Whether you’re planning a day-hike, a weeklong canoe epic or something even bigger and more impressive, registration of your trip in CPAWS’ Big Wild Challenge will create an opportunity for you to raise funds that will protect Canada’s wilderness while embarking on a fun, challenging and personalized outdoor adventure.

In essence, the Big Wild Challenge is a program that allows registrants to set up a fundraiser — much like large-scale events like The Ride to Conquer Cancer — framed around a small-scale, individual or group outdoor activity. Once established, registrants will receive their own fundraising webpage — as well as chances to win prizes from MEC and other benefits (including reduced subscription rates to explore) — and can then begin raising funds framed around their adventure. Rather than a single fundraising event, this will create a network and community of events, all raising funds for a collective cause, right across the country.

“The Big Wild Challenge is more than just a fundraising initiative — it’s a way for Canadians to help ensure we’ll always have natural spaces to explore and enjoy. Through the Big Wild Challenge, we hope to inspire people to experience nature in a meaningful way that builds a foundation of love and appreciation for Canada’s wilderness,” said Eric Hebert-Daly, Executive Director of CPAWS. “The Challenge gives people the opportunity to share their passion for nature with their friends and family by supporting on-the-ground conservation work being done by CPAWS across the country.”

All funds raised by the Big Wild Challenge will go towards supporting CPAWS’ conservation campaigns across Canada, which protect at-risk wilderness areas such as watersheds in the North, BC’s South Okanagan, boreal forests stretching from Alberta to Quebec, the marine environments of the Maritimes and others.

All registrants should ensure their trip meets the following requirements:

• Trip must be set in a wilderness park or on crown land or water. (Emphasis is on “wilderness.”)

• Your means of travel during the trip must be self-propelled (after arriving at the start point, of course).

• The 7 Leave No Trace Principles must be followed throughout (www.leavenotrace.ca).

• You and your team are committed to raising funds for CPAWS.

• Your trip must include a personal challenge of some type — this could mean bringing someone who has never canoed/hiked/camped before; or going to a location that is new to you or someone in your group; setting a fundraising goal beyond your comfort level; or just about any other angle you can come up with.

• The trip can be as short as a single day or as long as the entire summer season.

Registration opened May 15, and continues until Labour Day. Click THE BIG WILD to register and find out more.

This year, I only left behind hot chocolate and an extra wool sweater. Problem was, the average daytime temperature hovered around 4 degrees Celsius, night time temps dropped to minus five, and the rain turned to snow two days into the trip. I wish I would have brought that extra sweater. The only way to deal with this dilemma is to prepare an equipment list and then check and re-check it at least a-thousand times before heading out. Here’s a packing list for a five-day trip during moderate weather conditions

Clothes:

• Two shirts
• Two T-shirts
• One wool sweater or fleece top
• Three extra pairs of socks
• One extra pair of underwear
• Two pairs of pants (no blue jeans)
• One pair of shorts (doubles as swim suit if you’re not into skinny dipping)
• Hiking boots
• Sneakers, moccasins or sport sandals for around camp
• Bug hat (finer mesh for black-fly season)
• Bandanna (useful for spraying bug dope on rather than directly on to your skin)
• Wide rimmed hat
• Rain gear (make sure to keep handy on the top of your pack)
• Quality sunglasses

Toiletries:

• Beach towel (those light weight ones from Therm-a-rest are great)
• Portable toothbrush and toothpaste (small travel sizes can usually be purchased at drug store)
• Toilet paper (store in a zip-lock bag)
• Hair brush
• Biodegradable soap
• Hair band
• Razor
• Contact lens solution
• Glasses case and extra pair of glasses
• Birth control

Kitchen Set:

• One medium and one small cooking pot with lids and non-stick frying pan (to avoid expensive cooking sets purchase all three separately at a department store and simply remove handles)
• Outback Oven
• Travel mug
• Metal plate (plastic Frisbee can also be used as a plate, bowl and toy for the beach)
• Hard plastic spoon and metal fork
• Metal spatula
• Aluminum foil
• Camp stove with extra fuel container and funnel
• Waterproof matches in waterproof container plus a butane lighter
• Scouring pad and sponge mixture
• Tea-towel
• Pair of garden gloves for grabbing cooking pot off the fire
• Lightweight saw
• Water bottle
• Water purification gadget
• Spices, jam, peanut butter, coffee, sugar, maple syrup, honey, margarine, etc…various size, shape and style of plastic containers
• Meals packed in separate containers and in one large food bag

