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Top Ten Rookie Mistakes

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OBX2Kayak

03/07/2014 12:06PM

Here is a list of backpacker rookie mistakes from Backpacker.com. Top Ten Rookie Mistakes

Do you have a list of "Top Ten BWCA Rookie Mistakes"?

"I go because it irons out the wrinkles in my soul" -- Sigurd Olson

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andym

03/07/2014 12:12PM

So their rookie mistakes include both overestimating your pace, advice to resist taking extra meals, and a reminder to take spares. Hmmmm.

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Mocha

03/07/2014 12:14PM

just a few come to mind

not doing advance research and preparation for the activity.
not having proper gear for the activity.
choosing a route beyond ability/skill level.

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Minnesotian

03/07/2014 12:27PM

Rookie Mistake: Not packing everything into as few bags as possible, and having a gigantic yard sale at the end of each portage.

Solution: Get a big bag, like a Duluth Pack, and try to get all your gear into that and one other bag. The less stuff you have to pull out of the canoe, the less chance you will loose something.

"It is more important to live for the possibilities that lie ahead than to die in despair over what has been lost." -Barry Lopez

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kanoes

03/07/2014 12:30PM

being stoned all the time and not appreciating the beauty that surrounded me.

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awbrown

03/07/2014 12:44PM

I think the single most difficult rookie mistake that I made was over estimating how far I could travel. When you have to be at a certain point at a certain time and you fall behind.....it takes all the fun out of the voyage and makes all of the other mistakes you'll make seem worse.

If you under estimate how far you can travel, you can dilly dally, poke around, sleep late, stop early, watch the stars, explore diversions, have another cup of coffee. Ahhhhh, now that's canoe tripping.

I set a goal of losing 10 lbs. this year. I only have 15 left to lose.

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Jeriatric

03/07/2014 12:47PM

I would not call those rookie mistakes. Seasoned veterans often make the same mistakes whether out of laziness or absent mindedness.

The business of life is the acquisition of memories. In the end that's all there is. ___Mr Carson (Downton Abby)

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yellowcanoe

03/07/2014 01:18PM

My first BWCA lesson was..don't wear denim.

Second (same trip) never assume a Grumman can't fly.

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Gmorgan

03/07/2014 01:36PM

Tackle box so big you need a Sherpa to portage

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RainGearRight

03/07/2014 01:44PM

I bought 2 lbs of leeches for a long weekend trip. TWO POUNDS! They were the size of my pinkie nail. There must have been fifteen hundred leeches in that bag. I didn't run out of bait..

There's always money in the banana stand.

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bhouse46

03/07/2014 02:00PM

Absent or inadequate navigation skills. Related to, "Where are the signs telling you where the next portage might be found?".
+1 on too many small bags or items loose.

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Rustycards

03/07/2014 02:02PM

Last year on the 4 hour drive home we made a list of what went good and what went bad.

One thing was when you are at the entrypoint and ready to shove off, stop, take a breath, relax, and think about things for a few minutes. We were so excited to go we just took off. Didn't forget anything important but easily could have.

"Canoeing through a postcard" -Brother in Law Mark

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MHS67

03/07/2014 02:05PM

Not being good at navigation.

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brantlars

03/07/2014 02:05PM

My biggest rookie mistake was not taking my time, trying to get somewhere so fast and missing everything on the way in. Getting there is half the fun. And also worrying if everyone else was having fun, it just ended up being stressfull and that's not what it should be about.

"If you don't like my fire then don't come around, cause I'm gonna burn one down"-----Ben Harper

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awbrown

03/07/2014 02:07PM

Not a big mistake, but on my first canoe trip my buddy and I brought a box of rice. Having no idea about cooking rice we through the whole box in the pot. OMG.....we were eating rice every meal for five days.

I set a goal of losing 10 lbs. this year. I only have 15 left to lose.

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dicecupmaker

03/07/2014 02:38PM

To much denim. Better rain gear on the second trip.

Joy is a great teacher, but so is dispair. Wonder is a great teacher, but so is confusion. Hope is a great teacher, but so is disillusionment. And life is a great teacher, but so is death. To deny yourself any of those in any aspect is not experiencing life totally.

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alex17

Guest Paddler

03/07/2014 02:46PM

Biggest rookie mistakes
1. Holding a bent shaft paddle backwards and...
2. Over estimating speed, 10 miles seems short on a map but can be faaaaar.

