In short: We slept a solid ten hours and woke up to a river that had come up on us overnight. Where only about two feet of the canoe was in the water when we went to bed, the whole boat was floating by morning. Tina had pulled it up high the night before, and that is the only reason we still had a canoe. We made coffee and corn beef hash, then floated down water I have known my whole life, stopping at spots that each carry a story.
It was 8:30 and we had slept good, ten hours worth. Then I looked at the canoe. That river rose last night, quite a bit. Only about two foot of the canoe had been in water and now the whole canoe was in it. I am glad Tina pulled it up or we would not have had a canoe today. That is the lesson right there. You pull the boat up high and tie it off every night, because a river can come up on you while you sleep. It is cheap insurance, and this time it saved the whole trip.
First thing was getting Tina her coffee, one of those bottles of water that fits just right in her cow cup. It might have a little grit of sand in it, that is river coffee. Then out came old trusty, the cast iron pan, for corn beef hash and eggs. And guess what I did not forget this trip, my eggs. I carry them cracked and scrambled in a bottle, which does not look like eggs but is, and it is a lot easier to pack than shells that break. Corn beef hash and eggs and Tina's coffee. You cannot go wrong with that.
The river ran muddy that morning from all the rain, but the day was easy, a nice breeze for late August. This is home water for me, and every bend has a memory. There is the cypress tree a bunch of us climbed and jumped out of inner tubing, with poor Billy still up in it too scared to jump. There is where my cousin and I skipped school and tied up in the rain and caught a boatload of catfish. There is the bank where 25 years ago I swung out on a rope, landed in three foot of water, and broke one ankle and tore up the other. That was the last time I swung out of a tree. We floated it out in the rain with my 83-year-old mother waiting to pick us up, and we had a blast. A little rain never ruined a good day on home water.
Securing the boat overnight, camping smart in the rain, and reading rising water. It is all in the All-Weather Expedition guide.
Read the All-Weather Expedition guideAbout two feet. Only around two feet of the canoe was in the water at bedtime, and the whole boat was floating by morning. Tina pulling it up high the night before is the only reason we still had a boat.
Rivers can rise fast overnight after rain, and a boat left at the edge can float away. Pulling it well up the bank and tying it off is cheap insurance. This time it saved the day.
Yes, if you camp smart. Pick higher ground, secure the boat, cover your gear, and keep breakfast simple. We had a blast in the rain.
Crack them and carry them pre-scrambled in a bottle. It does not look like eggs but it is, and it packs far easier than shells. Then it is a quick scramble in the cast iron.
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