…First Time In Algonquin…

The other day, I was paging through Survival In The Wilderness, a book that I had bought as a memento of my first time in Algonquin Provincial Park, and out fell a folded, yellow scrap of paper. 

When I looked at that yellow piece of paper, the years fell away to July 1978: we were canoeing from Kiosk (today called Ki-Osh-Ko-Kwi) Lake to Canoe Lake via Cedar Lake and the Pe-Ta-Wa-Wa River.  We had stopped at the Kiosk Ranger Station before getting on the water and in the pamphlet rack was a stack of yellow “How to Survive in the Woods” flyers.  I took one, carefully folded it and tucked it into the survival book that I had purchased at Algonquin Outfitters the day before, put it in my gear and got on the water; I was thirteen.

Fast forward to the present and the tips printed in the flyer, while dated, are still true today.  The first and most important is – DON’T PANIC – this is so important it is both the first and last tip given.  It advises that you always carry waterproof matches, a knife, high-energy food, pocket first aid kit, compass and map, all of which are on the 10 Essentials list.  While bug repellent, snare wire, fishing line and hooks are not on our modern 10 Essentials list, the snare wire and fishing line could also be used to build an emergency shelter.  The flyer advises the reader not to wander aimlessly, but to find a clearing and build a shelter and a fire before it gets dark. 

Today these tips are still important to remember if you have an unexpected overnight in the woods.