Food, food & more food

This past week was very eventful with some of the most important meetings: Beef Jerky Day, Food Packing Day, and Baking day. 

Beef Jerky Day-

Monday morning all crews started bright and early for Beef Jerky Day. We were given thin slices of meat that were then cut into strips for jerky. The guys also removed all the fat off the meat otherwise it wouldn’t fully dehydrate. The jerky spent the next 24 hours soaking in a marinate before being placed inside the dehydrator.

Food Packing Day-

On Friday all crews got together again for Food Packing Day. All the food that didn’t need to be baked or dehydrated was bagged and labeled. On this day it's also a Les Voyageur tradition for each crew to dress in a theme. The guys were dressed as Redneck USA.

Baking Day-

The last food focused meeting was Baking Day. There was a lot to be made, but we were fortunate that Cathedral High School allowed us to use their Culinary room to make the work go a lot quicker. In total we made a total of 27 meals worth of bannock mix and Hudson Bay Bread. Bannock is like bread that we bake in a reflector oven and Bay Bread is similar to a big granola bar, both are high calorie foods that provide a lot of energy. Then we made over 50 pounds of hot chocolate mix and cooked 80 pounds of ground beef! These days can feel long, but are definitely worth it once we get on trail!

Kettle pack and more paddling

Today's meeting started with packing our kettle pack. The kettle pack holds everything we need to make camp while on trail. From pots and baking pans to p-cord and tarps, there is no camp without our kettle. After learning how to properly pack the kettle pack to prevent lumps and bulging, the boys did it themselves and were very successful in the process!

To gain some energy for the more physically demanding parts of the day, we created a sizable fire and roasted sausages for lunch, along with some other snacks to fuel us.

Next up, we portaged the same distance as last meeting, but it was evident that strength and resilience was already building in the boys. They portaged faster and more efficiently than before, and it is clear that they will become great portagers by the time we get to Canada. 

For the rest of the meeting, we paddled up Little Rock Lake and learned J-Leaning and the teeter-tot game on the canoes, as well as how to rescue a flipped canoe. We did a lot of paddling, and the paddle skills are quickly building up within everyone. 

More portaging, More paddling...

Just like life on trail, we didn’t get lucky two meetings in a row with the rain. We gave the guys a quick run down on setting up tents, but as we were putting them away the rain rolled in. It was a great example of what not-so-perfect conditions may look like. 

Next, we did some portaging, continued to practice flipping up the canoes and adding distance to our portages. Today, we portaged over one kilometer! Following the portage, we loaded the canoes right into the water and did a lot of paddling. We covered different river features that we may encounter and cleaned up their paddling form to be more efficient. 

Now, we just need to show them what to do if a boat dumps and also ways to avoid dumping. We will definitely be getting a little wet on Sunday!

First Day Paddling

The rain held off for a bit, making it a great first day out on the water. We may not have gotten any pictures, but we can assure everyone stayed dry and no one ended up in the river, which is always a huge success!

We explained the anatomy of a paddle, which is useful when learning how it should move through the water. We also covered the power stroke for both the bow and stern, as well as steering strokes performed by the stern paddler to help keep the canoe moving straight, like the C-stroke and J-stroke.

In addition to paddling, we revisited knots and placed more emphasis on coiling the p-cord, practicing on how to make the coils look and hold nicely. Each crew member was given 25 feet of p-cord to practice knots. They’ll also be able to bring it on the trip to keep in their personal pack.

First Meetings

And just like that, preparation has begun! It was a productive weekend with a lot packed into it. With everyone's busy schedules this summer, we were happy to have the full crew together for our first meeting!

Saturday-

When everyone showed up on Saturday evening, we gave a quick tour of basecamp, provided a rundown of expectations, and then got right to work. The guys were given a big stack of maps, and with very little instruction, they connected all of them together to show every possible area we could choose to explore this summer. Next, we wrote down ideas of what we might want to incorporate into our route this summer including named portages, cliff jumping, a night paddle and lots of fishing. I definitely won’t be upset if fish is a frequent menu item this summer.

The crew then went outside and learned how to flip the canoes onto their shoulders (each canoe weighs about 75 lbs!). We explained different parts of the canoe and also emphasized the importance of handling them gently. We concluded the meeting by planning our menu which was no simple task. When you’re gone for a month, there are a lot of decisions to be made, like what kinds of desserts to bring.

Sunday-

Sunday morning we got right back to work, and before long, they had learned four different knots: bowline, double half hitch, taut-line, and square knot. The crew then headed back outside, completing their first portages, learned some paddle strokes and got to see their knots put to use by setting up a tarp. With the tarp, they learned how to set up a ridgeline using the trucker’s hitch and got a brief tutorial on how to coil up the p-cord before wrapping up the meeting (no pun intended).

It was great to finally be at basecamp and we’re excited to continue with preparations!

Hello family and friends!

Hey everyone, I am Owen Kluempke one of your co-guides for the summer. I went on my first trip in the summer of 2022 after my sophomore year at Tech High School. and far north on the Coppermine River in 2023. I am currently a freshman at MNSU in Mankato studying to be a history teacher. Outside of school, I like to play rugby, work out, play video games, and generally do anything active and outside. I am very excited for our trip this summer and can’t wait to get started.

Hello!

I’m Blake Fleege, one of the guides for the crew this summer. Currently, I am finishing up my freshman year at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, where I am studying business. Outside of school, I enjoy staying active with sports and spending time on the water whenever I can.

This summer will be my third trip with Les Voyageurs. In 2022, I went on my first-year trip, which ended on the Bloodvein River on the east side of Lake Winnipeg. Then in 2023, I went on my Far North trip, where we paddled the Coppermine River in Nunavut.

This is where you will be able to check in to see what the crew has been up to as we begin our preparation! Also, if you ever have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to Owen or I.