Camping Tips - Food, Fitness and Health
Food and First Aid
Basic first aid and healthy camping habits help to keep everyone having a good time. Knowing how you handle your food from the river to the cooler and how you keep your camp kitchen clean, will impact everyone's health and well being.
Getting your Meals together
Planning meals for a trip requires a little time. Remember that there will usually be few if any chances to add to your food supplies once you start down the river. The little things can make a big difference too, so get those small containers for spices, salt, pepper, etc. After you have planned your menus a trip to the store is in order where you might be confronted with alternate choices. Give yourself plenty of time to shop so you don't forget the required goodies to make the menu happen. Remember to include some high energy snacks,and have them accessible for on the river. When packing your food supplies into your ice chest, and food boxes, keep in mind that a lunch stop should not make you completely unpack your canoe. Keep hand sanitizer around for food prep and eating.
Know Your Fitness Level
With outdoor activities that take you away from a quick 911 call, you really want to think about your health and fitness level. Just because its there, is not a good reason to go do it unless you have a high level of confidence that you can do it. Walking and push ups are a good low impact way to get in shape. Do some nice easy paddles around the area lakes and class I water that give you a put in the same place as your take out. Pace your self. Loading the canoe should start to give you an indication if you have a fitness level that is high enough for your paddle. Did just getting the gear to boat wind you? Are you sore before you start paddling? We hope not, but its better to stop before you get in serious danger while out on the water. If possible, give yourself an out along they way if you have any doubts about your fitness for the complete adventure you have planned.
Your paddling partners should all share their confidence level before you start and lookout after each other while out on the water.
Being Ready for Cuts, Bruises and Sprains and More
There are classes available at the local Red Cross, community colleges and through online courses. Wilderness First Aid and Wilderness First Responder are two courses you can look into to get prepared. Keeping your first aid kit accessible while on the river is a must and kept near the kitchen area while in camp is advisable. Most accidents will happen while getting your food prepared or the kitchen area clean so be ready. Knowing who among you has the proper training will go along way to keep things calm cool and collected if you do need to respond to a accident. Periodically check your first aid kit for fullness and freshness. We all hope to never need it, but when we do need it, the kit should be able to provide all that it can without fail. Old and outdated first aid kits can give you a false sense of preparedness.
Additional training will also come in handy when you find yourself in trouble on the water. Swiftwater rescue training will provide you with the skills to safe yourself, as well as others that might get into bad situations while out for a little fun.
Spider, Tigers and Bears Oh My!
Whenever you go out you are likely to encounter the local insects, animals, and soil conditions. It makes sense to do a little research on the local poisonous plants and insects before you get there. Include in your research, dangerous animals, snakes, etc. A small amount of preparation can save you a trip to the emergency room for no reason or because you simply didn't have a small amount of the appropriate ointment, wash, etc to treat a wound.
There are only a few spiders that we need to really be concerned with here in Texas but many folks that are uncomfortable with spiders will kill them first and not consider what harm they may be doing to the ecosystem.
Before you go off half croc'd, check out where the beast you fear might really be hiding (or not).
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