My first official guiding gig with Wild Women Expeditions!
Preparations
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I benefitted when another guide had a conflict in her schedule and had to bow out of the Women & Girls weekend. A year and a bit after finishing my training at Algonquin College, after going back and forth with myself over whether I had the personality to guide trips, I got my chance. I supported long-time WWE guide Jenny Martindale who graciously packed the Killarney canoe trip for our three mother-daughter pairs. From a preparations perspective, all I had to do was show up Saturday morning at the Bell Lake Access Point with my own gear.
Equipment
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[su_plan name=”Group Gear”]
- Canoes, paddles, PFDs, safety gear, maps
- Tents, tarps, camp kitchen, toilet kit
- Food, water filtration, waterproof barrels
- Rainy day games
- Expedition first aid kit
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[su_plan name=”My Shelter”]
- Tent, fly, poles, stakes, and footprint
- -10 degree Celsius sleeping bag, fleece liner
- Emergency tarp, Thermarest
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[su_plan name=”My Clothes”]
- 1 set of long underwear, wool socks, and fleece jacket
- Camp pants, rain jacket, synthetic fill ‘down’ jacket, running shoes
- Buff, wool hat, splash pants
- Plus what I was wearing when I left (running capris, tech tee, rash guard, baseball cap, sunglasses, KEENS)
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[su_plan name=”My Safety Gear”]
- PFD, whistle, multi-tool, pigtail, throwbag
- Map, compass, DeLorme inReach personal locator, cell phone
- Headlamp, waterproof matches, extra paracord
- Small first aid kit
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[su_plan name=”My Food”]
- Trail mix, CLIF bars
- Starbucks VIA instant coffee
- 3-1L Nalgenes, Aquatabs
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[su_plan name=”My Toiletries”]
- Toothbrush, toothpaste
- Deodorant, sunscreen
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[su_plan name=”My Luxuries”]
- DSLR, Pelican Case, Gorillapod
- Lenses, spare battery, and spare memory cards
- Write-in-Rain notebook and pencil
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Daily Log
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Wow, was the Bell Lake access parking lot ever FULL. I had to park on the side of the road. Joys of launching a trip at 10am on the Saturday of a long weekend.
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We knew at the start that the day had the potential for iffy weather.
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We dawdled a little, slowly tearing down camp, enjoying the return of the sunshine and delaying the inevitable.
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Kate Monahan Outdoors 