Canoe tips and tricks

Are you an experienced canoeist who has already traveled several trips, or are you going on a canoe trip for the very first time? We have some great canoe tips and tricks for you. We aren't very experienced canoeists ourselves, but we have gained a lot of experience on our 1,200 kilometer trip on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. It was our first long trip, but certainly not our last.

Our canoe trip on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail was our very first canoe trip. We left without any experience with canoeing, but had a lot of experience with travelling on human power. That of course helped enormously because the toughest part of a canoe trip is often not the canoeing itself, but all the elements that come with it. How do you keep yourself warm? How do you make camping fun? How do you eat healthy? We learned the canoeing techniques along the way and after 52 days we learned to cross big lakes with a lot of wind, to read the water, to run rapids, to do long portages and to paddle upstream.

You can find much more inspiration in all our travel stories of our world trip on human power. On our video page and our YouTube channel we have the videos about our trip on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail

July 15, 2020

handige kampeertips voor prachtige kampeerplaatsen

5 secret camping tips and tricks

In the past three years we have slept more than 300 times in our tent. Sometimes in incredibly beautiful places, sometimes hidden from the wind under the roof of an ugly building.

June 10, 2020

10 essential items on your packing list

What to pack on a camping trip? I go on a trip and take with me: my backpack, sleeping bag, tent, toothbrush,…. We have an extensive packing list for cycling, hiking, canoeing and skiing...

May 4, 2020

sleeping in the snow, camp in extreme cold

How to camp in extreme cold

Before starting our winter adventure, we had no experience with backcountry skiing or cold-weather camping. We weren't concerned about skiing but camping at -40 degrees Celsius made us shiver in our boots...

May 1, 2020

The Alternative Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian Mountains is a low mountain range in the east of the United States. One of the most famous long-distance hikes in the world, the Appalachian Trail, extends the entire length of the mountains. A thru-hike is a huge challenge that takes four to six months to cover the 3,500 kilometers...

March 17, 2020

A hammock or a tent on a long trek?

In 2019 we decided to hike the Appalachian Trail. We wanted a backpack that was as light as possible, without making major concessions on comfort and personal care. One of the most difficult choices was the decision between sleeping a tent and a hammock...

January 13, 2020

The Northern Forest Canoe Trail

The Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) is a 740 mile (1,200 kilometer) canoe trip that explores ancient Indian trade routes. It is the longest mapped canoe route in the US...

December 5, 2019

7 tips for eating healthy on the trail

People sometimes say we are crazy when they see how much food we carry. Our bag is full with a whole bunch of fresh vegetables, pasta, sour cream and herbs. That is not surprising when you go camping for a weekend, but it is when you walk 1,000 kilometers on the Appalachian Trail...

November 16, 2019

Packing list for a canoe trip

Before we started the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, we had no experience with canoeing. We searched blogs on the internet with packing lists and put together our own packing list...

October 27, 2019

6 reasons to start the NFCT in August

The water will be too low, you will have to portage a lot and you can have snow at the beginning of October. Everyone we told about our plans said one of these things to us. Laconically we said 'we just hiked 1,000 kilometers on the Appalachian Trail so we are well trained'. Secretly, we are afraid of the low water levels

January 7, 2019

The secrets of making a good fire

"Survival are techniques to get out of a difficult situation as quickly as possible, bushcraft are techniques to enjoy living in nature and use its resources"...