Trip log - Cedar to Radiant: Canada Day - Travel Timetable

Every time we take a trip we build on the knowledge from previous trips. But mistakes still get made and judgement might still be off a bit. Or we try something new and it may or may not work for us.

This trip I decided to make a schedule to see how we compare to the recommended times on Jeff's maps. Also L.T. wanted to be on the road by 4:30 a.m. so we could be at the permit office for Brent shortly after 7 a.m. It's a long drive. In order to convince myself this was a great idea getting out of bed at 3 a.m. to start my day, I created the following table:

	Minutes	Minutes	3:00 a.m.	Alarm
Task	Time to do	Done by	Finished by	Time
Get up/get ready	45	45	3.75	3:45
Drive to L.T.'s	15	60	4	4:00
Pack car	30	90	4.5	4:30
Drive to Access Point	165	255	7.25	7:15
Get permit	15	270	7.5	7:30
Drive to launch point	45	315	8.25	8:15
Load canoe	30	345	8.75	8:45
Section 1 complete	90	435	10.25	10:15
Section 2 complete	90	525	11.75	11:45
Section 3 complete	90	615	1.25	1:15
Paddle to site	30	645	1.75	1:45
	645	10.75

In theory we should be on our campsite by 1:45 p.m. without any stops, or rest time, or any other issues. Okay, I'll get out of bed at 3 a.m. if I can be sitting on my butt at a campsite around 2 p.m.

The first slippage happened when packing the car. That took 45 minutes instead of 30. Half an hour down the road L.T. realized we didn't have the paddles or life jackets. I was driving and had to wait until the next exit on the highway to get off and turn around. That added an hour to the trip. 

We lost another half an hour between getting our permit and launching the canoe. We launched at 10:30 instead of 8:45. We made good time crossing Cedar Lake, it was a calm morning on the lake.

We lost more time on the second portage as we decided to double-carry it. As we got to the end of this portage there was thunder and lightning. We waited that out for about 30 minutes. The double-carry probably added another hour.

The third portage was a tricky one. You can get out of the water a bit earlier and scramble up a very steep section to climb onto the rail bed and follow that instead of the portage. I was flagging at this point and L.T. double-carried my pack up to that point for me. Also he double-carried the canoe from the track to the end of this portage. It wasn't a full double-carry, but a partial one.

Here's the final calculation of the slippage in the schedule:

Slippage	Minutes
Packing car	15
Retrieving paddles	60
Loading canoe/permit office	30
2nd portage double-carry	60
Waiting out storm	30
3rd portage partial double-carry	30
Total minutes added	225
Converted to hours	3:45

We landed at our campsite at 5:30 p.m. instead of the 1:45 p.m. I had calculated. But as I mentioned, that time did not account for any rest stops at all. And we certainly weren't going to argue with lightning!

Today's route (Jeff's maps)

Day 1                                    Day 2                                      Day 3

Playing it safe

One of the most important aspects of going out in the woods is safety. We need to be prepared, bring everything we need for survival, and be equipped in case something goes wrong. Hopefully we never have to use some of the items we bring. We have been adding some items to our kit for safety. Just because we haven't been faced with anything too scary, it doesn't mean it won't ever happen.

First and foremost - PFDs, personal flotation devices. As discussed in a previous post here, I wear my lifejacket when I'm in the canoe 99.99% of the time. And I encourage LT to do so as well.

Ready to go

First aid kit - we've been building on this and probably are carrying more first aid items this year than we have in the past. Like I said, just because we haven't needed it before doesn't mean we shouldn't have it on hand. We have some alcohol wipes, gauze pads, tape, and a tensor bandage. We also have some after bite, which is not an emergency item, but well used during June and July. L.T. has added some antibiotic cream, gauze and tape. 

I've added a tick remover. It's not very big and we've been lucky so far, so I'll tuck that into my pack. I also picked up a waterproof match box. We both carry a couple of lighters and I have a great flexible long-nose lighter that is refillable. It's another just-in-case item.

