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GORP is an acronym for "Good Old Raisins and Peanuts." Raisins and peanuts are cornerstone of GORP, but you can add anything you like. We like to add cashews and chocolate chips in the winter because they add fat and sugar, which we need to stay energized and warm. Sometimes we add dried fruit or eat it with a big ball of peanut butter. What would you add to your GORP recipe?

In our journals, we sometimes refer to eating GORP. Before each adventure, one of the greatest things is making up the batch of GORP.

This is a photo of our sleeping pad. Most nights we use two sleeping pads, one made of foam. The other sleeping pad is inflatable. The sleeping pads are used more for added warmth than for comfort. This pad is about a 1/2 inch thick and about 6 feet long.

This is a photo of our water bottle. We have to keep our water bottles inside these insulated covers in order to keep them from freezing while we travel. Each morning we fill up our water bottles and thermoses with boiling water. When we stop for lunch, it isn't un-common for the water inside to already have a thin layer of ice on it. The insulated cover can't keep the water from freezing, but slows down the process.

We have to be very careful to keep our bodies hydrated. When it's cold outside, you are less likely to become thirsty, even though your body needs more water. We try to drink at least three liters of water per day.

If you guessed Otter scat, then you are correct! This is a pile of otter scat, or droppings, that is filled with the exoskeleton, or hard outer shell of crayfish. advantageous Crayfish are aquatic invertebrates. They live in the water, and they do not have a back bone. Crayfish are Otters' favorite food. Otters eat crayfish all year long. The otters keep holes in the ice open all winter long so that they can dive under the ice to find food and escape from predators and hungry sled dogs like Lichen and Saylix!

The is a photo of a snowshoe's lacing. Traditionally snowshoes were laced with strips of animal hide. Today a nylon cord is usually used. It is very similar to a shoe string. After the snowshoe is laced several layers of varnish are applied. This gives it the glossy shine and tan color. The varnish also makes them waterproof. We use snowshoes to help us walk in the deep snow.

These are called Mukluks. They are traditionally made out of moose, or caribou hide. They are the traditional winter footwear of the Inuit, Cree, Ojibwe and other native people living in the far north. When the voyageurs came to the North they were introduced to mukluks and began wearing them as well. We wear Mukluks made from moose hide as well because they do such a good job at keeping our feet warm.

If you guessed that these are river otter tracks, then you are correct! River Otters are very playful critters, so playful that they even have a fun way of traveling around in the winter. They slide on their stomachs! You can see four paw prints in the snow,followed by a long slide where the otter slid on its belly. I have seen Otters run and slide, run and slide all the way across a lake. It sure looks like a fun way to travel! Otters are great swimmers and do not have any real predators in the water. However, if a wolf was able to catch an otter on a frozen lake, the wolf might have a tasty meal! Being able to slide on their stomachs helps otters move across frozen lakes and rivers quickly.

We really hope to see some of these playful animals.