26 minute read
Publisher’s Letter
a great summer but fall adventure awaits
Hereʼs hoping youʼre having as much fun as we are exploring all that our great region has to offer. We at Ottawa Outdoors Magazine have been answering your questions, reviewing the next piece of gear youʼll need, and providing you with directions and details to find those hidden outdoor adventures nearby.
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And so, the fall of 2003 has arrived, right after the Summer of You. In the past several months I stepped “outside the box” and explored some new interests. My spring “to do” list included... whitewater kayak lessons; check. Lived to tell about it; check. Cottage relaxing time; check. Star-gazing at the bazillion stars overhead; check. Campfire conversations with friends; check.
I predict a mild autumn, so make your outdoor agenda plans now for more adventure. That means kayaking and canoeing some of the many fantastic lakes nearby, and mountain biking on challenging trails. Add in some great weekend hiking trips, both inside the city and outside. Canʼt wait to get out there!
Enjoy our fall issue. Thanks for this first full year of Ottawa Outdoors Magazine, and be sure to head out and enjoy our incredible fall weather.
Happy trails.
Dave Brown Publisher, Editor-in-Chief
CONTRIBUTORS
Geoff Green
Geoff is a freelance expedition leader and founder/director of the program, Students on Ice. In this issue he takes a break from his home in Chelsea, and leads us on a journey into the Antarctic, one of the last untouched and pristine places on earth.
Max Finkelstein
The focus of our profile this issue, Max is one of the most well-known canoeists in Ottawa. Heʼs travelled all over the country and written popular books about the adventure. In this issue he takes us down the French and Mattawa Rivers.
Chantal Macartney
At the wily young age of 17, Chantal is a regular writer of Ottawa Outdoors. Sheʼs been camping since before she could walk and in this issue, brings you a bunch of camping tips to make your fall camping go that much smoother.
Peter McKinnon
An avid outdoor enthusiast and married father of two boys, Peter gives us some insight into the how-tos of canoe camping with your children. Heʼs been writing for years and is a longtime resident of Ottawa.
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Dave Brown Managing Editor Allen Macartney Editor Denise Allen Assistant Editor Lesley Cornish Contributing Editors Ken Parker Jim Hargreaves Design and Layout Dave Brown Graphic Designer Robert Brazeau Graphic Illustrators William Jessup, Wah Phung-Lu, Keith Milne, FrikOutdoors.com, Contributing Writers Juda Strawczynski, Chantal Macartney, Bev Wigney, Ken Whiting, Max Finkelstein, Peter McKinnon, Angie Brown, Ryan Brown, Brian Cooke, Geoff Green, Dave Stibbe, Eric Martinat, Bob Washer, Dr. Todd Norton, Allen Macartney, Julie St. Jean, Cathy Brown, Wanda Purton Contributing Photographers Ray Pilon, La Verende Park, Nancy Lee, Bev Wigney, Paul Chivers, National Capital Commission, Langford Canoe, Peter McKinnon, Jean Lemire, Geoff Green, Robert Faubert, Jason Elder, Allen Macartney, SiriusMed, Julie St. Jean, Martin Paquette, Luis Moreira ADVERTISING INQUIRIES Please contact: Dave Brown Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Ottawa Outdoors Magazine is an independent publication published quarterly. Email: Advertising@OttawaOutdoors.ca Tel: 613-860-8688 / 888-228-2918 SUBSCRIPTIONS See attached sub.cards in this issue or visit www.OttawaOutdoors.ca Ottawa Outdoors Magazine 2706 Alta Vista Drive, Suite #107 Ottawa, ON K1V 7T4 Tel: 613-860-8688. Internet: www.OttawaOutdoors.ca CONTRIBUTIONS Ottawa Outdoors Magazine welcomes story and photo contributions. All photos should ideally be shot with colour slides or high resolution digital camera, but otherwise scanned at 300dpi resolution and burned onto a CD-ROM or emailed. No unsolicited contributions will be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. Publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork. CANADIAN / U.S. POSTMASTER: Return undeliverable covers to 2706 Alta Vista Drive, Suite #107, Ottawa, ON, Canada,
K1V 7T4. Return postage guaranteed. Indexed in the Canadian Periodical Index ISSN No. 1204-69556. © Copyright 2003. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any materials published in Ottawa Outdoors Magazine is expressly forbidden without consent of the publisher unless otherwise agreed between partners. Printed in Canada. ARE YOU AN OUTDOOR ENTHUSIAST WHO WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE?
