Besides our Day and Overnight Hints & Guidelines, we've been collecting tips that can help make your Peace River trip a memorable one and hopefully more enjoyable. Most of these tips are tried and true, from our experience and those of the Peace Paddlers. We'll keep adding tips as we collect and review them.
Coolers: Keepin' it cold on the River
Tip #1: The night before your trip, especially an overnight trip, load your cooler/s with your drinks and food and ice them down. The next morning, drain the coolers and ice them down again. Your food and drinks will stay colder on your paddle trip. If you ice your supplies the day of the trip, the non-cold drinks and food will melt your ice.
Tip #2: Plan on more than one cooler. One for everyday use and one for just cold storage. Only open the cold storage cooler when needed. Keep it covered with a towel and shaded as much as possible. The supplies and ice in the cold storage will keep longer if the cooler is not opened during the day. The "drink" cooler is your day cooler, stock it with your drinks and snacks for use throughout the day.
Tip #3: From Camp Ives: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz5Yaz_ydPk Dry Ice hints.
Tip #4: Make sure you have a cooler with you. Similar to Keys Tip, don't let someone else put your drinks or cooler in their canoe. You get in earlier than them or are ahead or behind them on the river and you don't have anything to drink!
Drinking (Water): You need something to keep hydrated.
Tip #1: Bring drinking water, at least a half gallon per person per day. Man cannot live on beer alone. Do not plan on drinking river water. Animals and fish poop in the river. Note: no one should go on the river without something to drink. Canoe Outpost has a vending machines and will loan you a small cooler with some ice.
Tip #2: Freeze half gallon or gallon jugs. As they melt, you have cold water to drink or cook with and they help keep your food cold.
Tip #3: You will need water to cook with if on an overnight trip. We use river water to wash with, up to you.
Fire Ants: They are the enemy!
Tip #1: From Camp Siegel: "Although we hate to put pesticides into the ecosystem, red ant granules have given us several bite-free overnights. We sprinkled around the campsite and over any nests we found. It made our newbie camper companions feel much more comfortable about enjoying the 'great outdoors'."
Outpost staff all carry containers of Amdro and we sprinkle fire ant beds everytime we find one. Favorite spot for fire ants: around the fire pits and under the picnic tables because they are attracted to food left behind. After it rains, be careful, fire ants will be on the move.
Tip #2: Supposedly Ban Roll-on will take the sting out a fire ant bite. We use WD40. Carry one of the "pens" of WD40. Rub it on asap. It will stop the itch and usually you won't get the white pimples.
Food: Buy it pre-made! No sense slaving over the campstove or the campfire!
Tip #1: The Publix Deli is the best place to pick up your food supplies if you want an easy time with not a lot of cooking. Pick up potato salad, coleslaw, your fav. Add some boiled shrimp or a steak on the fire and dinner is done. Easy Peezee. Buy the pourable eggs in the carton then burn the carton if on an overnight.
Keys: There are lots of keys in the bottom of the river!
Tip #1: Don't let someone else on the river hold your keys! Happens all the time, some canoes or kayaks get in ahead of the group and have to wait because they gave their keys to someone else in the group with a drybag. Drybag canoe is usually the last one in. The office will hold your keys! Some groups put all the keys in a ziploc and the office will hold that too. That way, you're not waiting to get your car keys.
Tip #2: Again, leave the key at the office or have a spare just in case. We do not have a locksmith in Arcadia on Saturdays.
Kids: kids of all ages can have fun!
Tip #1: Bringing the little ones? Don't forget an umbrella and some entertainment. The umbrella is for some shade when it gets to be nap time. Entertainment such as water toys, a dip net, and/or a beach bucket will help entertain them. Remember, little ones aren't interested in the beautiful landscape. Check out our kid pages for some ideas.
Mobile Devices: Electronics and water don't mix!
Tip #1: If your phone takes a swim and you get it back, do not turn it on! Repeat: Do not turn it on. Open it up, take the battery out, and set it under a fan for a least a day, turning it, switching positions. Then, put it without the back on in a jar of rice. Make sure the phone is completely covered. Seal the jar. Set jar in the sun for a least three days. Put it back together after it's sauna in the rice and sun. 9 out of 10 times, it will usually work! Next time, buy a dry box or put it in a ziploc. Bonus tip: seal the bag but blow and little air in it first so it will float.
Trash: Bring it back or burn it (if paper).
Tip #1: Don't bring glass! It weighs you down, especially in low water, Outpost staff won't hararass you for being a Glasshole, your trash will be safer (no broken bottles sticking out), your canoe will be quieter (glass bottles are loud rolling around in a canoe), and cans can be smashed to lessen the volume of trash.
Tip #2: Bring paper cups, paper plates, paper towels. Burn the paper goods so you don't have to wash anything or tote it back in trash bags.
Got a tip to share? Send it to peacepaddler@canoeoutpost.com
