Читать книгу Boundary Waters Canoe Area: Western Region онлайн

55 страница из 90

If your collection of equipment has seen better days, visit an outdoor specialty retailer near your home. While these stores aren’t as large as big-box sporting goods chains, employees at specialty outdoor stores usually have better product knowledge and can help you select the most appropriate gear for your trip. On the Internet you can find manufacturer’s websites, consumer product review sites, and community forums that can be helpful resources when you are selecting equipment.

Dinner!

Maps

The skillful use of a map and compass is an important part of ensuring that you will have a safe and enjoyable BWCAW experience. Even veteran paddlers can find themselves in unfamiliar terrain when they venture too far away from a frequent check of a detailed map.

Since including detailed maps is out of the scope of this book, we strongly suggest that you acquire the appropriate water-resistant topographic maps published by the W. A. Fisher Company. Thirty-two “F-series” maps combine to cover all of the BWCAW and Canada’s Quetico Provincial Park. The scale is 1.5 inches to 1 mile, and there is sufficient overlap to provide foolproof transitions from map to map. Designated USFS campsites are identified by red dots on the maps, which are updated annually. A disclaimer on each map reads, “This map is not intended for navigational use, and is not represented to be correct in every respect.” Nevertheless, these maps are published specifically for canoeists and are remarkably accurate and detailed.