The PaddlerUK magazine September 2015 issue 4 | Page 61

Top tip:

Herbs – keep a
stash of simple
herbs and spices
to add flavour to
your recipes and
food
food.
Top tip:

Make cooking
part of the magic
rather than a
chore. It’s a real
social activity and
something
positive long after
the memories of
cold or rainy days
has passed.

On some expeditions we have eaten dehydrated
Be-Well Expedition Foods and packed Mountain
Fuel drinks for additional energy. These options
only need simple cooking facilities such as an
MSR reactor stove. On less remote trips then we
might opt for a cooking set and create culinary
treats as part of the joy of camping and sharing
good times with your paddling group. A bottle of
Tabasco, some Parmesan Cheese and a few
herbs makes a real difference.

Developing your adventure and
paddling skills

It is incredibly rewarding to develop and use
practical and adventure skills on your canoe trips
and journeys. It provides a real sense of
satisfaction to tie the appropriate knot, put up
shelters, light fires with flint and steels or cook a
feast on the campfire or stove.

Similarly developing your canoe skills to include
lining and tracking if there are whitewater
sections or poling shallow sections can be great
fun. Sailing your canoe is also a different
challenge with either a formal rig or impromptu
sail made from a tarp or emergency shelter.
Often when you look back at trips it is these bits
that spice up the tales of ‘daring do’ and fond
memories of time in the great outdoors.
It is also worth developing your canoe paddle
skills on moving water particularly if kayaking is
your normal preferred paddling option and
canoeing a rare outing. Surfing a canoe on
moving water or breaking in and out of eddies is
equally fun and uses many of the same principles
and paddle strokes. For me personally, learning
to solo a canoe in different conditions and
learning the ‘song of the paddle’ has been great.

PADDLERUK 61