Wilderness Camping is an intermediate camping course for those with some camping and paddling experience but would like to learn the skills necessary for wilderness travel as well as develop basic leadership and risk management skills.
Throughout the course, students will be expected to lead the group in various activities including navigation, meals, and camp set-up and take-down.
At the end of this course the successful student will have a strong camping skill set and can plan and participate in camping trips up to a week long in a wilderness setting.
They will be able to provide peer leadership and navigation skills while on trip.
If this course is offered as a stand-alone program, then the course length will be a minimum of 24 hours of instruction (3 days) including a 2-night camping trip.
If this course is offered in conjunction with another Paddle Canada paddling course (e.g. Stand Up Paddleboard Advanced Flatwater skills) then the course length will be the total length of the two courses combined. For example, if the other paddling skills course is normally 2 days long then the total teaching days would be 5 days.
Course Topics
Kitchen & Cooking
Wilderness Cooking
Safe Drinking Water
Campfires
Personal and Camp Hygiene
Management of Trip Garbage
Food Preparation and Packing for Trips
Menu Design for Longer Trips
Campsite & Gear
Campsite Selection and Set-up
Tent & Tarp Set-up
Choosing Camping Gear and Clothing
Field Repairs and Maintenance for Gear and Vessels
First Aid Kits
Camping Skills
Packing a Vessel
Vehicle Vessel Tie-down
Knots
Portaging Techniques
Trip Logs
Theory Topics
Navigation Skills (Maps and Charts, Navigation Techniques)
Trip and Route Planning
Impact of Camping on the Environment
Weather Interpretation & Basic Forecasting
Heat and Cold Issues
Leadership and Decision Making
Risk Assessment, Management and Evacuation
Camping Locations and Resources
Respect for Wildlife
Regional Travel Knowledge (Lake, River and Ocean Travel)
Course Prerequisites
Camping Skills Certification
Camping Basics certification or equivalent skill and knowledge at the discretion of the course director.
Paddling Skills Certification
A Paddle Canada skills course appropriate to the vessels used and conditions on which the camping course takes place, as outlined by the course director, or equivalent skills and knowledge at the discretion of the course director.
Other Training
Wilderness first aid (minimum 16 hours) is strongly recommended.
Camping Experience
A log demonstrating a minimum of 4 camping trips with a total combination of 8 nights or more camping. It is not necessary that these trips involve paddling.
The Small Print
The content on this page is provided for information only and could be incorrect or outdated. The course program manual is the official syllabus.
If you have any specific syllabus questions, please get in touch with the
Camping Program Committee who is responsible for the development and maintaince of this course.
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