Putting the L in TL

At Manito-wish, TL (Trail Lunch) is pretty much the same every day. Which isn't a bad thing -- what more could you want than peanut butter, honey, bannock, cheese and sausage? While we nailed down a couple of our TL essentials a few months ago with our sponsorships from Bob's Red Mill, Usingers and Cabot Creamery, we have also had a couple of sponsors step up in the last few days to cover the rest of our TL needs.

Superior Nut Company, a local Cambridge, MA company is providing us with 30lbs of peanut butter. Enough to keep us well-fueled through all of those late afternoons when the wind rises and the glare is in your eyes. There is nothing more central to a great TL than peanut butter and we're psyched to have Superior Nut Company on board.

Another key TL ingredient is honey and we've been lucky enough to receive 10 lbs of "pure, sweet honey" from Willi van Haren. Thanks also to Ambra for helping us make the connection!


A classic TL on the Back River in 2005:



Notice the peanut

Expedition Essentials: Mitchell & GMCR

What could be more essential to a canoeing expedition than a good quality paddle? Luckily Mitchell paddles, a family-run company based out of Canaan, NH, is hooking us up with 10 brand new paddles. Each of us will be ready to draw and pry through even the gnarliest set of rapids with our new Premier whitewater paddles. And when it comes to making miles on the flatwater, we'll be able to pull out five matching Leader bentshaft paddles. Mitchell paddles are both beautifully crafted and tough enough to stand up to two months of daily wear and tear on the waterways of northern Canada. We're excited to have Mitchell on board!

Speaking of things that we can't live without... some of you may have heard stories of (or even have first hand experience with) the infamous BPE caffeine addiction. Early morning with the BPE isn't a pretty sight anyway, but early morning with the BPE sans coffee is, well, let us not speak of it. Thankfully Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has signed up to provide us with enough coffee to motivate us out of the sleeping bag each morning. In case it still isn't obvious how seriously we take our coffee here's just a small sampling of coffee related pictures from the 2005 expedition:

Sierra Designs

There's absolutely nothing like knowing that no matter what the elements are throwing at you all day long you'll be warm and dry come night. Sierra Designs is pretty much single-handedly making sure that is the case for this upcoming summer. SD provided five amazingly warm drizone sleeping bags for our 2005 expedition. In 2008, not only are the sending five more sleeping bags our way -- their Drizone Electra -20 bags no less -- but they are also providing two tents, Chockstone primaloft jackets and ember base-layers. It will be great to be able to pair their toasty sleeping bags with their Stretch Dome and Stretch Tiros tents -- both bombproof, four-season mountaineering tents that can stand up to tundra winds with barely a shrug. Personally, I'm also really, really excited about the Drizone Packable Mitts that they threw in at the last minute. These waterproof prima-loft mittens just might be the answer to "trench hands" -- reoccuring blisters and sores that some of us got on our hands from the cold in 2005.

It's what's for dinner...

...and breakfast, and lunch.

FEBRUARY 8 UPDATE: Meg just got off the phone with Bob's Red Mill and it looks like we've got yet another food sponsor to add to this list. As in 2005 BRM is making a huge contribution to the BPE -- they are providing most of our grains, flours, dried legumes, nuts and desserts. Their products are not only all natural, organic and delicious, they also have a whole line of gluten-free flours, grains and desserts that are a great help in dealing with our various allergies. Thanks so much Bob!

We've had a number of important food sponsors sign on in the last couple of weeks. These products may not seem quite as glamorous as a bunch of brand new expedition gear, but they will literally keep us moving day in and day out. We also face a unique challenge when planning our menu because of Meg's allergy to gluten. Not to worry when it comes to breakfast through -- 1-800-Granola.com has a line of organic, wheat-free granola that makes planning easy. In 2005 1-800-Granola.com generously sponsored us with 80 lbs of their delicious granola and muesli. We liked it so much we've decided to increase our ration for '08!

Another 2005 sponsor that has decided to continue their support for the BPE is Luna bar. In '05 we relied on our daily luna bar as a mid-morning snack. Whatever the first big challenge of the day was -- a set of whitewater, a particularly long crossing over the ice, or a rising headwind -- we would stop and take a few minutes to breathe and add an extra kick of energy to get us really moving. For '08 Luna is not only donating a huge amount of their original luna bars, but also their luna sunrise bars and luna tea cakes. You won't hear us complaining!