CAMPING
Gently roughing it in La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve
By Juda Strawczynski
My adolescent canoeing companion had just developed a new stroke. Bored with sending furious, aquatic cyclones spinning in the water with the plunge of his paddle, he now rested the oak paddle on the canoe’s gunnel, allowing just its tip to graze the water.
A barely perceptible swishing sound from the surface carried on the wind. My little Moses-in-training had perfected this paddle-partingthe-sea technique, sending ripples along the placid surface of Lac JeanPéré. Watching his powerless stroke intently, he seemed mesmerized by the water movement. Once a minute
he pulled himself out of the trance to call out, “Are we there yet?”
Of course, the answer was yes. We had arrived. Our group had made it to Québec’s La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve, and for the next two days we would enjoy pleasures of the great outdoors. But for this teenaged, American city-slicker and his dozen friends bent on experiencing the Canadian wilderness, such poetic waxing just didn’t cut it. So, instead I answered what any summer camp counsellor would say: “Yup! We’re there yet.”
“No we’re not!” he shot back quickly.
“If you know we’re not ‘there’ yet, why don’t you start paddling?” I urged.
With that, his paddle stabbed back into the water like an Olympic racer coming up on the fi nish line. He executed fi ve, highly impressive, cyclone-generating strokes before collapsing in a bored heap and taking another 15-minute break.
Even if I were missing a paddling partner, it posed no great problem. The route our little band of canoeists had picked to explore along the “Jean-Péré loop” is no more than a one-paddle effort – the easiest level identifi ed by the Quebec Canoe and Kayak Federation. It’s a 24-kilometre circuit that allowed us to navigate lazily around the largest island on Lac Jean-Péré.
We departed from Le Domaine (La Vérendrye’s canoe camping home base) for a group camping site. Our route was rapid-free, and our one hop-skip-and-a-jump of a portage traversed over a fl at, wellmaintained trail. Better still, hardly a breath of wind impeded our progress.
Photo by La Verendrye Park
Overhead, puffy clouds protected us from the sun’s fury, and we had enough snack food on board to keep our dozen teenaged campers well fed and generally content. This canoe trip was about as simple as one can be; given the experience of our youth members, the challenge was as much as they could handle.
Although our group was new to canoe camping, canoe camping is not new to La Vérendrye. The Park opened in 1939, but centuries earlier
La Vérendrye Park’s tranquillity is a great place to escape the crowds.
the area played an important role in the fur trade. Back then, canoes were the only vehicle for navigating through the Park’s 4,000 lakes. To this day, canoes are still the best way to see wilderness sights.
Think of La Vérendrye as an Algonquin Park with smaller
crowds and a shorter drive. While an Algonquin outing may involve fending off Group of Seven groupies following the last J-strokes of Tom Thomson, La Vérendrye’s only major recent claim to fame is a passing reference in a Bill Bryson book. Although La Vérendrye hasn’t yet been elevated to the level of Canadian cliché, it has all the ingredients for a fun Canuckin-a-canoe experience.
Getting there involves hopping in a car and heading north. Let the wheels on your personal bus go round and round up Highway 105 past Maniwaki. Then take Highway 117 right to the Park. It’s 190 kilometres from Ottawa to La Vérendrye’s south gate. Another 50 kilometres will get you to Le Domaine – the gateway for La Vérendrye’s canoe camping adventures.
