The latest news isn't new to anyone who knows me well: I am a wimp. Today, when Tom pointed out that the forecast for the weekend was rather crap, I immediately jumped ship. Well, ok, I suggested we *postpone* the trip, to a time when the fall colours would be out. As long as it's not raining, that is.
Ever since that wet wet wet trip to Gwaii Haanas three years ago (only three? it feels like a lifetime ago), I have been somewhat rain averse. "Somewhat rain averse" is my way of saying that, when it started to rain while we were in Austria last summer, I whined until Kevin agreed we could get on a train and go back to my hometown. Where I bought rain pants (and started lusting after Ortlieb waterproof panniers. This is unrequited lust to date...)
I have gore-tex pants. I have some cheapo non gore-tex pants that market themselves as waterproof breathable (but are mostly waterproof sittable). I have a gore-tex shell. I have a rain shell. I have a super light rain shell of something that feels like sil-nylon. I have another rain shell, and probably another and another. I have neoprene gloves and drypants and waterproof neoprene tops and bottoms. I have weather appropriate gear for all sorts of weather. I've also got a bad attitude...
Aside from that wet, whiny day in Austria, I've only got drenchingly wet once this summer - on my way back from the library, on foot, in July. On our Killarney paddling trip, we had a few good downpours one day - but we saw it coming and did one of the best tarp jobs ever initiated by me. On another trip, to Champlain Island, it never really rained. On the Superior trip, we had two days that had those sky opens like a bucket moment, but both were late in the day well after Kevin ignored my "I think it will blow over!" optimism and thus tarps were up. It didn't rain at all when we went to the Snakes. Really, for such a wet summer, I've stayed remarkably dry. I don't think I paddled in the rain at all, and I only had to bike in it for one day - and even then, it tapered off after an hour or two. Even in Iceland, I had some of the nicest weather that Island ever gets. And the day I wanted to go the icecap in Greenland, it was also nice...
All of that means that I must be due. Thus, if I were to go to Algonquin with Tom this weekend, we might well be huddling under a tarp. Yeah. Wimp.
But *next* weekend, next weekend I wanna paddle. I miss it. It's been weeks...