Sleeping Gear:

• Tent
• Ground sheet that fits inside tent
• Large rain tarp
• Sleeping bag
• Sleeping pad

Packs:

• External or internal frame pack
• Various stuff sacks for cloths and other items
• Separate pack/barrel for food
• Day-pack
• Camera bag

Individual Items:

• Maps with waterproof map case
• Compass
• Bug dope
• Hand lotion
• Sun screen
• Camera, film and extra batteries
• Playing cards, cribbage board, etc.
• Fishing licence
• Camping permit
• First-aid kit
• Repair kit
• Roll of Duct tape
• Extra zip-lock bags
• Couple of strong garbage bags
• Journal and pencil
• Paperback novel
• Hammock
• Bird, tree, animal track identification guide
• Binoculars
• Star chart
• Fishing rod and small compact tackle box
• Pocket knife

Items (required by law) for Canoe or Kayak:

• Two 30-metre lengths of nylon rope stuffed in a throw bag
• Flashlight
• Sounding device (whistle)
• Approved PFD (personal flotation device)
• Bailer
• Extra paddle

Luxury Items

• Collapsible camp chair
• Camp pillow
• Extra-long sleeping pad
• Solar powered radio
• Propane-fired hot-shower gadget
• Two-burner camp stove
• Miniature espresso maker
• Java Press/Coffee Bowden
• Thermos
• Cast-iron frying pan
• Reflector Oven
• Bug Screen
• Lantern
• Hammock
• Cooler packed with ice and an endless assortment of fresh food, spirits of choice, and ice cream
• Oversized tent
• Fold-out picnic table

Sport: Competitive Climbing

Hometown: North Vancouver, BC

Bio: Sean McColl is Canada’s top competitive climber, and one of the few North Americans to achieve success on the world stage of competitive climbing; an area typically dominated by Europeans. As a Junior competitor, McColl won every Canadian Youth Championship he competed in (1999 to 2005) and claimed five World Championship titles. Since joining the World Cup circuit in 2008, he has consistently placed in the top 10 — and was the first North American to win a Gold Medal at a World Championship climbing event in 2009, the first Canadian to win a World Cup climbing event in 2011 and more recently won the Combined Ranking at the 2012 World Championships in Paris. Not bad for a 24-year-old.

Explore Magazine: When did you first start climbing?

Sean McColl: I started climbing when I was 10 years old with my family. Our old tennis club shut down and we were looking for another sport to do as a family. We bought annual passes to the local climbing gym and I was quickly spotted by head coach Andrew Wilson and asked to join the Junior Team. From there, I started training a couple days a week and I absolutely loved every day of it.

EX: When did you decide to go pro?

SM: This is a difficult question to answer because it’s hard to pinpoint an exact year. I think my 2009 season was a good eye-opener for me. From there, I started dedicating much more time to training and really decided to give it my all. I’ve always taken it seriously and I loved to train four days a week since I was 14 years old.

EX: What is in your gear locker these days?

SM: My favourite item has got to be the Mammut Realization climbing pants/harness. They have a harness built into the shorts so when you put your shorts on, you’re ready to go. I use it during lead climbing competitions and they’re amazingly comfortable as well, when compared to other harnesses. My favourite climbing shoes are the La Sportiva Solutions because of their incredible diversity in what they can be used for. I feel the strongest on slab, on an overhang, toe hooks, heel hooks; they’re just amazing.

EX: Where is your favourite place to climb (recreationally) in Canada and why?

SM: Hands down, in Canada my favourite place to climb is in Squamish. I grew up in North Vancouver so my proximity with Squamish has always been there. I remember going outside climbing as young as 11 years old and finding it a totally different element. I could climb 5.12 indoors and would get shut down on 5.10 outside. It made me motivated to improve my outdoor skill and I quickly learned how to move on real rock as opposed to indoor rock climbing. In Squamish, they have bouldering, lead climbing, crack climbing, big wall and even some deep-water soloing. I also find that climbing in Squamish is always hard; moving on granite is just harder that moving on limestone. I think overall it made me a better climber.

EX: Can you give me a quick rundown of your training regime?

