Two in the Boat: Team Tactics on the St. Marys
A solo trip is a test of self; a partner trip is a test of systems.
After completing the solo leg of the St. Marys, I met Tina to begin the second stage of the journey. The dynamic shifts instantly when you add a second person to the canoe. The boat sits deeper, the paddle rhythm has to sync, and camp setup becomes a coordinated dance.
The One-Strike Fire Hack Supper depends on a good bed of coals, and I wasn't interested in struggling with damp tinder. I tested a home-made fire starter: cotton balls soaked in boiled liquid Vaseline, stored in a Ziploc bag for a month.
The Result: One strike from the ferro rod and it was a blowtorch.
Pro Tip: This burned long enough to ignite even the stubborn birch bark and fat lighter we harvested from a nearby pine. It’s the most reliable "insurance policy" you can carry in your pack.
The Overpacker’s Tax We are the first to admit it: we overpack. We’re scared of going hungry, running out of water, or not having a fresh change of clothes. Every extra pound in the canoe is one more pound of resistance against every paddle stroke. We’re working on refining the "Blackwater Loadout," but for now, we'll take the extra weight for the sake of a good meal.
Camp Life & The "Table Problem" Dinner was a frozen-then-thawed Jambalaya with black-eyed peas and fresh deer sausage—quick, simple, and calorie-dense. However, the reality of swamp camping hit us: doing all this on the ground is tough. I am officially on the hunt for a lightweight, compact folding table that won't compromise the canoe's trim.
The St. Marys Morning We slept in hammocks, battling the humid South Georgia heat until the early morning breeze finally kicked in. By 7:15 AM, the river was moving fast with the outgoing tide. We had a quick breakfast of canned smoked sausage burritos and were on the water by 9:30 AM to catch the current.
