The Forgetful Packer

I have always loved canoeing when I was a kid my parents would take me and my brother Jon out. Now that we are older we continue to take canoe trips together. For the first time in the summer of '09 we went down the Taunton River. It is over forty miles long and it runs through eleven towns. A few miles down river we found an awesome campsite that was in the middle of nowhere.

In order to reach the site we had to go some pretty scary sections of the river. There were a few old bridges that had rough water running under them and some fallen trees that made crossing difficult. So we would carefully have to navigate around them. I have a fear of spiders and when we would row under a branch I would freak out because they would fall into the canoe. I found myself trapped in a boat with one of my biggest fears. I don't believe in killing bugs so I had to sit very still and wait for someone to come get the scary little guys away from me . I was happy to have made it to the campsite in one piece.

I like to brag about my packing skills. I'm the person who gives you an extra pair of socks when you fall in the water or an umbrella when it starts to rain. I thought I had brought everything but I had forgotten something very important to me, my camera I had left it in the car. I was heart broken and all my friends felt bad for me because they know that I can't function with out a camera. Then I hear this sweet little voice coming out of my friend Jill " I have a camera Emily but it's only a little disposable one."  Disposable or not I didn't care it was music to my ears.

We took some memorable pictures that day. Jill asked me to take everyone's picture while they climbed a tree that hung out over the water. I couldn't climb it at the time because I was three months pregnant. Which was also my excuse as to how I managed to forget my precious camera. In case you didn't know pregnancy makes you absent minded. Being the great packer I am I had brought prepared spaghetti dinners for everyone. I even brought a Camping Cook Set that had a frying pan, a spatula and silverware. But because I was so forgetful (I mean pregnant) I had forgotten to bring the plates.  I had to eat out of my frying pan and my friend Jill did not hesitate taking my picture as I did so but I didn't care, I was hungry.

Have you ever been camping in the middle of nowhere? Its freaking scary! It didn't help that we were camping in the middle of the Hockomock Swamp which is supposed to be one of the most haunted places in the United States. I felt safe knowing that my brother Jon had bought along his "big bad" pellet gun. We got a picture of him early one morning when he was using it to shoot at what he had thought to be a threat but it was just the wind. If it had been an actual threat Jon would have used his weapon to protect all of us. Or more likely he would have shot and made whatever it was even more pissed. But then I would have just used my frying pan to hit it over the head. I'm sure my friend Jill would have gotten a picture me doing so.

It was a good trip and now that I'm not pregnant anymore I am back to my old self knowing and remembering everything. (wink).