If you want to get eaten alive by bugs, go to the Canadian Arctic in June. The black flies and mosquitoes which live there weigh more than ten times as much as all the plants and animals put together! An acre of swarming bugs could drain all your blood in about three days! Last year, the bugs in the BWCA were the worst in decades! We’ll check out “your enemies”- and learn how to resist them with repellents, insecticides, head and body nets, specialized clothing and “attitude.” Recommendations for children and pets included. There are some tricks. Believe it!

“Tune” your canoe for casual and wilderness travel. Install “blind” lining holes at cutwater; choose and safely store tracking lines; select and install knee-pads and foot-braces; shock-cord decks and thwarts; correct the seat height; re-position thwarts to increase space for gear; select straight and bent-shaft paddles; correctly fit a life jacket and portage yoke; make a canoe tumpline and spray cover; pack the canoe efficiently for a wilderness trip; safety procedures and concerns; essential canoe repair materials.

Got questions about canoeing and camping? Join Cliff Jacobson, Rob Kesselring, Kevin Callan, and Peter Marshall in this lively, fun-filled panel discussion. Together, these experts have more than 200 years of collective outdoors experience, so they really know their stuff. Last year’s panel was filled to overflowing, so come early if you want a seat. Submit questions beforehand to chloem@rutabaga.com with subject line: EXPERT Q&A. These experts will do the rest.