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Feature Story:
Basic Basics –
Canoe Trip Tips for Beginners
Never been on a canoe trip before? Here’s a guideline to get you started.
by Laura Puckett, Contributor
Many people have gone canoeing for a
leisurely afternoon, but then there are others, those blessed with a
healthy dose of gumption, who head out for multiple day canoe trips.
Canoe tripping is a wonderful way to experience the wilderness on an
intimate level. If you only have a weekend even one night out in the
woods can restore your peace of mind. Be forewarned, though, if you
enjoy canoeing, one night, one week, even one month can very quickly
feel insufficient. By virtue of their boats, canoeists can carry
everything they need for many weeks, so they can journey deep into the
hinterlands far from civilization, and suddenly they find themselves
wishing they never had to go home.
We are getting ahead of ourselves, though.
You just want to know where to go this weekend, what to pack, and how
people manage to get their gear across the portage without a hernia. So
here are the basic basics: the fundamentals of canoe tripping.
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Destination
Before you can get very far, you need to know where you are going. Canoeing.com’s Destination Guide exists
for this very reason: to connect you with the many possible places to
go canoeing. It is a portal to different parks and waterways that are
great for canoeing, with all the information you need for where to stay,
where to get your gear, what rules to follow, and whatever other
services and attractions the area has to offer. Explore the Destination Guide to find a route suitable to your location, your skills, and your goals.
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All Photos by Laura Puckett |
For
a first trip it is a good idea to start close to home, in a park that
is accessible, with good maps, designated campsites, and in-depth
visitor information. Go for a few nights if you can—3 or 4 nights will
give you the time to find a rhythm, but will hopefully not be so long
that you get overwhelmed. It is important to begin in a manageable
situation. It is always sad to run into folks who detest canoeing,
simply because they got in over their heads on their first trip—either
too long a trip, too hard a route, or inadequate preparation.
Gear
Once you know where you are going, you need to
decide how to get your gear. Nearly every canoeing destination is
served by local outfitters who can rent or sell you all the gear you
need, from boat to bug dope. If you are interested in buying your own
gear, the Canoeing.com Gear Guide
is full of information on hundreds of products. The Gear List is a
basic run-down of essentials. You can shop online, but it is always a
good idea to check out products in person. Your local outdoors store
should have knowledgeable staff that can not only point you toward the
necessary equipment, but who can help you find the pieces that are right
for you.
The basic principle to keep in mind whatever you
buy: canoeing is wet. Lakes, rain, sweat, mud—be prepared to be wet,
and that whatever you bring may get wet. Thus, synthetic or wool
clothing is better than cotton, wearing layers means you can easily
accommodate to changes in weather, and in a storm, good rain gear is
worth ten times its weight in gold. This isn’t to say you have to buy
the most expensive gear out there. Plastic bags can work wonderfully at
waterproofing and your old wool sweaters will be just as warm as
high-tech fleeces, but it is important to consider the conditions when
you are shopping and packing.
Packing
So now you’ve got all the gear, how do you fit
it in the boat? “Duluth” packs are the classic style canoe packs.
They are boxy, short, and stout, compared with backpacking packs. The
old style is made with heavy-duty canvas and leather straps, by the
Duluth Pack Company in Duluth, Minnesota. Newer packs use synthetic
materials and have the amenities of a backpack, like hip-belts and
easily adjustable straps. These canoeing-specific packs fit in the
canoe well—typically two in a compartment—and keep the center of gravity
low in the boat. Any pack will work to get started, though, just so
long as it can get wet, fit easily in the canoe, and is not too
uncomfortable to carry over portages. Remember to pack the heaviest
things towards the bottom so the pack is not top-heavy. If your pack is
not waterproof, purchase heavy duty (like lawn) garbage bags for pack
liners, and pack all your stuff inside of that. Smaller bags, like
thick zip-locks, can work to extra waterproof books, but dry bags or
some other specifically waterproof case are recommended for your camera
or other valuables.
Paddling
Paddling is not a difficult activity, but the
first time you go it is helpful to have a bit of instruction so bad
habits are not engrained. There are a variety of instructional books
and videos available (see our list of Books & Media).
If you can, try to find a friend who paddles—more than likely they will
be eager to get on the water— and have them show you the basic strokes
and give you tips as you are learning.
