Trusty Leupold Binoculars Survive a Dunking
Don’t ever say it could not happen to you. I helped those guys who capsized in the very cold waters of a river near my home in the swamp. But not me. About a year later. I traveled to the Adirondack Mountains for my vacation. I love the coniferous forest, the mountains, the clear lakes. Naturally, as a beginning birder I carried my precious Leupold compact binoculars with me everywhere. My quest for lifelist birds had begun.
My binoculars were ever-ready. I saw and learned to identify several new species. Our group hiked several peaks in the Adirondacks. In the evenings there were programs to highlight the content of the day, so I learned about canoes, birds, binoculars and more. They taught me how to care for my binoculars and keep them protected from weather even though they were waterproof (as all Leupold binoculars are). I always carried mine inside my vest to protect them from drippy paddles and swinging branches when we went out in canoes.
I was amazed that Leupold Binoculars were favorites not only due to quality but also because they are MADE IN AMERICA. I knew it made a difference to many people who would never buy a “foreign car”. But binoculars? Wow. What a revelation that was.
I loved taking solo evening swims and watching swallows and dragonflies catch insects while I listened to loons in the distance. I loved the moonlight canoe trips. Pre-breakfast walks to the red raspberry patch yielded exquisite breakfast treats. How could life be more perfect?
The day I learned the value of waterproof binoculars we were canoeing at a high altitude swamp. Three of us were assigned to each canoe. I was given the center because they needed a better balance and I was the shortest person. I wondered about that strategy.
We were about 20 yards from shore when the person behind me shifted his weight and the canoe wobbled. Each of us responded by wobbling in our own direction and within seconds we were capsized. Fortunately we were in relatively shallow water. When our feet found bottom we all stood up and used our paddles as hiking sticks to help us get back to shore.
I was the shorty in the group. The water was up over my waist when I surfaced to great humor around me. By the time we emerged from the cold mountain water we were all shivering in the summer sun. To avoid hypothermia risks our team went back to camp for dry gear.
Back at camp, unloading our gear. I remembered my Leupold Binoculars inside my vest. Dripping wet for the past 20-25 minutes or so. I was stunned and grateful to discover they were not damaged or even fogged up. All Leupold binoculars are waterproofed and fog proofed and the interiors are purged with nitrogen. That is one more measure of their quality. I am so grateful. That evening the waterproof properties of my binoculars and the physics of weight distribution in canoes were the primary topics for discussion and humor.
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