WILDERNESS CANOEING SCHOOL

Want to become proficient in the wilderness and be able to confidently handle your canoe without spending years to develop your skills? Then this new (first of a kind!) wilderness canoeing and camping school may be right for you. Taught at rustic camp DuNord outside Ely, Minnesota by the master himself, the program provides personalized, hands-on instruction in all facets of wilderness canoe travel (tandem and solo) and backwoods camping. Emphasis is on making a wilderness canoe trip on a remote river where help is an airplane ride away. The expedition-oriented procedures you'll learn are equally useful on easy local rivers and lake-country routes like those in the BWCA. There is something here for everyone who loves wild places and the magic of canoes. Enough down time is provided to practice, question, socialize and paddle. More photos from the 2007 session can be viewed HERE.

WHEN? May 18-23, 2008. Five days of hands-on instruction. Arrive at Camp DuNord by 8 pm, Sunday, May 18. Instruction begins Monday, May 19 and ends Friday, May 23.

WHERE? Camp DuNord, a rustic and elegant YMCA camp near Ely, Minnesota.

WHAT IS PROVIDED? All equipment, including canoes, paddles and PFD's. Piles of hand-outs and resource guides plus all food (there¹s a mess hall and professional cook) and on-the-lake cabin accommodations. The cabins have electricity and are heated (all have fire places or wood stoves).

WHAT TO BRING? A clothing and suggested equipment list will be sent when you register.

PROGRAM SUMMARY -- YOU GET ALL THIS AND MUCH MORE!

• Planning a canoe trip: maps, trip guides and personal accounts.
• Navigation skills: one full day of intensive map and compass and GPS instruction. Includes practice navigation in the wild outdoors.
• Choosing and outfitting a canoe for wilderness travel: canoe design and construction; paddles, PFD's, spray covers (tandem and solo), tracking lines and accessories.
• Packs and packing‹waterproofing your gear; selecting and packing packs, loading canoes for the long haul; portaging.
• Clothing, footwear and rain gear.
• Select and storm-proof tents and tarps, rig single and double rain tarps.
• Important knots, hitches and rope handling skills.
• Edged tools: selection, use, sharpening and maintenance‹you sharpen a knife and axe to a razor's edge.
• Make a one-match fire in the rain (Yes, you will do this!).
• Food selection and Preparation-- how to choose, prepare and pack suitable trail foods for the long haul. Easy meals, tricks for cold weather and large groups. You do the cookin'; the instructors do the lookin'!

Topics to be covered as time permits:

• Health and sanitary/procedures on the trail.
• Signal and communications gear.
• Leadership: Picking and training a crew, division of labor.
• Wilderness Ethics: things you can do to spread the word.
• Safety: equipment and procedures for avoiding dangers.
• First aid: common canoe trip ailments.
• Canoe repair: in the field and at home.
• Bugs, bears, insects and other critter concerns.
• Transportation concerns: trucks, trains, boats, planes.
• Canoeing with tots and teens.

THE INSTRUCTORS

Cliff Jacobson is a contributing editor for Canoe & Kayak Magazine and the author of more than a dozen top selling books on canoeing and camping. He has outfitted and guided scores of wild Canadian rivers, many above the Arctic Circle. In 2003 the American Canoe Association presented him with the "Legends of Paddling Award" and inducted him into the ACA Hall of Fame.

Jim Mandle is a registered New York State Adirondack guide and an ACA certified instructor in FreeStyle and Wilderness Canoeing, plus a Canadian CRCA Classic Style Paddling Instructor.. Jim has extensive experience organizing and leading canoe trips and has canoed several wilderness rivers with Cliff.

COST: $1,295.00 per person. Contact: Piragis Northwoods Company: Tel: 1-800-223-6565 or www.piragis.com