So that's why?

Now that we have been planning the 2006 trip for almost 6 months, I realize why the folks at the Algonquin Outfiters in Brent (where we rented our canoe and put-in) were quietly laughing at the amount of gear we had. I think Gerry put it best when he described it as "car camping without the car". How much gear did we have? Take a look at our canoe loaded for bear.
I now realize that by backpacking standards, this was disgraceful and we deserved all the smirking and finger pointing we received.
In retrospect, I do remember having trouble fitting everything in the trunk of Gerry's Jetta which should have been an early clue. After taking another look at this picture it should not have come as much of a surprise. Damn that's allot of crap in that canoe!