Hi rpg. I rarely make lists. If you forget something then it is an opportunity to figure out a new solution. You make it, use a substitute or do without. I usually remember a sleeping bag.
When I was new to tripping and younger I made lists. Now? I generally crash around the house throwing stuff into my pack and my wanigan the night before. No list - except in my brain. If its a big trip - meaning arctic circle type stuff - Iāll take more care. I fear I may have have been in the arctic for the last time. We shall see.
1 Like
rpg,
I never made it to the Arctic. It seemed far, expensive, and difficult. I never could put the right crew together that I would trust out there. I worked in SE Alaska and got sick of the cold rain all the time. I like to hear about northern rivers. The closest I have come is the Boundary Waters, MT and ID.
My best tripping buddy and I paddled mostly in northern Maine for years, (we still do). We got to the point where we would sit around a fire reading descriptions of various arctic and sub-arctic trips. Eventually we got to an age where we both decided that we had the necessary skills for certain trips and we should just do it. But, you are correct. These trips are expensive and you need to be careful to put together the right group of people. We were determined to do it. So, over the years we have gone up north three times, (Thelon, Horton, Wind). We chose beautiful but not terribly difficult trips. the wind was spectacular as far as scenery goes. The Thelon was fabulous with a LOT of wildlife. The Horton was also wonderful. I feel very lucky that I was able make those trips happen. It does get in your blood. But, I will also say, that some of my best trips have been right here in New England. You donāt have to go to exotic places and spend a fortune to have a wonderful wilderness experience. Most of it is in our heads, it is our attitude toward wild places and wild creatures.
One of my friends from Vermont is a professional photo journalist. We were lucky to coax him to join us on one of our trips - the Wind River in the Werneke mountains in the Yukon. Here is a sampling of the photos he got on the trip. It gives you the flavor of the trip. We met a couple from Whitehorse on that trip. They were paddling alone in one canoe. We ended up asking them to join us and they obliged. Lovely people. Everyone got along great. They had us over to their home for dinner and beers when we got off the river. It was delightful. We still stay in touch. https://www.lazenbyphoto.com/wind-river-yukon/
I always have at least a small alcohol burner and a clickstand to put it in for emergencies, but I do carry a small dutch oven now to do most of my cooking on campfires. The concave lid makes a great frying pan. do your bacon first, the fry an egg right in the middle for a perfect egg mcmuffin. We did a trip in New Mexico a couple of years back and the BLM had a full on fire ban on. We couldnāt even use a little butane stove to heat water until the ban expired, like two days into the trip. Thought some of the guys were going to have the shakes due to coffee withdrawal. I have been thinking about a Solo Stove, but I hate scrubbing the black off my pots. They can though be used with a standard alcohol burner if wood is an issue and they are light.
rpg,
Thanks for a great post. I have been through the Yukon and it may be the most beautiful place on Earth.
Some of that country is wide open and not very forested. We have similar country in Nevada in the sense that the country feels very Big and Unprotected. It is not for everyone.
Once paddlers leave the forest, having a stove is very comforting. Northern rivers can have terrible weather. The good flows in the West are in the Spring time. April and May can be cold and wet.
Yea, I have to say that Wind River trip had by far the most beautiful scenery of any trip I have ever been on. One guy on the trip had never been on a canoe trip ever in his life. At every break we would all stand around slack jawed looking at our surroundings. No matter how much I try to explain, he seems to think that is the way every canoe trip is. Obviously every trip has its own special beauty - the barrens for example. But, that country in the Yukon is out of this world.
1 Like
Iāve used an Esbit for years and had great luck with it. I also carry a wind and waterproof butane lighter.
In the barrens the really old maps often have an indication āstickā or āno stickā meaning that in some areas there wonāt be wood to burn. But, my experience is that up in that country there is almost always enough wood for cooking when you are a small group moving every day. Even if its just drift wood from the south. You will even find wood on Arctic Ocean beaches. I suspect if you were a group of inuit families trying to stay still in certain hunting grounds āno stickā areas might present a problem. But generally, when you are traveling through these areas where there are very few people and no designated campsites, you can find plenty of wood for cooking. I see a stove as a luxury. A luxury that I often indulge in. 
It can make life easier for sure.