Doorway to Paddlers’ Heaven
Le Domaine is a typical, park service centre with a gas station as its life blood, and cabins for those who need to escape back indoors from their escape to the outdoors. For those who are heading out on a canoe trip, Le Domaine has a store for last-minute supplies, a restaurant where you can enjoy a last-civilised supper, and a pay phone for your famous last words. It is also home to Canoe Camping La
Photo by La Verendrye Park
Vérendrye – a one-stop source for canoes, gear, maps, water bottles, clothing, snacks, and bear bells and whistles (literally). Canoe Camping La Vérendrye offers fully-planned package itineraries, as well as shuttle services to put-in and exit points in other areas of the park. For beginners, families, and those seeking weekend solitude, there’s no need to take the shuttle into the wild. The Park offers many routes that make a 360-degree loop through the wilderness starting at Le Domaine. These provide good times, yet require only minimal canoe skills. If the winds are skidding at high speed across the watery surface of Lac Jean Péré, the initial paddle-dipping exercise may require a little more oomph. Canoeists can solve some of the challenge by simply hugging the shoreline.
What about campsites? Those along the accessible, easy routes are clean; most of these routes include pit toilets.
For die-hard Mr. Canoeheads, La Vérendrye represents a 13,615 square kilometre playground. Let’s translate those kilometres into more understandable words…. La Vérendrye has a greater geographic area than Cyprus, Andorra and Luxembourg combined. It’s about half the size of Belgium!
Over 150 bird species and 40 land mammals find shelter in the Park.
Fish species (among others) include yellow walleye, northern pike, lake trout and speckled trout.
Although several challenging excursions depart from Le Domaine, other trips offer put-in points accessible by either car or the shuttle service. With 800 kilometres of marked routes and dozens of trips to choose from, your excursion can range from a simple fun-for-a-few-days trip, to an extended lost-in-the-wilderness adventure, complete with rapids of varying levels (Class 1 to Class 5). Portages too, range from mild, flat and short trails to bushwhacking marathons.
Fast-Forward Paddling
Where did the name La Vérendrye come from?
The most avid modern-day voyageur will rank as a mere novice compared to Pierre Gonthier de Varennes Sieur de La Vérendrye – the Park’s namesake. In the 1730s, this explorer managed to paddle all the way to the Missouri River and the cruelly-named Portage la Prairie. Two of his sons (believed to be the first Europeans to see the Rocky Mountains) helped him in his remarkable trailblazing efforts.
Itʼs easy to get to La Vérendrye Park. Hereʼs how Cross the MacDonald-Cartier Bridge driving north from Ottawa. Follow Highway 5 north, then head up Highway 105 past Maniwaki. At Highway 117, follow the signs to the Park. Total distance from Ottawa to La Vérendrye is about 190 kilometres.
In recognition of his never-give-up efforts, Quebec named this huge wilderness park after him. The La Vérendrye family outings remind us that sometimes travelling by canoe can be hard work. Probably that’s why the word “travel” comes from the French word “travail” (meaning to work or labour).
Our own group’s lazy approach to re-discovering La Vérendrye Park’s natural wonders would probably leave Sieur de La Vérendrye shaking his 18th Century head in disbelief. But even several hundred years ago, teenagers were known for their relaxed attitudes about life and physical effort.
Clearly, our group members looked on their paddling travel as leisure, not “travail.” Slowly, without putting much effort into the experience, we slipped across the water – hardly consulting a map to find direction.
After a beautiful day paddling on the lake, we arrived at our prepared group site. Although some members were a little disappointed that our moose-meter was still sitting at zero (no one had seen one of these majestic beasts yet), all seemed happy to have found solid ground again.
Generally, the Park’s group sites fit 20 people, so our 15 trekkers were comfortably accommodated. The site offered some privacy between each tent pad, but not enough to make anyone feel separated or isolated.
After preparing a snack (these are teenagers after all), pitching tents, and setting up a cooking area overlooking the lake, our chefs prepared a nutritious dinner that replaced any calories used during the day. Second and third helpings followed in quick succession, before a contented tranquility descended over camp. It’s amazing what a hot meal can do after a day of paddling in the sun, fresh air and beautiful surroundings. At least for the moment, everyone seemed pleased to just park their behinds on the beach and watch the sun’s slow descent behind the hills.