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nctry

03/07/2014 02:51PM

Funniest thing is people carrying in water.

Nctry

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kanoes

03/07/2014 02:55PM

quote nctry: "Funniest thing is people carrying in water."

guilty!

it was always water and coolers when we camped on perent lake.

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maxxbhp

03/07/2014 03:04PM

Not enough alternate plans. If you don't have at least a plan D you might as well not have one at all.

"...And the days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations, .......well, I have really good days". Ray Wiley Hubbard

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pswith5

03/07/2014 03:51PM

I think top mistake would be not being prepared for the weather. Can be warmer than you expect.. can be colder.

Without the bad times, the good times wouldn't seem so good.

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shock

03/07/2014 04:38PM

with every trip we learn what not to bring or bring. not sure if this belongs in this thread or funny things seen in the BW. but 1 year i took my very good friend who has been living in texas for 20 years into the BW(SAK) with his fellow texan. they visualized paved paths between lakes and didnt want to run out of beer. they wanted to bring in 3 party balls i finally talked them into just bringing 1 after the trip they said they wouldnt have took that 1 if they knew. it's all a learning experience.

keep your line wet, good things will happen

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riverrunner

03/07/2014 05:14PM

The biggest rookie mistake I've seen and the most common in over 50 years of all kinds of camping is.

Bringing to much stuff.

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mooseplums

03/07/2014 06:03PM

jeans
too many clothes
too much food
poor foot wear
too much tackle

"I am haunted by waters"~Norman Maclean "A River Runs Through It"

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lundojam

03/07/2014 06:41PM

too much cotton
pitching tent in potential puddle-look for drainage
poor portage pads
grinding boats on rocks and gravel
staying out too late/looking in dark for camp
thinking you have to have dehydrated specialty foods
forgetting it is a vacation and working too hard

"Life is not a beauty contest. It is a fishing contest." --me

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starwatcher

03/07/2014 08:14PM

My major mistake years ago was getting off to too late of a start.

We drove up to the entry point and arrived at about 2:00 in the afternoon. Headed out and of course all the campsites within a days paddle are already full up.

We canoed eight hours into the dark looking for an empty site and campers were amazed at our navigation skills (not our planning skills) to canoe in the dark looking for campsites.

Next time we learned to hit the entry point early in the morning and plan a days paddle to get beyond the crowd and find a decent campsite.

starwatcher.

"When one finally arrives at the point where schedules are forgotten, and becomes immersed in ancient rhythms, one begins to live." Sigurd F. Olson

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Jeemon

03/07/2014 08:56PM

Not careful enough walking on rocks. I've fallen and could have easily ruined a trip.

Fish, for sport only, not for meat. Fish meat is practically a vegetable.

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bruceye

03/07/2014 08:58PM

Bringing a chest cooler. I did this in my first couple of years before I wised up.
Bringing a lantern
Too much food.
Too many clothes.
Not throwing down the money on a Kevlar canoe when I had it.
Bringing in a large group of newbies.
Incessantly persuading certain ones to come along who really didn't want to.

Bruceye

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Mocha

03/07/2014 09:04PM

wearing sandals instead of hiker boots with ankle protection.

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Primitiveman

03/07/2014 09:36PM

1 not enough booze Having raging alcoholics can changed this tremendously
2 promised great fishing. Might not happen
3 cheap canoes. Huge mistake
4 bringing females. Often fabulous Sometimes not
5 not prepared. Common
6 poor raingear You won't die, we'll maybe you will
7 meal requirements. It you are lactose intolerant, vegan with celiacs disease, speak up!
8 no trip preperation. GET TOnTHE GYM. on

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MGD

03/07/2014 11:12PM

Not being able to remember whether or not you change your watch from Michigan time (EST) to Minnesota time (Central) on your final day when you're supposed to meet your outfitter at a specific time for a ride back to Ely. Oops.

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starwatcher

03/08/2014 06:03AM

quote bhouse46: "Absent or inadequate navigation skills. Related to, "Where are the signs telling you where the next portage might be found?".
+1 on too many small bags or items loose."

I agree, and have improved my skills with years of experience. I wear a compass on my PFD and I've learned to orient the map in direction I'm heading; get use to the map scale and pay attention to the points, bays, hills and campsites located on the map.

