# Noob learns a very hard lesson.



## Flemmings (Feb 20, 2016)

So, around the end of July last year I had packed my canoe up and started canoeing down the river in hopes of what was to be a trip of a lifetime. I made it 3 days in. lol I had camped out on a rocky outcropping overnight and when I set back into the water I got into some little rapids and my damn canoe hit an old piece of steel which impaled and left a huge massive hole in the bottom of the canoe. I managed to save all of my junk, not that it wasn't that hard, and proceeded to carry it through the forest until I got to a dirt road. I left my gear in a bunch of weeds several feet from the road and started to walk the 18ish miles back to my car.

I got lucky and a friend was driving by and gave me a lift back to my car. But, by the time I got back someone had stolen all of my gear. I probably had about $1800 worth of stuff stolen. All the camp gear I had was high end gear that I had bought over the years while I was hardcore into the bushcraft scene. I Also had my laptop and camera and some other assorted junk that was to last me on the trip down the Ohio. They took everything.

It had pissed me off and made me so depressed. I was immediately turned off from all the outdoors and exploring stuff I was into. So I had ended up going back, crashing at my parents place and getting a job through a temp agency. But now the bug is itching again to go somewhere again. So I geared back up, though no where near even half the price range as before. and made a plan to leave next week. I have quit my temp job and save up a couple hundred for gas money. plan is to go west until the car breaks down or I come across some great park to hike and explore.


So the lesson learn is, don't bring shit that you are afraid to lose.


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## MarsOrScars (Feb 20, 2016)

It's all part of the experience I guess.

One of my ideas is to make a capsule out of PVC that can hold my valuable but dead weight shit. Put it about 3' in the ground with an e-tool, then jot down the GPS coordinates along with taking in the immediate landmarks.


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## Kim Chee (Feb 20, 2016)

I think the lesson could also be "never give up".

I'll definitely agree that bringing something that you're afraid to lose is not a good idea.


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## Tude (Feb 21, 2016)

awww sorry you had your trip cut short and stuff stolen.  I admin in a facebook group too and man alive there is a lot of this stolen crap written about - including taking their dogs. Good luck though on the next leg of your trip though!!


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## Dmac (Feb 21, 2016)

It sucks to have your gear stolen, no mater what it cost. Were you trying to go down the Ohio river?


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## kecleon (Feb 21, 2016)

It sucks you literally can't leave stuff anyplace without someone stealing it.

Even in the middle of nowhere there's still dicks.


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## TMG51 (Feb 22, 2016)

A few weeks ago I was exploring around the Colorado river, when I saw two full (new) packs tossed into the bushes only a few feet off the trail. It struck me as odd because 1) it was obviously two people's traveling gear 2) it was so close to plain sight I saw it without trying. I walked around the area to see if there was anyone nearby they might belong to. Nope. But people started coming and going, it was a foot tracked area. Every now and then, I would see someone stop and bend down into the bushes because they'd also noticed the packs. Every time that happened I would walk in that direction under the assumption that someone thinking about stealing the gear would think I was the owner, and the real owner would think nothing of me. Everyone I approached dropped the stuff and walked away. So I decided to keep doing that, figuring I might be improving someone's day. Finally after a few hours some obvious travel types came by and went right to the packs and picked them up like they belonged, which I'm sure they did. So I turned around and left.

Sucks you had your gear stolen. The point of my narrative was just to say that some travelers do stick together.


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