Within minutes loons came out to play. We were thankful the bugs didn’t join the party. Not long afterwards, stars began twinkling in the sky overhead. Suppressing contented yawns, our teenaged campers stared blissfully at gathering pastel colours painted on the horizon of this Québecois canvas.
“May I go in your canoe tomorrow,” my paddling partner asked hopefully.
“Sure. I’d like that,” I nodded, smiling at the sunset.
Silence reigned over our group. We all felt a little reticent about having to head back towards Le Domaine in the morning. Now that we were finally here, nobody really wanted to leave. — Juda Strawczynski is avid outdoor enthusiast with extensive camping experience.
Camping/Canoeing Tips • Buy or rent a 60-litre canoe barrel for your trip. (You can rent one from the outfitter at Le Domaine.) A barrel is an excellent place to keep all your food safe and dry. Donʼt put clothes in the same barrel as your food; animals may be attracted by the food smells. Use a separate barrel or waterproof canoe pack to hold sleeping bags and other essentials. • Make sure you have good quality packs and excellent rain gear. A cold camper is a miserable one. • At night, hang your food up in a tree at least 100 metres from tents. • Donʼt take any food into your tent.
Animals, big and small, will be attracted by the aroma of chocolate bars, nuts, chips or even toothpaste. • Attach a whistle to each PFD for signalling. Contact Information and Web Sites www.canot.laverendrye@citenet.net Canoe Camping La Vérendrye is open from midMay to mid-September. Contact Le Domaine at (819) 435-2331, or (514) 252-3001 during the off-season. Maps are available at Le Domaine. www.canot-kayak.qc.ca Follow the links to La Vérendrye, then click on “Canoe camping La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve Guide to Canoe Routes.” Youʼll be able to download itineraries and maps. www.laverendryeoutaouais@sepaq.com This is the web site for Sépaq: La Société des établissements de plein air du Québec. Their telephone number is (819) 438-2017.
Tarp of the morning
By Chantal Macartney Illustrations Billy Jessup
Lightning flashed through the unnatural, afternoon gloom as we paddled hard for the sandy beach. Thunder echoed over the hills, like the booms of cannons signaling the start of a battle. Scrambling out of our canoes by our wilderness campsite, we struggled to locate our tarpaulin quickly before the rain caught us in the open.
“Found it!” I yelled. “Let’s go!”
Within minutes our tarpaulin was set up – time enough for our other friends to drag all the gear up under its protective canopy. It never did rain that day, but a tarp always offers a sense of security.
“A tarpaulin?” some new camper might say, “Why do I need a tarp?”
If you’re going to enjoy all varieties of weather that present themselves on a two-week camping trip, a tarpaulin is essential. There’s no better place to relax in a hammock with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate, when the rain streams down so hard that even ducks shake their feathered heads in showers of disapproval. A tarp provides not only cover from rain, but also shade on a blistering hot day.
A kitchen shelter, a campfire cover, and an improvised tent. Those are three main things for which most campers use tarps.
Two types of tarps are readily available: rectangular and parabolic models. Rectangular, flat tarpaulins are generally less expensive than parabolic ones. You’ll pay $10 and up for a heavy, blue, hardware store model, to $200 for a lightweight, ripstop model. Parabolic-shaped tarps are much more expensive and are made from rip-stop nylon. Looking aerodynamic, they have factory-made drawn-out corners and cut-away sides. They tend to pitch more stiffly than rectangular tarps, and are sleeker. Prices range from $80 for a small one, to well over $300 for larger, customfitting models. Generally, parabolic tarps hang in only a single way.
Flat tarpaulins come in all sizes – from 2 metre by 3 metre rectangles to larger (and heavier) sizes 6 metres by 8 metres. If you’re planning to use your tarp as a simple tent shelter for late summer and fall backpacking trips, get a small tarp. For car camping or long canoe trips, I prefer a larger tarp I can suspend from trees – one that guarantees me a dry, comfortable cooking spot if the weather turns sour.
