Long-term kayaking trip

**payne** · 04-26-2014, 03:17 AM

I am leaving for a 3-months long kayak trip in about a week. I haven't gotten to prepare my emergency/survival kit yet. Any propositions?
I'll be in between Skagway (Alaska) and Vancouver Island, on the West Coast (Pacific Ocean).
Very rainy region. Very cold water. There are probably a good load of berries and mushrooms to eat (I don't know plants enough to actually include them in that list of available food, unfortunately), but they won't be everywhere.

Anything specific you can think of which I might not think about that could be very useful at some point in case of a survival situation arrives?
I'm mostly thinking the worst scenarios could be: hypothermia, food eaten by a bear, maps destroyed/lost, kayaks washed away, lost/broken paddles, wildlife attack, strong current bringing us far from the shore... or a tsunami caused by an earthquake?!

**Wildthang** · 04-26-2014, 08:15 AM

Are you going alone? Kayaking in the ocean lends itself to many things that can go wrong. Get a book on wild edibles for that area, and get an emergency GPS locator unit so you can be located in case of emergency. Get some real good dry bags as well.
Don't forget a small fishing kit and compact rod because that alon can keep you fed if you get stranded! Clean the fish far away from your campsight and take the scraps away as well.
I hope somebody will be with you that knows the area because you do not want to do that alone!

**Seniorman** · 04-26-2014, 02:36 PM

Sounds like quite an ambitious adventure, but as Wildthang suggested, don't try a trip like that alone.

Best of luck.

S.M.

**hunter63** · 04-26-2014, 03:25 PM

I'm surprised that you haven't gotten prepared a little more.....3 months is a long time....and you have been talking about if for a while now.

What have you gotten ready, so far?

**Lil K** · 04-26-2014, 05:26 PM

I was about say "Hey! We like to go kayaking too".. until I saw that you were going for 3 MONTHS! That sounds like a pretty fun, but dangerous adventure on your own. If you go, good luck and have fun out there man.

**Grizz123** · 04-27-2014, 05:52 PM

look for a survival emergency radio locator. I dont know the real name for these things but if you are in danger all you need to do is push a button and a chopper will come looking for you. They may even have a two way radio set up on the chopper's frequency.

**payne** · 04-27-2014, 07:28 PM

3 months is the total duration of the trip, but that's far from being on our own the whole time. The longest time we will spend without encountering a village where we will be able to replenish the food supply will be of about 2 weeks.
The group will consist of 2 to 4 people (some still haven't confirmed they're coming and we'll adjust based on their answer eventually).
We have a Marine VHF to call for help.

Most of everything is ready. There are very few items left to be bought. My organization has been slowed down a lot by school: my last exam is tomorrow, so from there I will have about 5 days to get everything set up before leaving.
I still have to buy: a proper hat, polarized sunglasses, a new tarp, a bear canister, rope, stuff to repair the plastic of the kayaks, and a marine compass.
I also still have to print on waterproof paper my maps, and I must compile and print the tidal charts.

I don't really have any real concern, but I was wondering if you guys could think of something I hadn't thought of. Just because... well... you never know what you don't know.

@Grizz: those are "Spot GPS" I believe.

**LowKey** · 04-27-2014, 07:40 PM

If you are leaving in a week, will there even be mushrooms and berries available yet this early in the season? I wouldn't count on it.
And be very very careful with the mushrooms. With those, what you don't know, could kill you.

Having read your other thread on the last trek you did, I'm sure you'll do ok. But do keep others with you and that radio dry.

Can't help you with emergency gear other than maybe to suggest cold water submersion gear. I don't imagine you'll have much time before hypothermia sets in if you end up in the water up there.

**finallyME** · 04-27-2014, 10:17 PM

Remember that killer whales like to knock over kayakers for fun. Try not to paddle in the middle of a pod. Hopefully you have sea kayaks and not little river ones. Doesn't Randy do a lot of kayaking? I am sure he has better advice.

**payne** · 04-27-2014, 10:33 PM

I know my mushrooms quite well. The hedgehogs is the only one I know which will be there and which I have never gotten to identify beforehand so I'll probably stay away from those (even though I know what they look like, generally).
For water submersion gear, I have bought a 800$ dry suit (on sale for 260$!) so there will be no problem for that. My partner, however, has bought a two-piece so if we are submerged, there is a possibility for him to enter hypothermia. I have never treated hypothermia before... I will definitely gather a bunch of knowledge before leaving.

I hadn't thought about whales trying to knock me off. I actually thought they generally tried to avoid bumping into things, though they might be curious and come close (which sounds like it'd be a blast!). A "pod" is a group of whales?
My kayaks are tandem sea kayaks. Very stable.

**finallyME** · 04-27-2014, 10:45 PM

Well, I might not know at all what I am talking about...Here is some help to get you started on some research.
http://seakayakadventures.com/ska-bl...act-a-faq.html
Also, apparently Canada has some rules about how close you can get to orcas.

**payne** · 04-28-2014, 01:30 AM

As expected, it seems like they don't mess with kayakers.
Another thing came to my mind: does salty air affect health in any noticeable ways?
And is the best technique to start a fire with wet wood to simply split it to get the dried inside, or there are other techniques I should know about?

**payne** · 05-01-2014, 02:31 AM

Wish me good luck!
See you around.

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**Rivershot** · 05-01-2014, 06:11 AM

Good luck and be careful.

**hunter63** · 05-01-2014, 10:01 AM

Good luck, take care, have fun....see ya on the other end.

**1stimestar** · 05-01-2014, 02:57 PM

Good luck Payne. Have a great time!

**Solar Geek** · 05-01-2014, 04:32 PM

Good luck and we will be here when you get back. Godspeed and happy paddling!

**Rick** · 05-01-2014, 04:37 PM

The Inside Passage is a pretty incredible area. The F.A.R.T.s could be up for a rescue there if necessary. Advance notice appreciated. While there is not an abundance of bacon the fresh scallops are pretty darn good. Stay safe my friend and we look forward to your pictures.