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title = "Things that fall in the river get wet"
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-author = ["George Jones"]
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+author = ["George M Jones"]
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publishDate = 2020-05-25
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-lastmod = 2022-02-26T07:58:30-05:00
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+lastmod = 2023-12-06T05:46:21-05:00
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tags = ["life", "outdoors"]
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categories = ["blog"]
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draft = false
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+++
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-1500 miles down, 700 to go to finish section hiking the Appalachian
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-Trail with 215 miles completed this year in 3 trips.
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+{{< figure src="/ox-hugo/paddling.jpg" caption="<span class=\"figure-number\">Figure 1: </span>Bryan paddling on the Shenandoah" width="400px" >}}
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-Of course, I have some of the hardest miles left: the Smokies,
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-Mt. Washington, the Whites, the Presidentials, the Bigelows, but with
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-persistence, luck, health, constant gear tweaks (and some HARD hiking)
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-I should finish in a few years.
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-{{< figure src="./2020-AT-Milage-Status.png" caption="<span class=\"figure-number\">Figure 1: </span>Miles to go before I sleep" >}}
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+## <span class="section-num">1</span> Intro {#intro}
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-\#100daystooffload #hiking
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+This weekend my son Bryan, friends (former scouts from Philmont days)
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+Sam and Preston and friend Jack went on an canoe trip down the
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+Shenandoah river. We were only dumped in the river by two of the two
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+rapids we encountered. More on that below.
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+
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+{{< figure src="/ox-hugo/swimming.jpg" caption="<span class=\"figure-number\">Figure 2: </span>Things that fall in the river get wet" width="400px" >}}
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<!--more-->
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-## <span class="section-num">1</span> 9/6 - 9/12/2020 Bennington VT to Great Barrington, Mass (Rt. 23) {#9-6-9-12-2020-bennington-vt-to-great-barrington-mass--rt-dot-23}
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-
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-82 miles, 6 nights.
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-
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-{{< figure src="/ox-hugo/TheCobbles.jpg" caption="<span class=\"figure-number\">Figure 2: </span>View From The Cobbles, Mt. Greylock, Cheshire Mass (in valley)" >}}
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-
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-From Sunday 2020-09-06 to Saturday 2020-09-12 I hiked 82 miles
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-SOBO on the Appalachian Trail from Bennington, VT (VT 9) to
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-Great Barrington, Mass (Mass 23). Highlights (high point) of
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-the trip included Mt. Greylock, the highest point in Mass, the
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-lovely town campsite in Cheshire, Mass, Camping by a beaver dam
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-Sunday night and seeing Moose in the morning, lots of beaver
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-dams/bogs, staying 2 nights (Thursday, Saturday before driving
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-home) at the Berkshire Lakeside Lodge, a lovely little motel .2
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-off the trail, and, of course, lots of hiking and people.
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-Resupply in Dalton, Mass at the Post Office. Chocolate shake
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-and meatball grinder in Cheshire. Pizza and milk in Dalton.
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-Magic coming down to 20 Thursday in the most-of-the day rain.
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-The weather, except for Thursday rain, was excellent. Upper 50s
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-to lower 80s.
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-
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-Pre-trip I stopped at a Legend Of Sleepy Hollow/Rip Van Winkle
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-site, and just down the road the Martin Van Buren home, a short
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-hike in Philmont (!), NY to a high waterfall that people were
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-swimming under, saw some wild turkeys. Stayed at the Days Inn
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-in Great Barrington and got a shuttle Sunday morning from Debbie
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-Andrus
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-
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-Post trip, I went back to the Berkshire Lakeside Lodge. I'd
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-spent time in the area. Normal Rockwell museum. Lakes.
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-Tanglewood music festival (Boston Symphony summer series).
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-Shaker village (I camped at the ""Shaker Campsite""). West
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-Stockbridge is a lovely little town. It has the ""TurnPark"",
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-an outdoor interactive art park where I met one of the artists
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-(cutting the weeds). Good food. Probably expensive and crowded
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-in a non-COVID high season. "
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-
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-
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-## <span class="section-num">2</span> 7/3-7/4/2020 Davenport Gap to Hot Springs {#7-3-7-4-2020-davenport-gap-to-hot-springs}
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-
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-33.9 miles, 1 night
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-
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-{{< figure src="/ox-hugo/MaxPatch.jpg" caption="<span class=\"figure-number\">Figure 3: </span>View From Max Patch in the Morning" >}}
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-
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-Breakfast at diner. Shuttle to I-40. Lost 1 - 1.5 hours because
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-shuttle driver (NYC guy) was a slave to his GPS, would not just
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-hop on 40. On trail at 10. Made it to Max Patch about 6. UP
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-HILL. I was shot. July 3 on the summit was a mob scene. I
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-camped 1/2 mile short. Tried cold dinner (mashed potatoes +
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-stuffing + chicken). Meh. Went up for sunset, and again just
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-after sunrise. Bueatiful. Hiked 21 back into Hot Springs.
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-Hiked a little way with 2 girls from Tucker/Stone Mountain, GA
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-(where my wife went to school). Hit town. Liquid. Shower.
