Oh great ... now CanoeDogs won't go.

Wait, that's no Sasquatch, that's DougWalkAbout running around naked!! Throw the toothpaste and cover your eyes!!!!!!!


(Again, no offense to ANYONE. Just havin' fun)

Thanks for all the comments.i of course will be careful. i know where i'm going and the problems involved but i never take a real chance,i'll sit in camp and read if the winds are up and i limit myself to one pack on the carrys unlike some guys who carry the canoe and a pack over the portage.my wife has my trip plan and has been around some of these places and knows where i might be camping if anyone needs to find me--"check Mug Lake by Lady Boot Bay,he might be there"..Blast and Doug have the right idea,it's just a canoe trip and will be fun to be out in the backcountry.i have picked up alot of good info here and made some changes in my Ditch Vest from reading over all the posts.
my Doc gave me a clean bill of health a few weeks ago so i'm good to go.the PLB/SPOT issue is something i have mulled over all winter and read and re-read everything here about them,so maybe if i go farther north into Canada i'll take one....and from what i read here about what some of you guys pack just to walk around town i'm sure i'll be safer alone in the woods!!!
i'll post again by the 28th-29th--

Yup, that's me. Stomping around on big plywood feet to freak out the tourists. It's totally a hoot. ;-)

Seriously, though, if the risks of a trip justify the expense and invasiveness of a PLB, as an absolute last line of defense, by all means take one.

But in assessing those risks, you have to account for critical factors involving the experience, level of judgement, and preparation of the individuals involved. Is the degree of risk acceptable? In many cases, I think it is.

I have to say that all the close calls I've had were on the highway while driving toward wilderness. That's the high risk activity IMO.

Canoedogs,

I don't know your family situation, but you at least have a wife, and that means you have a responsibility beyond yourself now. Were it not available, then it wouldn't be an issue, but since it is, you need to avail yourself of the extra safeguard that a PLB/SPOT provides. Familiarity with the area is not a mitigation. Do the right thing and prepare yourself reasonably. Renting a PLB is an insignificant cost both in terms of gear load and budget. I cannot think of any legitimate argument against doing it.

Otherwise, have a grand ole time!

Canoedogs,
Sounds like a great trip and one I've looked at from this side of the pond. Your post seems to deal with the potential problems you might face but you decide not to equip yourself with items that can assist the solo wilderness adventurer (plb/spot), which leaves me confused??
Clearly you must prepare as you see fit and I get the earlier posts about "cutting ties etc" but a plb in a dry bag can't interfere with your enjoyment and might just help in that unlikely event (particularly when large mystical animals are trudging round the camp)of you being incapacitated by any number of ways.
Just my thoughts on the matter.
Looking forwards to the pictures.
Have a great trip
Moab

Have a great trip, I'm envious. As for safety, it sounds like your wife knows the plan -- that and care on your part will go a long way. A Spot would be nice so she can track your progress, but remove all risk and there's no point in going.

Most accidents happen within 25 miles of home. . .

Nesmuk did it without a PLB.

There are a small group of ocean crossing sailors who do not carry an EPIRB (marine PLB). Their attitude is that I got myself into this so it is nobody else's responsibility to get me out.

bill

Benjammin, just because he, you, I, or whoever have responsibilities, doesn't mean that we all of a sudden have to childproof our lives. If I could use the excuse, I wouldn't do the commute up and down I-95 since that is what will probably kill me. His wife 'appears' to be comfortable with what he does and where he goes as well as his skill level.

The real test is if they wave off the rescue chopper if and when it appears after their boat sinks!

Same here...except for the alligators, copperheads, water moccasins, coral snakes, feral pigs, and the occasional falling tree.

-Blast