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Portaging
It takes a little while to learn to enjoy
portaging. It is not difficult, simply burdensome. However, it can
also be a great break to stretch your legs, explore the woods, and have
lunch. In fact, many veterans who are accustomed to the weight on their
shoulders really look forward to portaging.
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The major factors that determine how hard or
easy it is are your fitness level, the weight of your canoe and packs,
and the condition of the trail. The latter you cannot help: hills and
muskeg (that thick, goopy mud that can pull your shoes off) will be
there. But you can make it easier on yourself. Again, the weight of
the canoe and packs is simply something to get used to, but you can try
to mitigate the discomfort by getting packs with padded straps and
canoes with a good yoke and yoke pads. Bring what you need, but don’t
overpack—and try to limit all the extra things in the canoe that have to
be carried over by hand (cameras, sunscreen, paddles, waterbottles,
maps, compass, lunch, etc.). A smaller backpack can function well as a
day-pack to hold all these items.
It is important to always lift with your
legs. This means squatting down low, grasping the pack or canoe, and
keeping your back straight as you stand up. Keeping your legs straight
and bending from the waist to pick up a pack is the perfect recipe for
slipping a disk or incurring long term injury.
A yoke and yoke pads at the center of the canoe
is highly recommended. No matter how heavy the canoe is, it really is
easier for one person to carry it in the center, where the weight is
balanced and the canoe is fairly maneuverable, than for two people at
the ends to stumble up the trail. Even 100 pound girls have carried 90
pound canoes by themselves this way. The trick is to get the canoe
balanced on your shoulders, to get used to the pressure, and to switch
with another person when you need a break. Portagers are easily rotated
if the incomer stands in front of the outgoing carrier, lifts the bow
of the canoe up so the stern rests on the ground, and holds it with
locked arms while the original carrier steps out, assumes that same
stance, and then the incomer steps into the yoke pads while the outgoer
helps to lower the bow of the canoe down.
To get the canoe up on your shoulders, an easy
method is to do a one-, two-, or three-person flip-up. One person
stands just in front of the yoke, if with two, the second person stands
just behind the yoke, if three, the second and third people stand at the
ends. Grab the gunwales, lift the belly of the canoe to your thighs,
grasp the far gunwale with your bow-hand, and using your hips to push,
lift the canoe up and over until it rests on your shoulders. Put your
arms forward on the gunwales to brace the canoe, and start walking. Any
three people can lift a canoe this way. Depending on your strength and
the weight of the canoe, doing it by yourself may be a challenge, but
it is overall an excellent and healthy way to get a canoe up for
portaging. To flip the canoe down at the end, simple reverse the
process—catching the canoe on your thighs, and then easing it onto the
ground or water.
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Camping
Setting up a campsite is hugely a matter of
personal preferences. Some people like to cook over fires, other prefer
stoves. Some like to set up a bug tent, others don’t like tents at
all. Fundamentally, the only “rules” to follow, are the Leave No Trace
principles, detailed on the LNT website. These are extremely important
to keeping the wilderness wild, so that you and everyone after you can
experience the woods without trash, forests stripped of firewood, or
contaminated water.
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A couple other good guidelines:
If possible, don’t set up your tent on roots that could conduct
lighting or beneath overhanging dead branches or trees that could fall
in the wind. Store your canoes out of the water, with the belly facing
up and towards the water. This “three-point stance” (bow, middle, stern
on the ground) is stable, and the wind from the lake is less likely to
catch the rounded belly than it is the exposed inside. Then, you can
also store extra gear, like boots, paddles, and packs, beneath the canoe
in case of rain or wind.
There are hundreds of ways to vary this
set-up. Every veteran paddler will have their tricks for how “best” to
go on a canoe trip. They are your best resources—ask them questions,
take notes if need-be, but remember that each individual will be
different. Use what works for you. What’s most important is getting out
there. Appreciate the beauty of the woods and waters, the simplicity
of living out of a pack and boat, the good company of your companions,
or the solitude of a solo trip. By going on a canoe trip you are
carrying on a tradition that began hundreds of years ago, traveling from
place to place utilizing the aquatic features of the landscape, living
in concert with the land. Although it can be hard work, hopefully these
skills and resources will make it fun and easy enough to convince you
to journey out again.
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