Military Canteen Failure And Repair

All the years I been using Military Canteens, Never had I broken one until now!
I was climbing a portion of Bald Eagle Mountain when I slipped on wet rocks and tumbled back down the mountain head over heels for roughly 20 yards, then slid down another 20 or so with an abrupt stop on top a big sand stone outcropping.

I wasn't really hurt, just some scrapes and bruises, tore my pants a little and spent a little time spitting Oak leaves and dirt out of my mouth.

I also managed to put a sizable dent in my Chippewa aluminum water bottle. The real luck came in besides not breaking bones was, when I opened my pack to inspect if any camera equipment was damaged?

Somehow not a scratch on any thing inside my backpack! I would have been sick as a dog gorged on Ex Lax if any cameras were damaged.
I have great protective bags for cameras and they paid off well here.

Obviously what broke on the canteen was the cap, in fact I never found the cap at all? but now I was in a small dilemma. I needed as much water as possible to trek over the mountain as theirs no water available for another 2 miles and I'm planning to camp out on top, I'll be a grumpy camper with out coffee in the morning! so I picked up a few pine cones and matched one for a good tight fit for the opening of the canteen.

 I climbed back down to the creek and hammered out the dent on the aluminum bottle with a rock and filled both with fresh water for the strenuous climb back to the summit, and hopefully not taking another spill down the face of the mountain like a drunken Billy Goat, I'll make a better cap in the morning I thought to myself, all the while hoping the pine cone would hold till then?

The pine cone held up great, not a drop spilled to the summit. While gathering wood for my nights camp fire, I came across a Hickory tree and loped off an small lower branch and carried it back to camp with all intentions of whittling it down for a usable plug at first light.

The sunrise was the colour of bad blood. It leaked out of the east and stained the dark sky red, marked the scraps of the cloud with stolen gold. Underneath it the trail twisted up the mountainside towards my Heavenly fortress.
Now the red rim of the sun pushes itself over the forest cloud-bank. It shines on a good many folk, but on none, I dare bet, who are on a stranger errand than you and I. How small we feel with our petty ambitions and strivings in the presence of the great elemental forces of Nature!

After coffee and some bannock, I got straight to work on shaving down the green Hickory stick, every so careful not to shave off to much at a time. I need the stick to slide into the mouth opening snug because when the canteen is full of water the stick will absorb the water and expand the stick for a tighter fit. 

I unraveled some cord I found along the trail and wrapped it around the top portion of the stick to help it from splashing out water and to prevent the stick from getting lost.

I then wove the rope around the body in a net fashion complete with a loop for a belt or togel, it fits nicely and makes the canteen useable again. Though I will get another new military canteen, I wont discard this one, I'll use it for a back up, and it looks sorta cool too!...........