Pit Stop
2785
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Pit Stop

Pit Stop
May 22, 2022

I had planned for a one day pit stop in Edmonton. Here’s the to-do list (no particular order):
1. Return broken gear
2. Replace poorly performing stove
3.  Buy more dry bags
4. Fix leaking fracture in Jan’s canoe
5. Re-weld and repair Karta
6. Laundry
7. Wash, dry, re-pack all gear
8. Reprovision for 15 days
9. Media and podcast interviews
10. Catch up on posts
11. Properly treat hands and feet
11. Watch Oilers thump Calgary

Had it not been for Paul, Paul’s shop, and Ron (Paul’s genius autobody tech/welder/fiberglasser), all would have been bust. Starting early and finishing late, we managed to get it all done. By 6pm, Jack had BBQ’ed monstrous streaks and by 7, the Oilers were well on their way. Mission accomplished.

In between it all, an old Royal Roads pal and fellow jumper stopped by to say wish me well. Wayne, as always, wore an ear-to-ear smile and still towers over me. He and his wife Maureen lent a hand wherever they could and promised to see us off the following morning.

I ended up going to bed at 1am. Actually, it was more like stumbled to bed at 1 after falling asleep on the couch with all my gear strewn around the living room floor. To tired to figure out what to do first, I set an alarm for 4:30 and figured the pressure of a 6:30 departure would solve the puzzle of what to pack first.

A long day and a good day. No, a great day thanks to the help, support, and patience of Jan’s amazing friends. Thanks is a start, but can’t come close to touching what they did for us. Friends can be a dime a dozen,  but then there are those few that are diamonds …

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