A Rescue on the Churchill

The news from the Churchill River tells of a Saskatchewan paddler who has been rescued, eight days after the death of her partner and loss of all their canoeing and camping gear. You can read about the incident here in the National Post.

Bottom line is, anyone -- even these experienced campers -- can have an accident while on a wilderness trip. (Heck, it's possible to have an accident in Oak Bay a hundred yards from The Esplanade, but five dog-walking seniors will see it happen and you will be soooooo embarrassed.) This pair of adventurers had a satellite tracking device and the search began on the day they went missing. It simply took eight days for the survivor to be found.

Memo to self: when camping, there's gotta be a knife, a space blanket, and firestarting kit on me, not just in the boat. Always.
Anyone who doesn't know what a space blanket is, go to this link to read about it, and then get someone to take you to an outdoor sports supply store. There's one in my dunk bag, one in my day pack, another in my purse... one year at Christmas I put little space blanket bundles on presents instead of bows.