Setting up a tarp is not difficult; all you need is some experience. As a black storm cloud starts to dump its watery load on your campsite, the last thing you want to be thinking about is how to hang your tarp. The more times you set up a tarp, the faster you’ll get.
If you’ve never used a tarpaulin before, practice putting it up in your backyard several times before heading out on a trip. Start by setting up a tarpaulin using a simple flat design, like the Kitchen Shelter setup (see above). When you’re confident making it, experiment with more elaborate setups, or devise your own.
Have you ever thought about substituting a tarp for your tent during mild weather camping? If you’re going on a backpacking trip, this is a great way to lighten your load by one and a half, or two kilograms. By sleeping under a tarp instead of a tent, you’ll be more likely to hear the howling of a coyote, deer walking near your camp, or owls hooting. An improvised tarp-tent offers great ventilation and plenty of room in which to move around. You’ll also get a deeper sense of being close to nature.
When tying down a tarp, you’ll need several types of rope. I like about 20 metres of polypropylene rope (1 cm thick) for my centre, tarpaulin-supporting rope that stretches between two trees. Parachute cord is excellent for tying down the corners; plan on five metres for each corner. You can never have too much rope.
Now let’s look at a variety of methods for pitching a rectangular tarp.
Kitchen Shelter Setup
In years of camping, this tarp setup has become my favourite. It offers lots of head room for cooking or reading in bad weather. But you’ll need a large tarp – at least three metres by five metres.
Find two trees slightly wider apart than the width of your tarp. Tie a rope between these trees, at least two and a half metres above the ground. Make the rope as taut as possible; the weight of your tarp is sure to cause some sagging.
Wind/Rain Protection Model
Toss your tarpaulin over the rope and drape it down equally on both sides. Attach parachute cord to each of the four corners, and tie them to nearby trees or branches. Try to keep the corners up at least one and a half metres above the ground. (See diagram)
Wind/Rain Protection Model
If a stiff breeze is whipping in off the lake, driving pelting rain before it, adapt the Kitchen Shelter setup to make a wind and rain shield. Start by
hanging your tarp over a centre rope strung about two and a half metres above the ground between two trees. Then, stake one side down almost vertically to the ground. Keep the other side almost horizontal so it forms a roof over your head. (See Diagram)
Be sure the lower end of your tarp faces the prevailing wind or rain, so you can sit behind your tarp in perfect, dry comfort, protected from wind-blown rain. With this setup, campfi re smoke can escape easily.
High-fl ying tarps: not diffi cult
The higher you position your tarp, the more room youʼll have to live under it. How do you get the centre rope up as high as possible, but also low enough that you can retrieve it at the end of your camping adventure? Hereʼs my secret.
Tie a 15-metre length of rope or parachute cord to the end of a metal, rock-climbing carabiner (available at all outdoor stores). Toss the carabiner over a three to three-and-a-half-metre high branch. Let the weight of the carabiner pull your cord down to your level, then loop the cord tightly around the tree several times before tying it off at chest-height. Repeat this process for the other end of the rope, tossing it around another high branch.
Now you have a rope that is high above your head, but its ends remain within easy access of your fi ngers. The remaining challenge is to toss your tarp over the rope so it hangs down on both sides.
“A” Frame Tent
This simple tent, sometimes called an “A” frame setup, is for campers or hikers who choose to leave their tent at home. An “A” frame setup is the easiest and usually most practical tent to make with a small tarpaulin. It provides great protection from rain, and offers plenty of fresh air.
Start by fi nding two trees at least one metre further apart than the width of your tarp. Then tie a rope tightly between them. Next, drape your tarp over the rope. Stake down the tarp ends directly to the ground, using long pegs, ground-level roots or nearby trees.
Improvised “A” Frame Tent The improvised tent is like an “A” frame setup, with a slight modifi cation. One end is higher to encourage water run-off. It makes a great tent if you’re trying to save some weight during a backpacking trip. But beware: never use it during the height of mosquito or black-fl y season. This make-shift tent has no bug net; you’ll get eaten alive.
