I never expected it to happen to me. I was on a canoe trip in the Adirondack Mountains region. I love those clear lakes and refreshing cold water. Of course I had my treasured Leupold compact binoculars with me always. I was a beginning birder. I looked for new lifelist birds everywhere.

We hiked to several peaks as part of our tour. And my binoculars went with me everywhere. I saw lots of new birds and rejoiced with my new found friends. They even had evening slide shows or programs that I got to attend. Some taught me more about my Leupold binoculars than I ever new before. I always carried them inside my vest protected from drippy paddles or swinging branches.

I listened eagerly to the experienced birdwatchers. I was surprised that many of them liked Leupold Binoculars specifically because they are MADE IN AMERICA. Before that I never linked binoculars with economy or national boundaries. But cars made in “foreign” countries were not well appreciated and that carried over into high tech optics too. 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?

Then we went canoeing in a wetland at a higher altitude. That day I learned how essential it is to have waterproof binoculars. Three of us were assigned to each canoe. I got placed in the center because they needed a better balance and I did not complain.

About 20 yards from shore, the guy behind me moved in his seat and shook the canoe. We each tried to stabilize from his move but only made it worse. In seconds we were down and under the canoe. In shallow water. Thank goodness. We stood up and walked on the rocky bottom to haul the canoe back to shore, using our paddles for balance.

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.

Only then did I realize my Leupold Binoculars had been soaking 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. That evening the waterproof properties of my binoculars and the physics of weight distribution in canoes became the primary topics for discussion. 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.