Match box and tick remover

I have a bear bell on the outside of my backpack. Although I probably don't need it as I'm usually talking as I'm walking through the woods on a portage to distract myself from the effort of what I'm doing. 

We have bear spray, which is a large can of pepper spray. The range is about 9 meters, so that bear has to be pretty close if you decide to use it. And the wind better be blowing in his direction not yours! I'm probably more likely to just toss the canister at the bear. 

This is a picture from the MEC website, check it out here.

We both carry Aquatabs, which are used to make lake water potable. We've never used them as we have two forms of water purification in our kit, a filtering system and an ultraviolet light Steripen. I have the Aquatabs handy in a side pocket, easy access.

In the same pocket I have an emergency fire starting kit with several fire starters and a lighter in a Ziploc plastic bag.

I've added an emergency blanket, I got it at the dollar store, so it wasn't a big investment. It's really only a silver plastic sheet that when placed against your body is supposed to reflect the heat you generate back to you. Cheap, small and light.

Pen for perspective

LT has added 2 whistles and 2 LED light beacons to our life jackets. The light is primarily designed for bikes, but it's a button-type light and he's managed to secure it in a fashion that it points forward and is flush with the vest.

And this may not seem like much of a safety item, but having a second set of car keys with us adds to a sense of security in case the first set is lost.

We both carry the same map with us. We use Jeff's maps, which are plastic and will float. One of us just might set the map down on a portage end and forget to bring it with us.  We double up on some items, like our stoves. This is in case one of the stoves fails during the trip. 

We carry an extra paddle. This is one that sometimes comes along with us. Or we bring a regular paddle. We've collected a few, we have 5 total including this one:

Do you have any extra safety precautions you take that you would recommend?

Check, check, check....

Enjoying yourself out in the backcountry happens when you're prepared. You're prepared if you've planned well. And planning requires a checklist.

There are multiple places online where you can download someone's version of their checklist of what they need when they go backcountry canoe camping. It's a good place to start, then you improve it by adding your own gear that you bring and feel is essential to a good trip experience.

Did I forget anything?

I recommend printing out your own checklist and using it when packing. Get a pen and cross those items off the list. Or you might forget something essential. It happens.

Here's a list of each individual item that I usually carry:

• sleeping bag
• pillow
• clothes
• toiletries
• air mattress
• stove
• fuel bottle
• camping oven (really just a special pot cozy cover)
• heat diffuser (for evening out the heat from the stove flame)
• pots, frypan, lid, handle, pot cozies
• my own dishes (plate, mug, knife, fork, spoon)
• 2 one-litre Nalgene bottles
• silicone measuring cup (to add water to dehydrated foods)
• cooking utensils
• kettle
• scrubber/sponge
• dishtowels
• camp soap
• multi-tool (pocket knife)
• water filtration system
• large water bag (to take water from the lake)
• spare filter for water filtration system
• pocket shower
• mosquito coils
• Hennesy Hammock
• extra tarp
• chair
• kneeling pad (I mostly use it as a table surface on the ground)
• bug hat and bug shirt
• gloves
• bug spray and sunscreen
• camera
• notebook and pen
• map
• clear map bag
• sunglasses
• reading glasses (2 pairs)
• toilet paper
• biodegradeable baby wipes
• small shovel (in case there's no thunderbox)
• headlamp
• mini tent lamp/flashlight
• bear bell
• rainjacket
• personal towel (1 small, 1 large)
• dried food bag with food

Here are some of the things that LT carries besides the same personal items that we both need:

• saw
• extra tarp
• compass
• map
• map bag with clear side
• waist bag
• bug shelter
• bug shelter tarp
• extra tent pegs
• sink
• special cord with pulley to hang food away from the bears
• extra paddle
• Thermocell with canisters and inserts

All packed up