...but, I have to laugh at a novice group that portaged through our campsite on the horseshoe island on Moose lake. They navigated into the horseshoe and thought they reached the end of the lake and bushwacked through the island thinking it was a portage.

starwatcher

"When one finally arrives at the point where schedules are forgotten, and becomes immersed in ancient rhythms, one begins to live." Sigurd F. Olson

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Savage Voyageur

03/08/2014 06:19AM

Bringing too many clothes
Too much food
No map/compass skills
Tell everyone in the group they are expected to help out
Book matches
Bad rain gear
Bad footwear
Remembering it's their vacation too

"So many lakes, so little time." WWJD

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Freddy

03/08/2014 08:22AM

The backpacker mantra is "cotton kills". Synthetic clothing is more expensive but well worth it.

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul" John Muir

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markaroberts

03/08/2014 08:42AM

1. not renting or bringing the lightest kevlar canoe possible
2. too much clothing
3. duplicated equipment
4. too much fishing gear
5. not staying long enough

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Wallidave

03/08/2014 12:03PM

1. too much fishing gear...always say I will bring less the next year. I always bring more.

2. more of a bad habit then mistake...sleeping in too late.
The last few years I've committed myself to getting up early 5a.m. as compared to my average waking hours in the past of 7a.m. Usually never hit the pillow until midnight. Want to experience the most the wilderness has to offer on these trips.

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yellowcanoe

03/08/2014 12:17PM

quote Freddy: "
The backpacker mantra is "cotton kills". Synthetic clothing is more expensive but well worth it."

Well not always though that is a mountaineers guideline . It can get hot you know and soaked cotton (twill, not t shirt jersey) will evaporate the water and cool you.

For this reason ( and the fact that I did get heat exhaustion one trip with horrid cramps before) I always use a long sleeve cotton shirt, wet, to keep cool when it is hot. Those nylon/poly long sleeve shirts everyone likes have the potential to cook you.

Rest of the wardrobe is synthetic. Oh yeah there is a cotton bandana for the same cooling purpose.

Not only did I start in denim. I think there were two pairs. Geesh my clothes took up a whole big garbage bag and that was just for a week!

Now the volume is down to 20 liters for all except the raincoat.

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jcavenagh

03/08/2014 03:50PM

I have five...
Too much food
Too many clothes
Too many gadgets
No waterproof bags
Nothing to fill time on a rainy day

LNT - The road to success is always under construction. http://hikingillinois.blogspot.com/

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brantlars

03/08/2014 04:35PM

I wear denim pants every trip and bring an extra pair, never had a problem. But I am hard on clothes...don't bring rain gear often either..usually a cheap coat but not pants..if I was on a 10 day I probably would but I get by fine on 5 -6 day trips with this set-up..no tarp either

"If you don't like my fire then don't come around, cause I'm gonna burn one down"-----Ben Harper

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sst6313

03/08/2014 06:11PM

quote yellowcanoe: "My first BWCA lesson was..don't wear denim.

Second (same trip) never assume a Grumman can't fly."

LOL..
SO true, I never did the denim but, I did watch the wind pick up my canoe in a bad storm and send it to the lake..scary moment

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

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bottomtothetap

03/08/2014 10:07PM

quote brantlars: "I wear denim pants every trip and bring an extra pair, never had a problem.

+1 yeah, yeah, I know...but I find cotton comfortable and I take warm-weather trips. I've been on over twenty trips and have worn jeans on each and every one of them. And cotton T-shirts. And cotton socks/underwear. It feels good to me--so sue me!

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PompousPilot1

03/10/2014 03:24PM

So far I am doing pretty good!

For a quart of ale is a dish for a king - Shakespeare 'A Winters Tale'

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markaroberts

03/10/2014 03:30PM

for our group, since we go in the spring or fall, the issue with not taking cotton is that synthetic dries very fast in the event of a capsize or rain. Hyperthermia caused by being in wet clothes in cold temps is enough to leave cotton at home.

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shock

03/10/2014 04:39PM

quote kanoes: "being stoned all the time and not appreciating the beauty that surrounded me."

so now you wait till you get back home ;)

keep your line wet, good things will happen

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TeamTuna06

03/10/2014 06:14PM

quote Gmorgan: "Tackle box so big you need a Sherpa to portage"

Assuming the tackle hauling Sherpa knows how to clean fish...

