I’m happy to report that our camping trip went just fine. I managed not to encounter a moose or a mountain lion or even a bear. And my insulin kept nicely in a little cooler in a bear box. I did, however, manage to have a little adventure.
@joshua recently bought a canoe off craigslist. The day he bought it I was less than impressed, owing to some scheduling conflicts with picking it up. The first time he took it out, I waved from the bank (still sort of resenting the intrusiveness of its entrance) and wasn’t real keen on taking it for a paddle. (Is that the equivalent of taking a car for a spin?) So, when we brought it on the camping trip, I was determined to bond with it. As soon as the campsite was set up, I went merrily down to the lake with my cellphone as my CGM receiver in my pocket. I was starting a little lower than I’d like–low 70s but made a snap decision not to return for juice, lest the kids really start crying about not going with me. I jumped in the canoe and paddled away without any sugar. About half way across I realized the wind was picking up at my back and it would be a more difficult return trip than I’d anticipated. Still, I saw what looked like an Osprey in the distance, so I kept going. When I reached the other side, I knew I was in for it. What I didn’t know was how to get back. The wind was gusting sideways a little, so it kept pushing me perpendicular to my course. I tried force the canoe in the right direction with a back thrust of my paddle, and that was it. I had flipped in a matter of about a second. Clear on the other side of the lake. Thankfully, I could stand. All I could think was to get my phone out of the water as quickly as I could. For the next 20 minutes I called “Yoo Hoo, I need help” all the way across the lake as I stood on a partially submerged boulder next to the beaver dam, where I was convinced the beavers would come for me at any point.
Thankfully, I didn’t know the lake was leech-infested until after the ordeal was over. And fortunately, the adrenaline kept me from going low. I returned to the campsite by way of a trail around the lake sodden but in the mid 80s.
This was the last picture I snapped before flipping.
But you know, you should always carry some emergency sugar stuff! You can survive for days without insulin. But if you are low, having no sugar can mess you up pretty quick.
Try Transcend gels.
Very compact and waterproof. And you can just secure it in the canoe under a seat, and never have to worry about it, and it will be there if you need it. The expiration dates are usually about 3 years, but you can ignore that date because they basically last forever!
Same thing - put one in your back pack, and in your car!
Nothing like the woods. Fishing, camping, smores…it’s generally mine and my kids “vacations”. Cheap, and a lot of fun! Looks like you had a wonderful time and I’m glad your sugars behaved! Nice to have you back in one piece!
@Irish, what an great story! I am happy it ended well because it make me shudder a bit for you:(
You probably know that: when you take a canoe on your own, if you sit in back, it us a good idea to put some weight in the front so the bow does not make too much leeway.
My older son and I went canoe camping in the Boundary Waters last spring for a week. We had a blast but also learned a lot we did not know about handling loaded canoes short handed on long distances:-)
You should have grown up in the great Midwest. All of my summer camps were weeks doing river camping in canoes. One time we even made it from MN to St. Louis (more than a week). Then you would be an expert at canoes. Worst story, we put a leak in one by mishandling in the rapids. The duffer for the week, had to sit and bail for the rest of the trip. No fun.
