On every trip for the past seventeen years we have reminisced about the time “he” forgot to pack the tent poles.
It was our second family camping trip. We arrived at the campsite – three hours, two lakes and a steep portage away from Toronto – when my brother-in-law discovered that he had packed the tent but no poles. Apparently packing the tent was his only job. Oops.
This was one of those times in a marriage when the story gets funnier over time – but no one laughs in the moment.
It seems that the “kids” were to blame. When teenagers borrow a tent there is no guarantee that they will put the poles back in the tent bag.
Thank goodness everyone packed rope. We all worked together to improvise and the solution worked wonderfully.
Over the years we have forgotten many things. There is nothing more annoying than leaving water bottles at home – good thing it was a short trip. After that particular trip we always used a Camping Checklist.