On my first trip to the BW I was with my girlfriend.  I had just bought a very expensive fishing rod for this trip and kept reminding her to be extremely careful around it and to hold the tip upright when crossing a portage.

Well on the 2nd day as I unloaded at a portage I stubbed the new rod into a rock and broke off about 6 inches.  

Embarrassing wasn't the word.  She's now my wife and still gets a laugh out of something that happened 25 years ago.  :-/