Tie a rope around a tree about one and a half meters off the ground. Run your rope to the ground at about a 30 degree angle, and peg it down securely. After draping your tarp over the rope, secure one end of your tarp to the upper part of the taut rope, and the other end to where you’ve staked your rope into the ground. Pull the two tarp corners on the high side
Slant Roof Slant Roof Shelter Tent Shelter
tightly outwards, staking them down to make the shelter opening. At the low end, fold each corner under the tarp, and stake a point on each side to hold it taut. (See diagram)
Slant Roof Shelter
If you’re not looking for a tent-like structure, but something to keep the rain away from your campfi re or picnic table, then a Slant Roof shelter is excellent. It’s simple to erect. Merely fi nd four trees growing in a square pattern and tie each corner of your tarpaulin to a trunk. Tie the two highest corners approximately two and a half metres above the ground, and the two lower corners about two metres above the ground. The slanting angle provides excellent drainage. (See diagram)
Backpacking Front Porch Cover
Sometimes a front porch on your tent makes a convenient addition, especially in soggy weather. A porch offers a camper a great place to shed wet rain clothes, or sort out your pack before heading down the trail.
To make a porch, use a small, lightweight tarp (2 m x 3 m). Drape about one third of it over the front of your tent, staking it down to pegs on the side. At the front of your tent, pull the tarp out straight and tie straight branches or hiking poles at the corners to lift the tarp up. Finish by staking the poles down with parachute cord.
If you’re camping with a group, have everyone set up their tents wagon-train-style facing inwards, with doors each about two metres away. Hang a larger tarp overhead so it covers the openings of everyone’s tents. Caution! Make sure the overhead tarp doesn’t direct water to drain into someone’s tent.
Parting Shots
Whether you need a dry canopy over your picnic table or an improvised tent, a tarpaulin will add to your enjoyment of any outdoor adventure. Spend time learning the many ways a tarpaulin can make life better. — Chantal Macartney is a regular staff writer. On rainy camping days, youʼll fi nd her under a tarpaulin, sipping tea while reading a book.
Tarp Hanging Tips
•Hang a kitchen tarp at least three metres above the ground. This distance will allow lots of room for your kitchen crew to work. •Before retiring for the night, make sure your tarp is angled down steeply at the edges so water can run off and not collect. If it rains a lot, a giant puddle may form in your tarpaulin. The weight of the collecting water may tear your tarp or break any supporting poles. •Make sure the water run-off point of your tarp does not lead directly to your tent. Iʼve seen more than one tent fl ooded in the middle of the night by novice campers who erected a tarp that directed all the run-off through their tent door. •If your kitchen tarp setup has a centre rope, hang your wet towels and gear from this during the night to aid drying. •You canʼt have too much rope when hanging a tarp. I prefer parachute cord for tying down tarp corners. Itʼs light, strong, durable and readily available at camping stores. •When hanging an “A” frame tarp setup, make sure the open sides do not face the wind. If they do, youʼll have made an aerodynamic wind tunnel that will soak you with rain.
Camping Tips for Novices and Experts
By Chantal Macartney
No matter how experienced you are in wilderness travel, it’s always helpful to fi nd out how others thrive in the bush. Here are some of my favourites. They deal with hiking, starting a campfi re quickly, and using fi lm canisters. Enjoy.
Jumpstart Your Campfire
Hikers must fi nd ultra-light solutions to everything. Here’s how to make effective fi restarters that weigh almost nothing. Wipe Vaseline ™ petroleum jelly on 30 to 40 cotton balls, then put them into a plastic fi lm canister. To start a fi re, place one jellied cotton ball under your kindling. The petroleum-jellysaturated cotton ball will ignite immediately and burn for at least 10 minutes. To light damp kindling, use two or three of these fi re-starters.
