Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining - What We Did When Our Expedition Group Got Smaller
Trips have a habit of not going to plan. There is always something that does not quite go as you expected, and our Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) adventure was no exception to this. We started the trip as a group of six, with the intention for all of us to thru-paddle the entire NFCT. We have a feeling you can see where this is going. We did not finish with a group of six, but with a group of four. This article is about how things changed, and how we carried on.
During the first week of the trail, one of our party had stuff going on outside of the trip itself, which resulted in them making the difficult decision to drop out at Saranac Lake. This decision was completely supported by the rest of the team, despite it also taking out another member of the team. Out of respect for those involved we will not provide any more detail as to their reason, as it is their story to tell, not ours. Out of respect for us, please do not ask for any more information on the topic. Now, you’ve probably heard the saying “Every cloud has a silver lining”, and if not, it basically means that there are good things that can come out of the bad and it is worth looking for them. This is how we try to approach things when they go sideways, and this situation was no different.
Lightening our Load
That there were two of our group leaving, although very sad, actually gave us some opportunities we had not previously considered. The most significant being a chance to address the equipment that we had brought with us, and tweak what we were carrying. While preparing ourselves for the thru-paddle we had been on many training trips in the UK and spent a significant amount of time outside, however when we started the NFCT a few things were a little different from what we expected. This resulted in us realising we could optimise what we were using. With two people heading back to the UK, we saw it as an opportunity to send back any unwanted kit. Our full equipment list reflects what we ended the trip with rather than what we started with. What we started with can be seen in the photograph below.
All of the equipment we flew to the USA with, but not all of it finished the trail with us.
The reasons we changed what we were carrying included; climate, provision at camping locations, food form and packaging, and a change in group requirements. The impact of these reasons we found worthy of addressing in more detail.
Climate
It turns out that we arrived in Old Forge just as they headed into a heatwave. When we first arrived the temperature was dropping below freezing at night, however during that first week the temperature climbed to such an extent that we realised we were likely carrying too many insulated layers. Both of us therefore sent back some of our warmer clothing. We are glad we did not send it all, as there were times when both of us reached for our insulated jackets, but not much.
Another kit reduction was an interesting one regarding climate. As it was significantly warmer, our batteries lasted much longer than we expected. This meant we could send back some of the batteries that we had taken for the electrical equipment, which resulted in a significant weight reduction.
Provision at Camping Locations
In the UK it is uncommon for camping locations to allow you to have an open fire. In the rare occasions when you can, it will likely just be a fire pit. For this reason we took a TJM camping grill to put over the fire and cook on. We would highly recommend this grill if you are looking for such a cooking aid. However, we found that most (if not all) camping locations, no matter how remote on the NFCT, all had a dedicated fire pit, and some sort of grill that could go over the fire. So we made the decision to send back our beloved grill.
Our TJM fire grill in use over an open fire.
We had never been anywhere where suitable firewood has been so easy to find. There were very few places we stopped where you could not find enough wood for a suitable cooking fire in less than 20 paces from the fire pit. Many of the trees along the NFCT are actually not that old due to the prevalence of the logging industry. This has resulted in many of the fallen timber being of a suitable size to process with just a small folding saw. For this reason we sent back our axe.
Food Form and Packaging
In the UK we often purchase cooking oil in small bottles that are resealable, with lids and seals that you can trust. We did not find such bottles in the USA while food shopping. This resulted in us purchasing a mid-size Nalgene to transport cooking oil after that first week. We also purchased tough resealable disposable plastic bags for sandwiches and sent back our silicone sandwich bags as a small weight saving.
Change in Group Requirements
This is likely the single most significant cause of change to overall the equipment that we carried. With the changes in the group, resulting in changes in food allergies and preferences, it became easier for us to cook independently as two pairs, occasionally sharing hot water as and when needed. This also meant that we no longer needed separate portion bowls but rather the two of us could eat out of the pots we cooked in. So back went four eating bowls that we had brought to ensure equal portions were given and consumed. We also sent back an MSR WhisperLite International petrol stove and two fuel bottles. As there was less need for filtered water we also took the opportunity to reduce the number of MSR Guardian Gravity filters we were carrying, choosing to continue with one gravity and one pump filter.
One of the MSR guardian gravity filters in use.
Katrina and I also made the decision to replace one of our 40L SealLine bags for the 60l barrel and harness of the boat pair that were going back to the UK. The additional barrel gave us a bit more flexibility as a group of four for putting strong smelling items in. This barrel was used by all of the remaining group, and was invaluable in the last two weeks of the trip where we had to carry all of our supplies without a resupply location. This may seem excessive, but it was darn helpful.
The barrels and harnesses that we used. This is two of the three barrels we had for the four remaining.
Other Bits
There were a few other bits and pieces that we sent back due to finding them less helpful that we had thought we would. These included:
Lightweight shoes - We found that water shoes and boots were sufficient. It was so hot that our shoes dried out in a few hours.
Zip Chip - A great mini frisbee, but many of the places we stopped for the night did not have enough space to play with it.
Impact of a Third of our Team Dropping Out
Undoubtedly there will always be mixed emotions when one or more of your group has to drop out of an expedition. We had discussed what we would do as a group if such an event occurred and this really helped us in the moment as the patterns of thinking were already there for us to access and discuss. We would highly recommend discussing before you commit to a trip what you are going to do as individuals and as a group if one or more people need to drop out at various points along the way. Despite this, it was hard on all of us. It took the four of us who continued on another couple of weeks to fall into the “new” camp routine, as our previous roles and responsibilities had been spread between people who were no longer present. It still sucks that to this very day that the six of us did not make it to the end, however we completely understand the reasoning why, and wholly support the two of our group decided to head back to the UK when they did, as this was the right decision. It is a testament to the friendship that we have that something such as this could happen, and yet we still meet up regularly to go do stuff.
Learning from this Experience
We have spent a good time reflection on our NFCT adventure, and the gear is an interesting one as we are unlikely to modify our approach on the logic behind why we chose the equipment, however we are going to see in the future if there is a convenient location where we can subtlety tweak our equipment after a week or so of being on an expedition in future. We were lucky that Saranac lake was the last of two outfitters we found along the trail that could outfit you completely for an NFCT thru-paddle.
The slightly harder point to discuss is our emotional learning and how this will guide our actions in any group activity that we go do. As this was such a big trip the idea that one or more of us may need to drop out was something we had considered may happen the whole way through planning, and from this experience making it part of the considerations for future trips (even if they’re a lot smaller) will be something we also intend to do. We hope that you can learn something from our experience of team members dropping out, because we certainly have!