Foolish and Wise - General Musings From the Boundary Waters Weekend

Points to ponder - the bad and the ugly. After reading this, don't think that we had a horrible time. The good will be posted in conjunction with pictures so you can witness that the Boundary Waters really was fantastic. These are just general points to ponder after experiencing the wilderness with a rather diverse group of 9 people - some foolish and some wise.

1. You don't have to have XY chromosomes to know what to do in the wilderness, or camping in general, and XY should never under-estimate the knowledge and skills of XX.
2. NEVER mix athletic with outdoorsy. Two people may have both interests but they are not inter-changeable terms.
3. Just because you haven't seen a bear doesn't mean they don't exist - and especially doesn't mean that you don't have to put up the bear bags.
4. Don't let type A personalities dictate a wilderness trip if they don't know what they are doing. When their lack of experience becomes evident, it is absolutely essential to step in and speak up.
5. When afore-mentioned XY thinks he knows best, sometimes it is better just to bite back the comments and sing a song instead.
6. NEVER - EVER take melons, bananas, 4 lbs of bacon, 3 dozen fresh eggs, and enough food to feed a small African nation for a month into the wilderness for only 9 people for 2.5 days.
7. Those who don't drive Mercedes still care about the upholstery of their car.
8. 4 girls can dock boats last and still have all the gear packed up and two canoes strapped onto a car long before 2 guys and 3 girls who, some of which profess to be experts at this, can.
9. If you are planning on going on a wilderness trip, please leave your Harry Potter book and your iPod at home.
10. Leave everything better than you found it - this includes the $3,000 canoe that someone else rented - and if you decide to put a bunch of crap in the bottom, feel free to clean it out of your own accord rather than letting someone else do it.
11. If you think you are good enough to canoe without a life jacket, you are good enough to die in the lake.
12. As much as you may try, melon rinds and banana peels DO NOT burn, especially in a fire that should never be considered a fire.
13. Leave no trace means just that... leave no trace, including trash, melon seeds, and even bacon grease that should never be dumped in the trees. And don't look smarmy when someone catches you trying to do it either.
14. Never underestimate the power of a granny knot.
15. Don't bring extra fuel canisters if you don't have a stove to go with them and just think that they will be compatible with someone else's stove.
16. When borrowing someone's item, make sure they get it back. And if you can't find it, at least put in some type of effort, even half-hearted, to look for it.
17. You may not like the company or the fact that someone challenged your manhood because they knew how to camp better than you, but pouting in your tent or giving people the silent treatment is not the way to handle it.
18. Tents should never be packed with other random items in them, especially if you don't know what the item is or who it belongs to. In the end you'll just have to unpack the tent to get it out.
19. No reason to move the tent OFF the ground cloth when packing it. It just gets dirty. That's part of the reason the ground cloth is there... to keep your tent bottom clean.
20. Planning a camping trip, or any type of trip for that matter, requires some degree of flexibility. If you can't be flexible or can't take suggestions, stay home and have a stay-cation instead.
21. Banana Nut Cheerios and Trix have never been and will never be acceptable breakfast foods before you start out on a wilderness canoe trip.
22. Never tell someone to man-up and eat food they don't like if you, yourself, are unwilling to eat food you don't like.
23. Always understand the logistics at some point before you start out - especially if you are the planner - and don't use someone else as your scape goat.
24. Cooperation is key. If others are busy doing something (like preparing a meal or packing up camp) and you are just standing around, it might be a good time to ask what you can help with.
25. If you don't know, swallow your pride and ASK.