years our plans have came together like a beautiful union between the moon and tide, this year, however, is a totally different story.
I'm thinking that John maybe out this year as I haven't gotten a clear read from The General yet. One text message says he is in, the other says he is out and still another says he doesn't know. It is almost like trying to get a straight answer from a woman when you ask her which pair of shoes she likes best. So that means it would be down to just The General and I, while it would be a fun trip, it is always better when there is a group instead of just two. This is where my wife stepped in.
Just the other day she suggested that I take Brennett, our youngest on the trip this year. I hmmmed and haaawed about it a little bit. He is the youngest out of the family, however, being the youngest he has kind of gotten the shaft on a lot of opportunities just because of his age. He did have the pleasure of coming on a canoe trip some years ago, however, during that trip he was just a little boy in the middle of a canoe with little to no responsibility other than to just sit and stay balanced. On this trip though, he would be expected to paddle some as he would have the front seat in the Core Craft. I think it may upset my two other kids, Serenity and Logan, because he would get to do something they haven't yet. I'm thinking that maybe next year we just take the whole damn family on this thing if we are not going to have anymore participation from some of the regular crew.
In some ways I'm feeling that maybe The General is going to pull the plug on this year and not make it either. If he did it would be shitty, yet it would not be a deal-breaker. The only difference would be that I would have to make some adjustments as to the gear that I am going to bring as I would have to plan for a few more items in my canoe that I was planning on not bringing because of the small amount of people going. I would also have to take into account more food by me because I was hoping to split some of it with The General. I guess I'm a little frustrated this year.
I hate that it seems like this year just can't get off the ground. The trip is going to happen one way or another because this is something I refuse to give up or let go. We are so close to making it a quarter century that I can't let it go and die when we are within a few years of the goal.
As I am sitting her writing this, I going over in my head all that I'm going to need to make this trip happen and how in the hell I'm going to be able to get all of my gear into my 17 food Core Craft canoe. If The General dose not come, maybe he will let me take the Tank as it would provide Bug and I an extra three feet of space for the gear we will need to bring. I mean I'm going to have to go to the River Land in order to get my canoe and the paddles as we just chose to store everything there since it was easiest over the years.
5/23/2017 8:57 PM Update
Well I briefly spoke to The General today and it seems he has to be in the cities at 1 PM on Friday, which is two hours before I get off from work. This means that he won't be at the campsite until really late, if he even comes to the site. He may choose to just stay at the Rive Cabin and drive over in the morning. Now I'm not sure if Brother John is going to be with him or not because when I spoke with him John was still waiting to see how late he may have to work on Friday, meaning he isn't going to be up any earlier than Richie. I told him that I planned to camp at Harrison and spend the night in the tent with Brennett. We still haven't told him that he is going to be able to come with this year.
I'm not sure why I have waited to tell Bug that he is going to get to go canoeing this year. I guess I don't want to have to deal with the bitching from the other kids. I'm thinking it could be fun to take him, but then again it would be kind of nice to just go on my own and just chill for an evening in the woods alone. Decisions decisions...
I think I said I want to take a lot of pictures this year and put them up on the blog site. Since Ducky has quit coming that aspect of the blog has went down the crapper. I'm just not that much of a picture person, I suppose I could use my phone this year as I will be bringing it along for the ride. I'm just so damn scared I'm going to drop the damn thing in the river and have to go get a new one lol. That would be just my luck. Not going to think about that. I just have to be careful.
The problem with using your phone as a means to take pictures is that it tends to suck down the battery. My Glorified Charger isn't taking a charge from the wall anymore so I'm down to trying to use my pocket juice things. Problem is I can only find one of them right now. As long as I can keep a good charge going, then I think I will be alright for taking pictures. I suppose when we are not in the canoe, Bug can be the one to shoot some pics. I know he will like that.
DAMN I FUCKING HATE THIS!!!
Never before have we been this close to the trip without a solid game plan in place. I don't know who is coming and when which means I have no idea on what food I need to pack/plan for. I'm really considering keeping things very simple for this year. Dogs and bratwurst for sure. I'm going to try to get sausage links and I'm not sure if I'm going to put eggs in a container or just leave them in the carton. I know cartons get soggy, but with barely any people I don't think I'm going to need the big container as I will only have to bring a dozen eggs. I don't plan on making much of a breakfast on Saturday morning because I don't want to have to do any dishes . I may bring a couple of loafs of bread for sandwiches we can make Saturday morning for something to snack on. Of course I'm going to bring stiff for River Spuds, that is a must, however, I think I'm only going to bring five or six potatoes and just do a small batch.
I plan on only two cooler, the mess kit with some extra items in it. Two sleeping bags and two cots. One tent, the Spider Tent and three chairs. I like to have a chair in the tent for sitting and using as a make-shit dresser. We will have a clothes bag and a shoe bag. We will need a couple of rain jackets and one lantern. I also have the utility tote which has the odds and ends like extra stakes, rope, propane tanks and some other odds and ends. I will need at least two tarps, maybe three...not sure yet. I'm not going to bring my Coleman stove or an extra gallon of gas for it. I see no need as The General will have his propane one and we will only have four people. I'm not going to bring my saw unless The General comes and has room in The Tank. I will have an ax, shovel and maybe a bow saw, just got to remember it from the Cabin.
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| The Core Craft. |
That is a lot of gear to put into the canoe, but I'm confident that I can do it, I have done it before, however, I have never had a rookie like Bug before. All he needs to do is keep himself centered and paddle when and on what side when I tell him to.
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