"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles." -Doug Larson

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Corsair

03/10/2014 06:24PM

Doing a second time what didn't work the first time.

"Pack lightly, Tread lightly"

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jwartman59

03/10/2014 08:03PM

a twenty five pound 'ditch kit'.

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Michwall2

03/10/2014 08:15PM

Staying hydrated. With water all around, you would think this is easy. Not so.

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heavycanoe

03/10/2014 10:44PM

quote Michwall2: "Staying hydrated. With water all around, you would think this is easy. Not so."

I really struggle staying hydrated on my trips too. Even though I try to be consious of it.

It seems like every trip the saying "that was a rookie mistake" comes up. Seems like maybe there are more than 10.

"I have fished through fishless days that I remember happily without regret." - Roderick Haig-Brown

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Jeemon

03/11/2014 07:35AM

I want to add another...Not stopping to smell the roses.
Sometimes we're trying to cover too much water to find the best in each lake we pass.

Fish, for sport only, not for meat. Fish meat is practically a vegetable.

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Jeriatric

03/11/2014 12:56PM

Shooting strong rapids? ....not me, mind you, I was already old when I took my first trip and adverse to risk-taking.
How about piling high, in the canoe, a massive amount of gear. We did have high centers of gravity on my first group trip, which was fully outfitted.

The business of life is the acquisition of memories. In the end that's all there is. ___Mr Carson (Downton Abby)

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bennojr

03/11/2014 05:08PM

First time in a canoe I stepped out into calf high water that turned out to be leg high water and a swimming I went. A few years ago I brought by nephew, about 20 years old, for his first time and watched him do the exact same thing.

The mistake I've never learn from is those last minute items, that I don't really need, I toss in right before I leave home.

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strom2127

03/11/2014 09:15PM

Our first year we brought what we had to limit paying to be outfitted. That and our overall lack of knowledge make looking back quite humorous. We brought coolers packed with ice, big bulky sleeping bags, no rain gear, big heavy blue tarps, and an 8 man tent that must have weighed close to thirty pounds. Oh well, we enjoyed it enough that three out of four of us continue to go each year now.

"Once more unto the breach dear friends, once more."

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Basspro69

03/11/2014 09:37PM

Not tying up canoe at night.

Setting up tent under or near widow makers.

Not bringing a headnet, you might not need it for years and then you run into the motherlode of black flies.

Not slowing down and taking it all in.

Forgetting T P or forgetting to waterproof it.

Sitting downwind form a trip partner whos eating baked beans.

Not saying hi to other trippers passing on a portage, dont take yourself so seriously.

Leave no trace means exactly that, if you brought it in bring it out.

" I want to know Gods thoughts , The rest are details " Albert Einstein. WWJD

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plainspaddler

03/11/2014 11:26PM

Pushing my wife a little too hard on a daytrip. She had to remind me that it was a vacation :)

Mike

The sound of a paddle in still waters will steal your soul.

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254Bow

03/12/2014 06:20AM

Arguably, the single biggest rookie mistake is not learning how too seperate the good advice from the sarcastic advice from the BWCA.com community. :-) Seriously though, always considered myself self taught with most things I do, but have to admit to seeing and using some really good advice from fellow members of this site.

Warrior mind, Warrior heart.

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muddy

03/12/2014 08:02AM

The belief that catching and eating fish will account for most of our food.

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missmolly

03/12/2014 09:56AM

quote markaroberts: "1. not renting or bringing the lightest kevlar canoe possible
2. too much clothing
3. duplicated equipment
4. too much fishing gear
5. not staying long enough"

Too much fishing gear? Pah. Hah. Bah. There's no such thing.

I will paddle eternal, Kevlar and carbon.

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Stillwaters

03/12/2014 08:59PM

Over estimating navigating ability
Underestimating storms
Underestimating wind
Forgetting to triple check your pack before you leave home

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Kaiser

03/12/2014 10:04PM

Not allowing enough time to pack properly.

When packing the night before my first trip I thought I’d be done by 10 p.m. Wasn’t done until 4 a.m. and had to be on the road an hour and a half later.

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loonatic

03/13/2014 08:46PM

Cotton Hoodies. Rookie mistake, rookie give-a-way.

Loonatic!

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Jaywalker

03/13/2014 09:03PM

1- poorly organize on portages; too much loose stuff.
2- not taking good notes at the end of the trip so that the following year I would not make all the same mistakes.