SM: My training generally starts each year in January of February. This year, I’m concentrating on improving my strength for the first few months. I didn’t have my first bouldering competition until April and my first lead isn’t until July. I’ll focus on campus board, dead hangs and hard bouldering right now. After a few months, I’ll transition into only hard bouldering, conditioning and short circuit training. Once I feel I’m at a level I’m happy with, I’ll move slowly into longer and longer circuit training. I imagine I’ll be around 30-move circuit training at the end of May. I’ll dedicate the whole month of June to work on longer and longer circuits until I’m into the lead section of 2013 and I’ll drop almost all bouldering and focus on lead, recovery and stamina. By October, I’ll have almost stopped training specifics. I’ll be trying to hold my climbing level for the last couple months of the season with maybe some outdoor climbing mixed in!

EX: To what do you attribute your success?

SM: I’ve had a unique climbing upbringing. I had great coaches through my Junior career who were motivated to coach. I also am very stubborn and like to succeed. With climbing, whenever there was a route that I couldn’t do, I worked so hard to get the route and got stronger in the process. I realized quite quickly that the more I climbed, and the harder I worked at climbing, the better I would become as an athlete. All those hours in the gym paid off when you’re standing on the podium after winning a competition. I had tremendous support from my family and friends, which also contributed to my success. While competing as a Junior, there was always someone who was older and better than me. I strived to be like them and eventually better. I always tried to believe in myself and focus on all the positives. I can look at most situations and pull out positive things from it, I also dislike negative people. After that, I was fortunate enough to have some success in competitions and get sponsorship from some great companies. My current sponsors Mammut, La Sportiva, HRT Handholds, Skratch and Sanuk are the reason I can compete the whole year and travel.

EX: Any tips for novice climbers?

SM: First, start by getting a training partner or partners. There’s nothing better than having someone to help you achieve a goal. On the days you’re not so motivated, maybe they’ll boost your motivation. Second, make a training program with your partners. It can be as basic as “let’s go climbing Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.” Lastly, stick to your program and make sure you’re having fun. I absolutely love climbing, training, and competing. I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t a passion of mine, which is very important.

Sport: Survival

Hometown: Toronto, ON

Bio: Best known as the star and producer of the hit TV series Survivorman, Les Stroud is widely credited with creating an entire genre of television: “Survival TV.” Stroud is also recognized as the only person in the history of television to produce an internationally broadcast series entirely written, filmed and hosted solo. Beyond the small screen success, Stroud is a member of the prestigious Explorers Club and also the best-selling author of Survive—Essential Skills & Tactics To Get You Out Of Anywhere—Alive! and Will to Live, an advanced survival trainer for the Canadian Military Armed Forces and an accomplished musician to boot.

Explore Magazine: When did you first discover your passion for the outdoors?

Les Stroud: In my very young years, watching Jacques Cousteau and Tarzan movies — and this translated into building shelters out behind my cottage and sleeping on the bare rocks.

EX: What are your favourite items of outdoors gear?

LS: My canvas folding camp seat; my homemade wool “blanket coats;” my belt knife; my big canoe packs; my handmade paddle.

EX: Where is your favourite outdoor destination in Canada and why?

LS: Wabakimi Provincial Park [Ontario] — because I was fortunate enough to spend a whole year living out in the bush there and it is such a beautiful and remote place. There is nothing like it anywhere.

EX: Do you have a fitness and training regime?

LS: General [cardiovascular] exercise, including running — but I do it as interval training with push-ups and sit-ups and dips and chin-ups, as well as mountain biking.

EX: What do you feel is the most important element of your success?

LS: Persistence — coming to a hurdle I can’t go over and instead finding a way under or around it. Fear of mediocrity — I do not want to get to the end and find out what I did was mediocre. And passion, and then some more passion

EX: What are your three top survival tips for outdoors enthusiasts?

LS: 1. Stay calm.

2. Get a fire going immediately.

3. Remember that you can go an incredibly long time without food — so it is the least of your concerns.

Sport: Kayaking

Hometown: Oakville, ON

Bio: One of Canada’s most well-known Olympians, sprint kayaker Adam van Koeverden has won four Olympic medals — gold (2004), two silvers (2012 and 2008) and a bronze (2004) — and is a 22-time World Cup Champion and 67-time Canadian Champion. At the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, Van Koeverden was our country’s only double-medallist. In 2008, despite winning silver, he was given a Guiness Book World Record for the fastest 500 metres ever recorded in a canoe or kayak. In 2011, his World Championship victory was by a margin of more than three seconds. Suffice to say, this 31-year-old can paddle.

Explore Magazine: When did you first “discover” kayaking?