We're also excited to be working with Usinger's sausage and Cabot cheese in 2008. Usinger's was a generous sponsor in 2008, and Cabot is joining us for the first time. Both of their products will be a crucial part of our daily "TL" -- trail lunch, keeping us warm and ready for whatever the afternoon brings.

Managing the Risks: Emergency Preparedness Systems, LLC

From our website and these posts it may seem like all we've been doing lately is shopping for our new gear. We wish! Actually while Meg and I are following up with all of our potential and confirmed sponsors, there are a number of other projects in the works including menu planning, further route research and organizing our resupply. One of the ongoing challenges is preparing for and managing the inevitable risks of a trip to the far north. Mostly this involves playing the "what if" game. What if our resupply doesn't show up in time? What if a canoe tips in the middle of a set of rapids on the Coppermine? What if a hungry bear decides to rummage through our tent? (Extra points if you know which of these actually happened in '05! Hint: there's a relevant picture at the bottom of this post.) Anyway, you get the idea. It's all about preparation and prevention. Think of what might go wrong and do your best to prevent it from happening and to be prepared in case it happens anyway.

We're incredibly luck to again have the support of Emergency Preparedness Systems LLC as we go through this process. EPS, which is based in Plover, WI, helps clients prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. The founder, Greg Freise, along with his wife Amanda and several other EPS employees, is an alumnus and a strong supporter of Manito-wish. As in 2005 the folks at EPS have generously agreed to sponsor us with several in-kind services as we prepare for our upcoming expedition. Their logistical support will be invaluable as we put together a first aid kit, review our medical certifications and help prepare contingency plans for everything from a late resupply to an emergency evacuation. EPS has also agreed to provide emergency phone support throughout the expedition. (In addition to our line-to-sight radio and our personal locating beacon we will carry a satellite phone in case of emergencies.) We certainly hope not to have to take them up on their offer, but in case anything does go wrong we can say with absolute confidence that there is no one we would rather have pick up the phone.

Isis, Zeal and Wigwam Support the 2008 BPE!

More great news! Isis, Zeal and Wigwam have signed on to support the 2008 BPE. We're especially excited to work with Isis, a company that makes 'Performace Outdoor Clothing For Women, By Women' out of Burlington, VT. Isis is sponsoring us with a number of insulating layers to keep us warm (and stylish!) on the tundra.

Zeal is sending five pairs of polarized sunglasses our way. If you've ever tried to run whitewater in the late afternoon glare you'll know why the right eyewear is so important to us. We need sunglasses that are durable enough to survive being sat on, crushed beneath a yokepad and, of course, getting accidentally packed away with the tent (c'mon you know you've done that too!).

And we're also happy to announce that Wigwam is sponsoring us again. As in 2005 they are donating a whole slew of their Merino Rugged Wool Hiker socks. These socks are thick enough to keep our toes nice and toasty, whether they are wet or dry, and tough enough to stand up to continual wear.

2008 Sponsors: Kokatat, Just Tomatoes, ETC! and Cooke Custom Sewing

Great news! Kokatat, Just Tomatoes and Cooke Custom Sewing have all agreed to sponsor the Borealis Paddling Expedition 2008. All three of these companies also sponsored us in 2005 and I can't say enough to recommend their products. Kokatat has once again been incredibly generous and is completely outfitting us with their women's specific line. One of our favorite products from the 2005 trip was our Gore-Tex Paclite Anorak Jackets and Pants. They are incredibly light and pack down easily, but most importantly they stood up to 90+ days of continuous wear without an issue.

Just Tomatoes, ETC! will be providing us with almost 40 pounds of dried fruits and vegetables. If you've never taken any Just Tomatoes products into the field you're missing out. The difference between the bland, colorless fruits and vegetables that we used to take on trail and Just Tomatoes line of carrots, green peppers, tomatoes, bananas, mango, pineapple, apples (and there's much, much, more!) is amazing. I could go on, but I won't. Just buy some and see for yourself.

We're also excited to reconnect with Cooke Custom Sewing, one of our most generous sponsors in 2005. Dan Cooke has plenty of backcountry experience of his own and it shows in the intelligent design of his spray decks, packs and tarps and his willingness to tailor individual products to our specific needs. Given the extensive amount of portaging that we will be undertaking next summer we are especially happy to have 6 of his Utility Packs which are comfortable and sturdy enough to handle the 50 overland miles between the Coppermine and the Rae.

Over the next few weeks we will be posting additional sponsors on our 2008 sponsor page, so check back soon!