So I've been asked to help some less-experienced folks with setting up a trip; it's fully outfitted, and that base is already covered. Permit is in-hand. They are either first-timers or went once 30+ years ago as teens - but are all fit and very outdoorsy w/ decent wilderness camping experience.

In a few weeks am going to walk them through what to expect, bring etc. - obviously they will also get the standard info from the Quetico Rangers day of entry.

This will be more of a basecamping trip with not many portages.

Curious if anyone has done this and has an outline that might help me.

So far I have:
Safety (PFDs, bear-hangs, InReach, etc)
Camp setup (tarp, Bug tent, etc)
Clothing
Footwear
Cooking/cleaning/sanitation
Water Filtration
Fishing gear & fish cleaning
Other personal items (including booze if they choose to bring it)

I've lead trips with new people. They really are not sure what their experience will be like .

I tell them that everyone poops. Part of life.
Embrace the weather. The good and bad. It's all part of the experience.
Everyone should have responsibilities so they have skin in the game and are partly responsible for the success of the group.
Stay warm, or cool and stay dry.

I guess I am more focused on the well-being of my group than I am about other things we can teach along the way. Have fun man. I'm heading back to Nym lake in june if our friendly neighbors to the north will have us back.
Tom

I would include some Canoeing 101 stuff like, don't stand up, how to get in and out without tipping, proper paddle stroke, etc...

tumblehome: "I've lead trips with new people. They really are not sure what their experience will be like .

Everyone should have responsibilities so they have skin in the game and are partly responsible for the success of the group.
Stay warm, or cool and stay dry.

Tom"

I'll second Tom's thought here. Anytime I take new folks on trips I often notice they observe but are unsure of what to do next in regard to camp/trip responsibilities. Whether its sharing duties for cooking, dishes, food storage, firewood collecting, etc., providing some direction is helpful.

Portaging technique/etiquette, have a plan for who is carrying what and having everything buttoned down before pulling up to a portage landing.

Appropriate wood gnoming (i.e. don't cut down live trees, branches or peel bark.)

Will you be going on this trip with them, or are you just helping to set it up?

Helpful post and good info. I'd cover the need for each person to be willing to speak up and request the group talk as a group about key decisions, especially regarding continuing to paddle in marginal or threatening weather, routes and route deviation/changes, comfort level with pace as a group, whether or not to make a day shorter or longer (do we pick this campsite or shoot for a better on the next lake, etc.), even concerns about division of chores, etc. Even with a mostly basecamp situation, there can be strong leaders and followers, "Type A" people and whatever the opposite is, good and less good communicators, less confident folks who may not be as comfortable with speaking up, more confident folks who are not good listeners with others, etc.

I would also make sure the group knows if anyone has a relevant medical issue. If I'm bringing along epi pens, my trip mates should know and know where they are and what might trigger me needing their help. It's probably pretty obvious but some of the LNT stuff doesn't always register with a first-timer (shampoo and body wash, trash handling and the need to bring it all out, the guy who can't imagine why he can't bring his drone, etc.). Finally, "social" stuff can be important to discuss, especially if the group members don't all know each other well. What are the expectations concerning alcohol (you mentioned this), THC, firearms, music, even luci lights. I would be pretty unhappy if someone strung up lights through the camp whereas others might think it's the greatest thing.

No loose stuff in the canoe. Practically everything in packs.

Blatz: "No loose stuff in the canoe. Practically everything in packs. "

I will also add... No backpacking packs especially with items strapped to the outside.. There is one guy in our group with a chair, fishing pole and Nalgene attached to the outside on his pack ... it's always getting caught on everything when loading and unloading.. plus backpacking packs are too long!

My $0.02

RW

mgraber: "Will you be going on this trip with them, or are you just helping to set it up?"

Good question!

I plan to join them, but later on in their trip. I’ll paddle 2-3 days solo to meet them after my regular May trip exits. Will get 2 or 3 nights with these guys but won’t be there night 1, possibly not night 2.

Tom, PR, KK… I think the delegation of chores is a great suggestion. While I know 3 of the 5 guys, the ones I know are really solid. All 3 would be mortified if they were not contributing while others were working.

RW, agreed 100% about backpacking packs.

Blatz, DMan, also agreed! Normally I threaten to staple loose items to the offender’s thigh…but perhaps I am too forgiving.

YMV, good idea - will include. Would prefer no involuntary swimming in May water temps!

First Aid is my least concern. One of the guys is as strong an ox; is also very level-headed, a ski-patrol EMT, paramedic and was also the guy with the dog and dynamite, rescuing folks from avalanches and setting them off (only occasionally the same avalanche). I’ve seen him suturing many times; he is the person you want with you when stuff goes wrong.

KK, your thought re: encouraging discussion about key decisions (weather, etc) is a really good one, and reminds me that I need to call someone who spoke up last May in challenging circumstances…at the time it was borderline testy, but it’s always better to discuss rather than blindly following in ignorance.

Tom, I do not think we will overlap in June, but I hold out hope that one day I will find you somewhere in the wilderness & we will share a wee dram.

Here's what I advise first-timers:

Don't set up the tent with a spouse (rule #1)
Use hand sanitizer
stay ahead of filtered water needs; nobody ever had too much water
no cotton except for sleeping
it will rain
wet shoes and dry shoes and never go barefoot
There will come a time during this trip that you will feel like going home. Bugs, weather, tripmates, exhaustion, etc, can all piss you off and make you feel like this really sucks. This is normal. Control your breath, be patient, wait it out, then forget about it.
be quiet
communicate
stay busy with chores until they are done.
sunburn is bad; avoid it by wearing long sleeves and long pants and cover your head

I've taken first timers on nearly every trip I've ever gone on. I'll just add a few comments I haven't seen mentioned yet:

1. Every newby wants to overpack by bringing things they have that they think will add to the trip. IE. A way to large and heavy lantern with multi use gadgets built in that will add way too much weight and wasted use of space to their backpack. This is just one example of many. It seems every newby has 3-5 items they are attached to, but absolutely won't be practical for this type of trip. So it's important to be the sheriff and police the items they should and shouldn't bring and guide them toward the right items.