Adam van Kooeverden: I wasn’t much of an athlete growing up, I tried out for a lot of teams and different sports but didn’t find too much success in the early-indicator sports that tend to put young kids into categories like “future athlete.” I have some trouble with how we judge people like that, how a young “talent” will usually get more attention than other kids. It’s the reverse squeaky-wheel effect. It’s the fastest, strongest kid with the best ball skills that gets the grease. The squeaky kids usually just run cross-country. I ran cross-country and I still love it… I’m not knocking running at all.

So there was a recruiting ad in the local newspaper — The Oakville Beaver — the Burloak Canoe Club ran it in 1995 to get some new kids on the water. It read “Future Champions Wanted.” My mom called in advance to make sure that non-athletic kids were also invited. I think she had to convince me not to bring my acoustic guitar down to the club with me. I didn’t realize I was aimlessly wandering into a high performance training centre.

I suppose the aimlessness only lasted a day. The coaches down at Burloak (which included Olympic Champion Larry Cain, and my current coach, Scott Oldershaw) had me setting goals and planning my week’s training schedule around school, my jazz band commitments and the hair appointment that they scheduled for me (I had a Kurt Cobain-esque pony tail at the time, and they insisted that it come off).  It took a few months to become an athlete. Once that was done, I could start concentrating on becoming a kayaker.

EX: When did you start to take kayaking/paddling seriously — that is, when did you decide to “go pro?”

AK: That first day. I got a training schedule and a goal sheet. That’s not to say that I “went pro” on day one. I swam a lot on days 1-100, but I was taking it very seriously. I guess “pro” is up for interpretation when it comes to kayaking.  What’s that mean?  I’m still waiting for my million-dollar shoe deal…

EX: What’s your current favourite gear – kayak, paddle and any other item(s)?

AK: I race and train only in Nelo kayaks, which are made in Portugal, and [use] a Turbo Strength, paddle which Peter Patasi makes in Smiths Falls, ON.  He’s a Czechoslovakian immigrant, a tool and dye maker and a Canadian Olympian — he raced for Canada in Montreal in 1976.  He still paddles every day, and makes the best paddles in the world.

I wear Oakley eyewear on the water and Asics shoes and apparel to train in. I go through a lot of spandex, my shorts only last a few weeks, especially in saltwater; they look like swiss cheese after a few weeks of turning them inside out and backwards to find a seat without holes… But Asics is still the most durable.

EX: Where is your favourite place to paddle recreationally in Canada?

AK: Algonquin Park! It’s like my home course. I have a little cabin there, and it’s an awesome place to escape to for a few days. It’s water-access, so I need to paddle to get out there and back. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a sprint kayak, but there isn’t a lot of cargo space, so the gear-list is usually pretty minimal by necessity.

EX: Can you give me a quick rundown of your training regime?

AK: We’re out on the water 10 times a week, usually racking up close to 200 km. We do all sorts of paddling throughout the season, from marathon 25 to 30 km sessions, to 10 km time trials, intervals of every distance and length, to short maximal sprints of five to 10 strokes dragging some resistance like a few tennis balls around a bungee cord. A few tennis balls doesn’t sound like a ton of water-resistance but it makes a crazy difference. Milos [Raonic] sends me his leftover balls after he’s done crushing 300 km/hr serves.

I do a lot of cross training.  Everything from weight training, running, swimming, cross country skiing, boxing, cycling. I’d like to say outdoor hockey and snowboarding are also “cross training” but I suppose that’d be a stretch. When we’re really full-on training, my main leisure activities are gardening and reading since I can barely walk up the stairs without having a break halfway.

EX: What do you feel is the most important element (or elements) of your success?

AK: I think the most important thing in every endeavour is to enjoy every aspect of the process, and to find happiness and fulfilment in the mundanity of daily training. I approach my training and preparation as the real reward, and view the racing, medals and hopeful-successes as icing on the cake. I’ll always train and exercise, but one day I’ll have to give up the racing, so I’m glad that the element of this lifestyle that I truly find the most rewarding is the day-to-day stuff, the things I never have to give up.

EX: If you had three tips for the average paddler to improving his or her kayaking, what would they be?

AK: Kayaking is a technical sport. Think about what you’re trying to accomplish on the water, consider how Bernoulli would move a boat forward with a paddle, and watch some video of the best kayakers in the world. My first coach, Dean (my current coach’s, Scott, brother) used to say that I “couldn’t afford the luxury of an imperfect stroke,” since I wasn’t the strongest or fittest or biggest dude in a race. Maybe we should get “What Would Bernoulli Do?” (WWBD?) bracelets made for kayakers, since he’s the father of fluid dynamics and all. Let’s just not make ‘em yellow.