RE: [Paddlewise] keys

I always carry at least three keys and usually four car keys when I go
kayaking: (1) My normal set of keys in my right pants or shorts pocket. (2)
My courtesy car key and a spare house key in my left pants pocket. (3) A
detachable car key fastened to a D-ring in a PFD pocket. (4) A car key in my
personal first-aid kit.

Usually I put my shorts/pants in my clothing dry bag and pack it away in the
stern compartment before I park the car, which is why the detachable key in
the PFD is so handy. On my last kayak camping trip, though, I forgot to do
this. My wife gave me a spare vinyl dry bag just big enough for the shorts
but not big enough to roll the top down more than two or three times, which
was no problem, since I was able to put the bag in my day hatch. But then
she discovered four apples and some hummus she had forgotten to pack, so I
took the shorts dry bag out of the day hatch to make room for the food and
without thinking stuffed it behind the seat instead -- upside down, as I
recall. But there was a little bit of water in the cockpit from the rain the
night before, and extra drips from getting into the kayak, and when I opened
the bag in camp on Devils Island, my shorts were half-soaked. My wallet,
fortunately, was wet only on the outside, but my Palm T3, which I carry on
camping trips to record expenses, for its astronomy program, and for reading
e-books in the tent, was completely dead, and failed to revive even after I
dried it out. So now I have a brand-new Palm TX. The keys, however, were
fine.

I have an Otter box I bought especially for PDAs, but I have never used it,
because I always pack my pants away so carefully -- except for this one
time. 

By the way, my wife brought the latest Harry Potter novel along on that
trip. The following story will make sense only to people who have read the
Harry Potter books: 

During our layover on Devils Island, my wife was sitting in a low camp
chair, reading Harry Potter, and snacking on dried cranberries and coffee
when a vole came over to investigate. It found and ate some dropped
cranberries, took a sip from her coffee cup, which was sitting on the
ground, and then climbed up her pants leg to see what she was reading before
she nervously chased it off. "We should give that vole a name," I said. She
immediately responded: "Vole Demort!"

Chuck Holst
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