2. Let them know that no one has ever been killed by a bear attack in the roughly 60 year existence of this wilderness area. Several million have entered, very, very few have died, but none have died at the hands of a bear. (With that said, don't bring up the 87' bear attack:-) For whatever reason, every newby thinks there is a high probability of being attacked by a black bear.

3. When base camping, playing cards is a must IMO. If you have card players, every player will want to bring a set or two of cards. Designate one person to bring a couple decks and maybe someone else for a set of dice.

Have a great time planning and great trip!
Darin

I will suggest you do a gear inventory of who’s bringing what. That way you don’t have 3 axes along. I’ve had many duplicate items that are brought on my trips by people. Then write down who is bringing what. A quick call or text right before the trip will confirm that they have the item packed. I’ve had people say they will bring an item then they forgot or couldn’t find it and you are left short. Tell them NOT to pack too many clothes or fishing tackle. One trip a guy brought a huge plastic tackle box.

Mandate attending Canoecopia. Some pretty good ideas there, hey.

If they all have decent wilderness camping experience, I wouldn't worry much about anything except rules/guidelines specific to the BWCA. However, if they lack canoeing experience, I would emphasize cold water safety, self-rescue, PFD usage, wind danger.

More good stuff - thanks everyone!

All good advice, above.

Though controversial, I would add this: get your feet wet. I have seen FAR more new paddlers dump a canoe because they didn't want to get their feet wet getting in the boat than I've ever seen dump in a lake. It can be tricky to get into a canoe, especially on the end of a precarious portage, or if a person lacks the experience in doing so. It's best to enter the boat from a solid foothold, and sometimes that is with your feet in the water.

I brought WAY too much stuff on my first trips. I was young and could carry it, though I eventually realized that some of the stuff I brought I never used. I like the idea of a gear inventory so that multiple of the same item are not carried. Redundancy is good for some things, but not most.

Lastly: the woods can sound scary at night. Encourage them to take in the night sounds...the night birds and scurrying critters can freak some people out, but there is nothing out there than can hurt them*

*with rare exception, but don't bring that up!

Mike

I'm going to echo Mike's point about wet feet. (caveat to my viewpoint - I only get to the BW in summer so temps are not a huge concern but even in early-ish June, the plan is for feet getting wet). This blends over to another thread on the rules/portage etiquette. I've not seen anyone dump the canoe (but close) but have seen groups take a LONG time to land or launch because they have to find the perfect spot so their feet don't get wet. And then they struggle with loading or unloading gear too. All because they don't want to get their feet wet.

Plan on wet feet. Everyone. Have dry camp footwear. Simple idea with a big difference. Makes landing, launching, etc all that much easier. This is one tip where all the camping and outdoor experience does hit - it's a paddling specific tip.

Basic wilderness ethics.

Wet foot exit and entry. Period. Easiest way to get injured is trying to keep your feet dry. Also helps insure canoes are loaded and unloaded while floating.

Do a final pack together to avoid unnecessary extra gear, too much unhelpful redundancy, and general overpacking. This includes amount of lures/fishing gear. Start by having everything out on the floor or table and walk through a list. Then fill the packs in a way that works for the group. I love bunkhouses the night before a trip for this purpose.

No loose items in the canoe.

This is an interesting list of different folk's "must haves", "nevers" and "absolutes". Shows how many varied ways this can be done.

I do plan on wet feet, and advise newbies to expect it, but don't mind keeping them dry when It's at least practical (we use and are fine with aluminum canoes so if they touch dry land, not a big worry). I advise the newbies on what gear does and does not work well but don't get hung up on if they have a favorite item or two they'd like to bring that maybe isn't necessary. We usually spend multiple nights on at least one campsite but we may or may not bring a deck of cards or a book to read. While we strive to get as much into packs as we can, if there are a couple of loose items that don't pack well, we work with it.

In our pre-planning meetings I certainly do go over a list of suggested gear, what to expect, and general do's and dont's in addition to the Forest Service's rules. Beyond that I try to step back unless I see see a safety issue or if we'd be infringing on other groups (I once did ex-nay an air horn someone wanted to bring for "signaling").

I figure that they'll learn! And sometimes that's part of the fun for them: self discovery and realization of how this would work better next time. Does this create more work for me and lessen aspects of my enjoyment? Sometimes it does, but I try to keep in mind that I invited them so they could have fun and too much rigidity of "we're going to do everything THIS way", is likely to reduce that fun. There's even been occasions that a newbie has pushed for doing something or bringing something that, given my choice, I never would but it worked out and was a "discovery moment" for me!

My contribution would be if there is no fire ban and once camp is set up, assign a different canoe each day to pick up choice pieces of dry, beached drift or beaver wood as they paddle and fish.
Wet foot... YES!
Always, always, tie off the canoe securely on shore no matter why, when or where you plan to get out.
Each canoe gets a marked map and depending on the groups map reading experience show how to interpret and identify elevation, shoreline features and islands from your position on the water or campsite.
Walkie Talkies have always been an important part of our trips. Communication when out on the water enhances safety and the ability to share successful fishing depth, lure sizes, colors, techniques etc...
I love bringing new people to canoe country. Regardless of how rainy, cold or hot it was they all inevitably yearn to return.