Outdoor ESCAPES New Hampshire

One-Day Hike in Mid-Summer
This is a suggested list. Your gear will be inspected before the trip departs.
More items needed for overnights and day hikes in spring, fall, and winter

One-Day Bicycle Ride in Mid-Summer
This is a suggested list. Your gear will be inspected before the trip departs.
More items needed for overnights in spring and fall.

One-Day Paddle in Mid-Summer (canoeing/kayaking)
This is a suggested list. Your gear will be inspected before the trip departs.
More items needed for overnights and day paddling in spring and fall.

One-Day Winter Hike, Snowshoe, or Ski
This is a suggested list. Your gear will be inspected before the trip departs.
In Spring, add insect repellent and/or protective clothing.

Backpacks

Here’s some photos to understand what kind of pack to bring for hiking, snowshoeing, back country skiing and paddling. A few rentals are available.

School Book Bag

Day Pack

Back Pack

Dry Bag
with backpack straps

2-Hour Trip, any sport
lined with plastic bag

1/2 Day and Full Day Trip, any sport in Summer, Spring, Fall,
lined with plastic bag

Full Day Trip in Winter, and Hiking/Snowshoeing/Skiing Expeditions

To pack it–line it with a contractor-size plastic bag, then sleeping pad (line it around the edge—this should stiffen the pack and hold it up), then stuff the sleeping bag into the bottom, and clothes and other gear on top. Heaviest weight should be behind the shoulder blades. Full pack should weigh 1/4 to 1/3 of your weight.

Canoe Expeditions
and smaller for day trips

To pack it–line it with a contractor-size plastic bag, then sleeping pad (line it around the     edge—this should stiffen the dry bag and hold it up), then stuff the     sleeping bag into the bottom, and clothes and other gear on top.

Also, one or two smaller dry bags are useful for handy items such as rain gear, warm hat, visor, fleece jacket, gloves, camera, and lunch/snacks.

For day trips, use medium and small dry bags for canoeing and kayaking.

Bivy Kit

Each participant on a full day hike, or a multi-day wilderness Escape, is expected to carry their own bivy kit (or rent or buy one of ours) in case of an emergency in New Hampshire’s rugged terrain–an area that’s known for its unpredictable “World’s Worst Weather.” These tools will help you survive if you happen to get separated from the group, or need to spend extra time outdoors for whatever reason. Once you have one of your own, it should be brought on any outdoor adventure, even for a trek that you plan on being only a couple of hours. If you are flying in to New Hampshire and bringing your own bivy kit, please place it with checked luggage at the airport and do not take it as carry-on. For your convenience we provide bivy kits to rent or buy. Rent $10 per kit; Sale $95 per kit.

Personal First Aid Kit

Your guide is trained in outdoor leadership and wilderness emergency medicine. Much time and effort is put into preventing problems, including minute-by-minute decision-making during your ESCAPE. If something does come up, there may be a change in the itinerary, and every effort will be made to make the remaining experience a positive one.

Each person is responsible for their own personal basic first aid kit, which may include the following:

Lucie’s View on the Bug Season

First of all, depending on the activity, elevation, location, and for most of the year, we will not encounter many insects on outdoor adventures. During summer we are most likely to see–if anything–mosquitoes, little black flies, and ticks. There are concerns that mosquitoes may carry West Nile Virus (among other things) and that ticks, especially deer ticks (the tiny kind), do carry Lime disease and other bacteria. Black flies are simply annoying and cause itching for a few days. There are reportedly black widow and brown recluse spiders, but I’ve never seen them.

During the bug season, about April to October, I recommend covering skin areas with clothing as a first line of defense–at least while in camp (avoid blue clothing). We are usually not bothered by mosquitoes and black flies while hiking at cooler higher elevations, moving on bicycles, on the water in canoes and kayaks, or when it’s windy. To spot ticks better, it’s a good idea to wear light-colored clothing and tuck pants into socks and shirt into pants, because ticks like to climb upwards and will attach themselves onto any part of the body. Checking for ticks  and signs of tick bites during and after your trip is recommended.

When it’s too hot for wearing a layer of bug clothing, insect repellent is an alternative (and should probably be worn at all times to keep ticks off). There are several products available and I’m not endorsing or approving any particular one. Some ingredients have been researched, tested, and “approved by the government” and others are wives’ tales such as eating garlic or bananas. I’ve heard that soldiers use a mixture of half SkinSoSoft (Avon) and half rubbing alcohol. Avon also offers various products that combine SSS repellent and SPF for sun protection.

For longer protection, there are now three ingredients approved by the government to ward off mosquitoes and ticks: DEET (in Off! Deep Woods), and a couple natural NON-DEET ingredients–picaridin (in Cutter Advanced Insect Repellent Pump Spray with Picaridin), and the oil of lemon eucalyptus (in Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Lotion Insect Repellent / Fite Bite Plant-Based Insect Repellent). Studies also show that Bite Blocker for Kids (containing soybean oil) is also effective for a shorter period of time.

Some mothers attach a sheet of fabric softener to a child’s hat to ward off bugs. One of our guides swears by “Twenty drops of Cedar Bark Oil to one tablespoon of flax seed oil.” My mother-in-law uses something she calls “lavender oil.” Okay, so whatever works.

Pet Services and Products:

Dog-Friendly Lodging for People

Lake Opechee Inn & Spa

CampingPet.com

Pet Products

Boarding, Kennels, and Pet Sitting

TheFourPawsInn@aol.com

Spotlight Pet Sitting

Recipe for Skunk Odor Removal

A skunk’s defense mechanism is to spray an oily musk on whatever it sees as a threat, usually dogs. This strong smell can last for months, but here’s a great remedy. This recipe consists of only three common household items. The ingredients are

1 Qt 3% hydrogen peroxide (2 one-pint bottles)
1/4 cup baking soda (“Arm and Hammer”)
1 tsp. liquid soap (“Softsoap” or “Ivory Liquid”)

For very large pets one quart of tepid tap water can be added to enable complete coverage.

All you need to do is wet down the dog with a hose, mix the ingredients together in a plastic container, and then slowly pour the mixture over the dog while rubbing it into the fur. Leave the solution on about 5 minutes or until the odor is gone. Some heavily oiled areas can require a “rinse and repeat” washing. After treatment thoroughly rinse your pet with tepid tap water. Pour the spent (and any unused excess) solution down the drain with running water. The dog should be odor free.

Although the ingredients are not dangerous, care should obviously be taken to keep the solution out of your dog’s eyes, ears and mouth. Also remember that hydrogen peroxide can bleach clothing and hair, however, some dog’s fur never changes color or fades.

Credit for this remedy goes to chemist, Paul Krebaum, of Molex Inc. in Lisle, Illinois. The above listed ingredients were published in the August 1995 issue of Popular Science.