Traversing’s "Waiting For Ice-Out" Boredom Buster List
It’s the vernal equinox, which means that we get 8 minutes more of daylight than dark today. What better way to kick off the first day of Spring than to get cracking on all of the little things that will get you in the mood for the camping and canoeing season ahead (while still being able to practice social distancing)...
First Things First… put away your Winter gear
Your winter sleeping bag might have come with a larger storage sack. This helps your down breath a little while being stored which it needs because if you store it compressed it could hamper the loft. Don’t put away those YakTracks yet though, there’s still a fair bit of ice on the trails.
Replace the seals in your water filter
I’m pretty sure this isn’t the first thing that pops to mind every Spring but now that you have some spare time on your hands, it’s a really easy job that needs doing. You can get maintenance kits for your MSR or Katadyn water filter and the entire process only takes a few minutes. Check the filter while you’re at it to see if it needs replacing at the same time.
Air Out the tent
As soon as the back yard is a little less soggy, set up the tent and air it out. It’s a good time to check for mold and mildew and give the tent a little wipe down. Check the seams and apply some seam sealer to keep out the rain from later summer trips.
Start Dehydrating!
It’s the perfect time to start slicing and dicing and start dehydrating for the trips to come. Meal planning is a great way to think about what ingredients that you want to shrink down.
Give your rain jacket some love
All rain jackets are coated with a durable water repellent finish but it breaks down over time. Spray some water onto your jacket and watch to see if it beads up. If it doesn’t, it’s time to apply DWR with a spray-on or wash-in product. Try a one/two combo when using NikWax’s Tech Wash and Fjallraven’s PFC-Free Eco DWR Spray.
Route Planning
Dig out all of your old maps and start daydreaming. Chat with friends online as to where they are headed and read one of Kevin Callan’s books at night just before bed.
Movies
Just like we watch Groundhog Day every year… Bill Mason’s classic Waterwalker is a springtime much-watch.
Podcasts
The list of paddling related podcasts is growing and they are chock full of ideas and excellent content. Subscribe to…
And be sure to tune in to Canoehound Adventures’ weekly livestream on YouTube.
We’ll keep adding to the list as we think of new things, but we’d love to hear what you’re doing. We’ll add some of your great ideas to the list as well.
