Can we talk about that old guy at the campsite who fixed my tent pole with duct tape?

I was at Shenandoah National Park last October and my tent pole snapped right at dusk. An older camper next to me just walked over with a roll of duct tape and fixed it in about 2 minutes... he said he's been using the same trick for 30 years. That tape held up through a night of gusty wind and rain no problem. Has anyone else had a random stranger save their trip with some simple fix?

3 comments

3 Comments

thea60216d ago

Friend of mine had her bike chain pop off on a remote trail last summer. This old guy pulled up in a beat-up pickup, asked if she needed a hand, then grabbed a stick off the ground and used it to pry the chain back on in about 30 seconds. She said he was gone before she could even thank him properly. That stick got her to the nearest town twelve miles away. She still tells that story every time someone mentions bad luck on a trip.

the_alice16d ago

That stick story reminds me of when a guy fixed my broken cooler latch with a zip tie at Yosemite.

val_ramirez14d ago

Ha! Zip ties solve everything. I keep a handful in my glove box for random fixes. @thea602's story about the stick fixing the bike chain is wild though - sticks don't have the tensile strength for that long. Zip ties are actually rated for it.