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OBX2Kayak

03/13/2014 09:12PM

quote missmolly: "
quote markaroberts: "1. not renting or bringing the lightest kevlar canoe possible
2. too much clothing
3. duplicated equipment
4. too much fishing gear
5. not staying long enough"

Too much fishing gear? Pah. Hah. Bah. There's no such thing."

LOL! Good one.

"I go because it irons out the wrinkles in my soul" -- Sigurd Olson

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RedPine

03/14/2014 03:15AM

Not bringing sunscreen in the summer, forgetting the Gold Bond powder at home. THE PAIN, THE PAIN!!!

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Basspro69

03/14/2014 03:26PM

quote missmolly: "
quote markaroberts: "1. not renting or bringing the lightest kevlar canoe possible
2. too much clothing
3. duplicated equipment
4. too much fishing gear
5. not staying long enough"

Too much fishing gear? Pah. Hah. Bah. There's no such thing."

" I want to know Gods thoughts , The rest are details " Albert Einstein. WWJD

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caribouluvr

03/15/2014 11:27AM

Leaving fish on the stringer overnight right off shore.

“Once destroyed, nature's beauty cannot be repurchased at any price.” - Ansel Adams

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Captn Tony

03/16/2014 08:33AM

Not bringing rain pants. 40 degree weather with wet pants makes me shiver, brings a whole new meaning to hypothermia. It can get in the forties with rain for 2 days in July. Won't happen again!

You're going to HELL and you're going to drag me with ya!! -Gunsmoke

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Savage Voyageur

03/16/2014 08:39AM

Not bringing enough fishing tackle. I hate it when I don't have a certain lure/bait/presentation that fish are biting on. I now go in heavy on the fishing tackle.

"So many lakes, so little time." WWJD

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Jeriatric

03/16/2014 11:42AM

quote Savage Voyageur: "Not bringing enough fishing tackle. I hate it when I don't have a certain lure/bait/presentation that fish are biting on. I now go in heavy on the fishing tackle."

You could tow a special "pack canoe" for additional fishing gear....an idea fishguts has probably considered.
:)

The business of life is the acquisition of memories. In the end that's all there is. ___Mr Carson (Downton Abby)

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OBX2Kayak

03/17/2014 04:00PM

Did anybody mention ... "up the creek without a paddle?"

I'm guilty of that one. Drove four hours when I remembered that my paddles were at home.

"I go because it irons out the wrinkles in my soul" -- Sigurd Olson

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boonie

03/17/2014 04:06PM

Rookie mistake: Not using a packing checklist.

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Scout64

03/17/2014 05:58PM

Picking up a pack for a moment and saying "that's not that heavy"!
Know how much you can carry and for how long. Remember a road and a portage are not the same.

"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit."

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jeepgirl

03/20/2014 07:14AM

In a group, everyone should know where they are at all times. I met a small group on a portage. Nobody knew what lake they just left except the leader and they only had 2 maps for 3 canoes.

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missmolly

03/20/2014 07:35AM

Poverty was my big rookie mistake. I was a kid and I came from a house where we were raised three to a bed and then three to a bedroom. So, of course, I went with denim and canvas and was cold and wet. And I fished with crappy reels and line, so the drags seized and the line broke. It takes money to accumulate the fancy fabrics and technology.

I will paddle eternal, Kevlar and carbon.

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Basspro69

03/20/2014 07:52AM

quote jeepgirl: "In a group, everyone should know where they are at all times. I met a small group on a portage. Nobody knew what lake they just left except the leader and they only had 2 maps for 3 canoes. "

Very good point !

" I want to know Gods thoughts , The rest are details " Albert Einstein. WWJD

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Fearlessleader

03/20/2014 08:16AM

Loading up the canoe at Kawishiwi Lake and remembering we had forgotten to buy our fishing licenses.

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caribouluvr

03/20/2014 10:36AM

Not making sure to have enough drinking water available on portages.

“Once destroyed, nature's beauty cannot be repurchased at any price.” - Ansel Adams

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Canoearoo

03/20/2014 10:41AM

my first trip I learned not to leave my down sleeping bag out in the rain. Made for a cold trip

Life jackets float, you don't!

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ECpizza

03/20/2014 10:11PM

"Forgetting T P or forgetting to waterproof it."

