Useful tips for camping and tripping
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Courtesy and Ettiquete
- Respect the nature and its peacefulness, don't be loud, animals and other people have rights too
- Practice "low impact" camping, leave the place intact as you were never there. An avid adventurer will not leave a trace
- Pack out what you bring in. Leave the campsite cleaner than how you found it if possible
- Plan on not using firewood for cooking. The dead trees are suppose to compost in the nature, not to be burned by hundreds of people who visit these sites. You can buy firewood in winter time, it's cold!
- Don't create new trails all over the place, bushwacking is a sign of ignorance not adventure
- Avoid using detergents near the water
- Do not transport live organic creatures from one lake to another
Planning
- Always let someone know where you are going and when you expect to be back
- Do your homework and cross-reference what you hear about a new place
- Be accurate and realistic about distances that you want to cover, plans should be based on the least experienced person in your group
- On the average, on a good day you may cover 3-4km/h, this applies to paddling and hiking. You could be a lot slower than 3-4km/h depending on conditions
- See this sample guide for canoe tripping
- Pick a good campsite early, in the Fall by 2-3pm, in the Summer by 4-5pm at the latest!
- Do not travel after dark. Setup camp, and then if you know what you are doing you can go for a short stroll or paddle. Have some kind of bright light going at your camp, it can be very difficult to find your campsite when you are on the water in dark.
- See some quick notes regarding directions and destinations
- You can look for maps at UW Map Library
- Most campgrounds have the limit of 2 tents/6 people per site, and most interior parks are limited to 9 people/2 tents. Check with the park for exact numbers
- Here in Canada, we have long weekends(3-day weekends) almost every month. Visitors, take advantage of that, or be aware of the crowd
Saftey
- Get to know your trip partners, what skills they have. Talk to them before the trip
- Plan carefully so you won't have to paddle or walk until dark
- Fully understand your maps and follow them closely
- Wear your lifejacket, in cold water even good swimmers won't last more than few minutes
- Do not separate from your group, others count on your presence and help, if you are a loner go on trips by yourself!
- If you need to go to get help, try to break your group in such a way so no one becomes alone. eg. make it groups of 2 and 3+
- Have good footware for long hikes
- Always carry a first aid kit and know how to use it
- Let someone know of your alergies or medical conditions
- If you are driving, enjoying the trip, be safe. Don't RUSH. When you get back you can show your pictures, it's a lot more fun than telling your friends how you ended up in the ditch, and it won't always be just the car getting banged up
- That hot pot of boiling water is a dangerous thing, watch where you put it, and let everyone know, Especially in the dark
- Always pack an extra day worth of food, dry soup packages will do for those "just in case" situations
- Never run the rapids on a new river without scouting it first
- Find a shelter as soon as possible if there is a storm coming
- Do not endanger yourself or others for the sake of recovering some material that worth a few $$$, use good judjement!
- You have to treat your water before drinking by boiling, chemicals, or water filters
- Icy waters are dangerous, see what to do if you fall in
Don't invite animals for dinner
- Do not cook in the tent, the smell of food will never leave the tent. That is invitation for furry(or not so furry) animals in the future
- Keep your camp clean. Wash your dishes before going to bed. Don't spill food or tooth paste around your campsite or you WILL have furry visitors!
- Enjoy good gourmet cooking but beware of really smelly food and their leftover, avoid lingering smell of food
- Hang your food at least 3m off the ground and 2m away from the tree trunk, garbage bag is not a good protection for food
- Animals are attracted to all the new and strange smells: perfume, tooth paste, soap..., they all should be packed and hung, or be put in food barrel
- Seal your grabage and hang it with your food
- That trusty daypack you carry around everyday in the city may not be the best thing to take into wilderness. My pack smells like apples, oranges, bananas, and sandwitches, they are all yummy bear food
- If you are in bear country by yourself make noise as you hike, bears leave the area when they hear you
- If you smell a foul odor of carcas(dead animals), leave the area, that is not a good sign in bear country
- Don't ever approach a feeding bear, that prize winning photograph is not worth it, leave the area immediately quitely if they haven't spotted you yet
General notes
- Don't forget to take sunscreen, bug spray, hat, gloves, sunglasses, rain gear, a plate/bowl, utensils, toilet paper, flashlight, knife, some duct tape, needles and thread, wood saw(an axe is a useless item, it only looks cool)
- Leave the dog and your cat at home if you can, they don't do very well in the wild
- Pack all your stuff in one piece. Walking or paddling with a million small bags dangling from you is not a good idea
- Wrap your sleeping bag and clothings in a couple layers of garbage bag, squeeze the air out and put them inside your pack, or invest in one of those Sealine bags, they are not expensive
- Pull up your boats way up on to the shore, in between trees if there are any, and upside down. The wind can lift and throw them back in the water if they are too close to shore
- The University has special arrangements with one of the car rental companies, it's worth to ask
It is suppose to be fun
- Take that swimsuit, hammock, and camera with you
- Take it easy, there is no medal for "who gets there first", take a look around and explore
- The best time to see wild animals is at dawn and dusk, but don't surprise them, just watch quietly from a distance
- If you see a wild animal from a safe distance, don't shout from top of your lung to show it to your friends, get their attention quietly
- Sometimes it's a good idea to setup camp in one place for two nights and just explore the area more