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-DROVE to store. White Castles. Bed. Drove home. %65.1 of
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-trail done.
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-
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-
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-## <span class="section-num">3</span> 6/17-6/24/2020 Hughs Gap to Hot Springs {#6-17-6-24-2020-hughs-gap-to-hot-springs}
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-
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-99 Miles, 7 nights.
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-
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-{{< figure src="/ox-hugo/RobBird.jpg" caption="<span class=\"figure-number\">Figure 4: </span>Rob Bird provided \"Trail Magic\" 2 hikes in a row" >}}
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-
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-"Mountian Squid" joined me for the first 3 miles. Ran into 2
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-older Russian couples who were out for the first time. Hiked
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-with the owner of <https://www.flowmarshall.com/> gallary in
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-Marshall, NC and her British husband for a bit. Stayed at Uncle
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-Johnnies 1st night, shuttled to Hughs Gap. Stayed at Uncle
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-Johhnies 3rd night, resupplied, hiked on to Hot Springs. 20
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-into hot springs from Laurel Fork. Zeroed at Laughing Heart
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-hostle, shuttled back to Irwin to get car, drove, car broke down
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-in Wythville (axel), rented a car, came home, started a new job,
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-went back to Wythville Wednesday night. Got car Thursday drove
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-back to Hot Springs_Laughing Heart, run by "Chuck Norris" and
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-"Tigger" ... former Jesuit retreat center_hostel. Great place.
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-Got food in Hot Springs hiking in. Big hill/rock steps coming
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+## <span class="section-num">2</span> Other people having fun {#other-people-having-fun}
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+
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+Along the way we saw many people out enjoying the Memorial Day weekend
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+along the river. The photo below shows a water slide set up to let
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+kids slide into the river, with a twist: the last 10 (3m) feet or so of the
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+slide were down a mud bank. For safety there was a kayak in the water
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+to help the fun-havers out if needed
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+
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+{{< figure src="/ox-hugo/mud-slide.jpg" caption="<span class=\"figure-number\">Figure 3: </span>Water and Mud Slide Into The River" width="400px" >}}
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+
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+
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+## <span class="section-num">3</span> Getting Dumped the first time {#getting-dumped-the-first-time}
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+
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+The river was up. Running about 6 feet (1.8m) at Luray. The outfitters
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+along the river recommend only going at 5 feet (1.5m) or less. Our second
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+day out we were making 5 miles per hour (8 km/h).
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+
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+We hit the [Compton Rapids](https://youtu.be/Zswr_IB9C_A). The swells were 3 feet (0.9m) or so. We made it
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+about half way through, taking on water, and then got dumped. Life
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+jackets are a good thing. It was a little dicey floating though the
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+end of the rapids. We kept our paddles and stayed with the
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+upside-down canoe. The only losses were a couple water bottles, cup
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+holders and a fishing rod (other canoe). Most everything was tied
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down.
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-Post 26 #100DaysToOffload <https://100daystooffload.com/>
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+We floated 10 or 20 minutes in still-ish water and wound up swimming
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+our swamped canoe to the banks where there was a large group camp-out.
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+Some of the people (speaking pretty-much only Spanish) helped get our
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+sorry selves and swamped canoe out of the water and drained out. They
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+gave us 6 water bottles which replaced the water we had lost. Gracias
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+!
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+
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+
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+## <span class="section-num">4</span> Getting Dumped the second time {#getting-dumped-the-second-time}
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+
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+{{< figure src="/ox-hugo/swamp-number-2.jpg" caption="<span class=\"figure-number\">Figure 4: </span>Pulling out after the second spill" width="400px" >}}
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+
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+The second time we got dumped was a about a mile from the end of the
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+trip. Our planning had failed to disclose the presence of these
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+rapids, just had it had failed to disclose the possibility of portage
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+around the first set (Preston :-))
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+
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+The other canoe went first. We hung back in the smooth (but fast)
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+water so as not to run into them if they had trouble. They did.
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+They dumped about half way through. These canoes were a little heavy
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+with gear and people and not horribly stable. Extra water in the boat
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+does not help.
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+
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+I decided to go to the shore and work thorough options. We reached
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+shore 10 or 20 yards (9 or 18) upstream from the rapids. I grabbed a tree
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+root to hold us in place, but the current flipped us. At that point
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+I made the call to "abandon ship". We let the canoe go and swam to
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+the bank rather than float the rapids in life jackets.
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+
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+We climbed up the bank, staggered downstream and found that our
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+friends were a) OK and b) had snagged our canoe.
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+
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+
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+## <span class="section-num">5</span> The end {#the-end}
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+
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+In the end, we had minimal losses, no significant injuries, no harm,
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+no foul? Live and learn? Life jackets, tying down your gear and
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+quick thinking are your friend. And fun was had in the face of
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+self-selected risks.
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+
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+{{< figure src="/ox-hugo/starting-out.jpg" caption="<span class=\"figure-number\">Figure 5: </span>At the takeout point (BEFORE we were drowned rats)" width="400px" >}}
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+
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+Days 15 and 16 of #100DaysToOffload <https://100daystooffload.com/>
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