regarding gear and permissions
- other rivers in Canada/Alaska
- general information about Canada
- gun care (Benelli Nova)
- How to paddle
-
Mail
Fishing License: every sports shop has it for 35$.
Firearms License: I had a Benelli Nova 12/89 shotgun for protection purpose with me. The tourist firearms license is easy to get at customs when entering the country. For details check out The Canadian Firearms Centre and keep 50$ handy for the government.
Gun-care: I did not clean the shotgun regularly. It was
always in the open, either strapped to the top of the boat (4_3)
and
therefore easily splashed on, or leaning against the boat or other
things to have it ready. The only time I did take it apart was after
our heavy swim, when it was for some time in the
silty water. Otherwise only surface-cleaning was done. When wiping it,
I did use Ballistol, which is proved to be very satisfactory, in that
it prevented any rust, and did not spoil the hull of the boat. As a
bonus it has a pleasant odor too. It was liberally used in spots,
which would necessitate a complete dismantling of the gun. The gun did
not show any rust after 4 weeks of being in the open during rain,
water, sunshine - whatever, and was always in working condition (checked
at each handling of course).
Ammunition: The ammunition used was Federal rifled slug in 12/76Mag. It did work even after being soaked in water during our swim. (I do not know, wheter this is a feature built into the ammo - however, I did like it.)
Just for the case of serious trouble I had also a Mini B2 class B EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) from ACR Electronics with me. I always wore a survival net vest, and the unit was fastened to it. A proven combination.
To faciliate navigation I have used a Garmin GPSIII with data entered already at home with Fugawi software. An excellent combination. However, this is not a really necessary item on a river. A good compass (e.g. DP10) and maps together with the knowledge to use them is sufficient - however, location finding can be very time-consuming when in the flats. It is good to have a planzeiger (a sheet of clear plastic with marks on it to read angles and coordinates from a map). It makes using UTM-coordinates easy. The maps used have NADxx-Canadian as their map datum - which means that the unit has to be set up properly.
The boat we used was a Grabner Outside with 3 inflatable chambers. This boat has been on similar trips since 10 years, and still shows hardly any marks of wear. It makes it necessary to have a pump abord, which should be always very well protected, since it is a vital part of equipment. Of course, plenty stuff to repair the hull should be carried also (we did not use any of them on this trip). A spare ventile is also a necessity.
Setting up camp: A 3 person 3 season tent with thight mosquito-netting
is good enough. For rain protection in camp we also carry a sheet of
plastik 2 to 3 Meters, which can be fastened to the boat (1-38)
on one
side,
and poles to the other to give a roof under which cooking and hanging
out is easily and comfortably possible. The latter stand is set up
with the boat somewhat parallel to the expected wind, so that the
mosquitos do not find a nice spot to hang out with us. If it is stormy,
it prooved always possible to find either some bushes as a protection
or some depression in the gravel, which together with the boat would
keep the wind away.
Here are some excellent books on 'how to paddle'. Most rivers can be paddled without knowing anything much, or with using the wrong technique. However, it sometimes can be a onetime/lasttime affair, and I strongly suggest studying the given books, and practising the techniques given without heavy luggage before going on the trip:
- Bill Mason: "Song of the Paddle"
- Bill Mason: "Path of the Paddle"/"Die Kunst des Kanufahrens - Der Canadier"
- Franz Riegel, Dieter Raffler "Schlauchboote"
To make a long story short: The common denominator of paddling is: Always
keep the bow to the obstacle, be it a rock, a bend in the
river, a strainer, whatever, and keep control with backpaddling/backferrying
(Die Kunst des Kanufahrens, S.103). Of course this does not apply
necessarily to paddling an empty canoe. But this is a rare case in
the wilderness.
It also helps to have a solid understanding of river-rescue techniques. One helpful book is: Les Bechdel, Slim Ray "River Rescue". Always have the rope handy - forget about starting to think things over, when in a swim your fingers are too cold to be of great help. Be ready before the swim and have everything set up in your favour as a routine.
A life jacket provides not only protection against shock when going for a swim in a rapid and uplift, it is also comfortable to sit on in camp.
The axe I use since several years is the Fiscars and like it a lot. Together with a collapsible saw fire wood is always plentiful.
All purpose knife: I like the Grohmann D.H.Russel hunting knife #1 very much. It's design follows suggestions made by hunters and outdoors men, and not the fancy of a designer. My hand likes it a lot, it is easy to handle, provides a lot of comfortable holding positions useful for different purposes and has precisely the right size for my purpose.
Clothing: apart from having had some clothes which I did not use, because it was not as cold as it could get, everything was synthetic. Most important to keep the wind away was a german army outer shell laminated with GoreTex without inner liner, which can easily be taped after ripping a hole into. A jacket with a liner seems to me to be unfit for such a trip. During paddling hours I did wear hip-boots with neoprene insulation in the boot. No additional socks. Apart from the smell which becomes really bad, they work fine. Together with kneeprotectors used for inline-scating which keep the knees warm. Their protection is required only where the water is shallow.
Sleeping bag and matress: My sleeping bag is good enough for winter up there, which results in using it as a loose layer in all nights except during a few cold hours in the morning. The matress is a luxury thick Therm-a-rest which keeps the impact of rocks to a minimum. An overdose of warmth and softness for sleeping is an important feature of a holiday for me, and since the boat has to carry it of no further concern.
Mode of carry of the equipment: For food we use 2 small barrels with wide top, which are strapped to the front and stern of the boat. They are coverd with a frame(pack) which are again covered by watertight sacks made by Ortlieb which contain clothing and sleeping bag. They are fixed with straps. In the middle of the boat we have a big barrel, which contains the small stuff like axe, pump, saw, food which serves as reserve... and which is used to protect the boat during air-travel. On top of it comes the tent and matresses. These things are firmly held in place by a net knotted by me, which makes it easy to pack and unpack dayly. On top of this come 2 small daypacks and the maps in a clear plastic bag by Ortlieb. This configuration provides for easy transport, however, it builds up a considerable sail which can be a pain on the slow parts of a river. The shotgun is strapped to the clothbags in the back, barrel pointing backwards, and secured with a carbine to the boat. It can be removed easily. In whitewater the ammunition is on the body, in quiet water in the magazine.
Food: No expedition food was taken except dried eggs. Otherwise, plenty oats and dried fruit and pancake mixture (replaces baking own bread) with marmelade and peanut butter for breakfast. Corned beef, spaghetti, rice, bulgur, corn, lentils, peas, lots of spices, olive oil, dried vegetables, lemon/citron juice for the evening. Coffee/Tee. And for closing the day: Plenty different types of chocolate and some spiritual drink. We also carried some packed bread, cheese and salami for luxury and use during really bad weather.
Repair-Kit: Except for the repair-stuff needed for the inflatable, we had some strong wire, a Leatherman, glue, zipper, tape and a swiss army knife. The latter holds a metal saw and file, which I put to use making a new handle for my fishing spool after loosing the original one.
Books: I like to have a reference library with me, covering mushrooms, animal tracks, edible and poisonous plants, and the "official wilderness first-aid guide". And of course some books with different topics to read in the evening. Which makes for volume and weight.