O.K.
I learned early to always cary a 'private stock'. You TP is only as safe as the dumbest person in the group.

My first cub scout camp, some out of control kids thought it would be fun to throw all the TP down the outhouse hole. At Philmont a kid in our crew (not from our troop) left our entire TP stock out and it rained. And another trip, the TP got left in the car at put in. In every case, I was grateful for having my own roll.

People expecting to dine on fish 3 meals a day are always in for a shock.

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luft

03/23/2014 01:08AM

quote OBX2Kayak: "Did anybody mention ... "up the creek without a paddle?"

I'm guilty of that one. Drove four hours when I remembered that my paddles were at home."

I have come very close to having this happen!

We seem to forget to pack tooth brushes. I have had to stop at a gas station more than once to purchase travel tooth brushes.

And on one trip my oldest boy forgot to bring a jacket. It was a Memorial Day weekend and we ended up having to spend $50 on a sweatshirt from a restaurant because it was the only place open late at night when we discovered the omission in packing. It was cotton but it was better than nothing!

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theboycroix

Guest Paddler

03/28/2014 03:09PM

10) No Sunglasses
9) No Sunscreen
8) Too many clothes
7) Eating lunch on the portages
6) Coolers, Coolers, Coolers
5) Getting on the water at the crack of 10:30am
4) Leaving your gear at the end of the portage
3) Throwing garbage down the biffy
2) No work gloves
1) Thinking that groups going the same direction as you are your new 'pals' when they are your rivals.

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ubbenholdthekraut

03/28/2014 04:21PM

In no particular order, some mistakes I've made are:

1. forgetting the credit card to pay for the permits in Quetico
2. Leaving the frozen food in the freezer at the outfitter
3. Bringing crappy rain gear
4. Having only one set of maps and dropping it in the lake
5. Running rapids that should be portaged around (gash in an aluminum canoe)
6. Not bringing a sponge for bilge water in the canoe
7. Bringing way too many clothes.
8. trying to keep feet dry on landings and departures (canoe tip overs/ damage to canoe)
9. Not keeping track of where you are at on a lake with many islands (crooked)
10. pushing too hard and arriving late to a campsite (eating/dishes in the dark)

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bottomtothetap

03/28/2014 07:02PM

quote missmolly: "Poverty was my big rookie mistake. I was a kid and I came from a house where we were raised three to a bed and then three to a bedroom. So, of course, I went with denim and canvas and was cold and wet. And I fished with crappy reels and line, so the drags seized and the line broke. It takes money to accumulate the fancy fabrics and technology."

Molly, I bet you still had enough fun on those trips that you wanted to go again. I heard that you can't wait to go next time!

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missmolly

03/29/2014 03:49PM

quote bottomtothetap: "
quote missmolly: "Poverty was my big rookie mistake. I was a kid and I came from a house where we were raised three to a bed and then three to a bedroom. So, of course, I went with denim and canvas and was cold and wet. And I fished with crappy reels and line, so the drags seized and the line broke. It takes money to accumulate the fancy fabrics and technology."

Molly, I bet you still had enough fun on those trips that you wanted to go again. I heard that you can't wait to go next time! "

Oh, yeah, but it's more fun today than it was then. Those early trips had some unpleasant moments. My first trip, I slept in a tent that was nowhere near waterproof. My second trip, I slept in a tube tent that was waterproof, but didn't breathe and had no doors (It did have mosquito netting.). Now I sleep in luxury, the wilderness equivalent of the penthouse of the Four Seasons!

Another rookie mistake is going too light and not taking enough yummy food, which had me thinking about food instead of enjoying the purty green and blue.

I was on a five-week trip and I decided to wash my down sleeping bag. Dumb and dumber! The clumped down broke through the baffles and so I had a nylon sock with some down in the bottom.

I will paddle eternal, Kevlar and carbon.

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RRHD

Guest Paddler

03/30/2014 09:16AM

quote loonatic: "Cotton Hoodies. Rookie mistake, rookie give-a-way."

The first thing I do when I leave the BWCA is shower, and then put on a hoodie. When I was a kid and going to the BWCA with my parents there just wasn't a lot of technical clothing, and I'm allergic to wool, so I always had a soft warm hoody, and I miss that so much. Not enough to haul one around with me, but I think about it a lot. That and cotton flannel shirts. Sigh.

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