Car or canoe campers can make easy and inexpensive fi re-starters by fi lling small paper cups with sawdust and standing a wick up through the middle. Finish by carefully pouring paraffi n wax over the sawdust. Be sure to let the hot wax cool before touching the container.
Another great fi re-starter for car or canoe campers for car or canoe campers is a charcoal briquette soaked in paraffi n. It’s easy to make and use.
Film Canisters
Waterproof fi lm canisters are great for camping, canoeing or hiking trips. You can make an emergency fi shing kit by twisting fi shing line around a small popsicle stick, then sliding it into a fi lm canister. Be sure to leave extra space so you can add several small hooks and weights. What can you use for lures? Find a worm or slug under a rock, or skewer a horse fl y and feed it to the fi sh.
A fi lm canister makes an excellent waterproof match container. Simply glue a small piece of sandpaper inside the lid of the fi lm canister. Strike your match against the sandpaper – perfect in wet weather when rocks are damp. Make sure to place your matches head-down inside the container, pointing away from the sandpaper. Otherwise, the heads might rub against it and ignite.
To make a camp sewing kit, wrap a two-metre length of thread around a small strip of cereal box cardboard, then slide it inside a fi lm canister.
Add an assortment of Add an assortment of sewing needles and sewing needles and safety pins.
Popular wisdom says you shouldn’t says you shouldn’t store food in plastic store food in plastic fi lm canisters. But film canisters. But Kodak and other fi lm Kodak and other film companies maintain companies maintain that no trace chemicals that no trace chemicals from the fi lm will get into your spices, condiments, or medicines. Alternatively, you could ask your pharmacist for clean, unused, screw-top pill containers as they come in different sizes as well.
Disappearing Ice Packs
When packing for a hiking or canoe trip, freeze factorypacked and sealed foods (such as sausages or hotdogs) several days before leaving. These make great ice packs and they’ll stay frozen for a few days. Placed next to perishable foods, they keep the foods cold. Better yet, your ice pack is edible!
Pack Baking Soda
Never head out on the trail without a small container of baking soda. Mix your baking soda with cinnamon to make toothpaste. Or, add 10 mL baking soda to a cup of water to ease back-country heartburn. Or, gargle with a solution of 10mL baking soda and 125 mL of water to freshen your breath. Garlic odours from last night’s dinner will disappear.
Are mosquito and black fl y bites bothering you? Try adding a little water to baking soda, making a watery paste. Rub the paste over the bite; the baking soda will ease the itch. This method also works with minor burns and poison ivy.
Is odour from your hiking boots scaring away your hiking mates? Here’s a solution. Pour a small amount of baking soda into your boots, shake it around, and leave the boots to sit overnight. In the morning your shoes should be odourfree, ready for the trail again.
When collecting wood or stringing a clothesline or tarp for your camping adventure, have you ever covered your fi ngers with sticky sap? Soap won’t help you here. Instead, wash your hands with water and baking soda. It works every time.
Hiking Tips
When hiking, plan to walk at the speed of your slowest hiker. This benefi ts everyone. Fast walkers will have extra time to explore the area, and slower hikers will not feel pressed by others.
Take rests during a long hike; you’ll enjoy your excursion more and everyone will maintain a higher, steadier pace. But don’t stop for more than fi ve minutes. Longer stops will give your legs time to stiffen up.
When backpacking, never carry more than 25-30 percent of your body weight. Any more weight can damage your back (this warning applies especially to children carrying packs.) Over-burdened hikers are also prone to falls and injuries.
Cool-Headed Hikers
The temperature along the trail has soared to 35 degrees C and sweat rolls off your body. If you’re not carrying a heavy pack, soak a T-shirt in a lake or stream, wring it out, then put it on. Until the heat dries your shirt, you’ll be considerably cooler. A wet bandana or hat will cool you even further. To keep cool longer, soak a second T-shirt in the lake, then pack the shirt into a re-sealable bag. When your fi rst shirt dries, put on the second wet one.
— Chantal Macartney is a staff writer for Ottawa Outdoors Magazine, and an avid camper and hiker.
