Sierra Club  Woods & Wetlands Group Canoe the Upper Des Plaines Sign-Up
	For June, 2004

To sign up, send me an e-mail with answers to the questions below. When I've approved you for the outing, your initials will appear in the table below. To hold your reservation, print and fill out this liability waiver, and send it with the trip expense fee to:

Sierra Club Woods & Wetlands
PO Box 876
Grayslake, IL  60030

Application Questionnaire:

• General Contact Information
  • Home Phone #?
  • Cell Phone #?
  • How late may I call you?
  • Do you own a canoe at least 16 ft long?
  • Have you been on a Sierra Club outing?
  • What questions do you have?
• Interests
  • Outing participant?
  • Outing assistant?
  • Outing leader?
  • Outing conservation guide?
  • Learn basic paddling skills?
  • First-aid?
  • Other?
• Strength
• Can you climb stairs 2 at a time?
• Can you lift and carry 30-40 lb. (half of a 70 lb. canoe)?
• Can you do a pull-up?
• Endurance
  • How do you stay in shape?
  • Are you willing to paddle continuously for at least 15 minutes?
  • How far can you easily run?
• Skill
  • Can you swim?
  • Have you ever been in a canoe?
  • Do you know how to paddle stern?
  • Do you know how to bow-steer?
  • Have you paddled lakes? Rivers?
  • Have you had any first-aid training?

Trip Rules:

1. Be safe, happy, and inspired!
2. Stay with the group.
3. Be courteous to others.
4. Observe minimum impact practices.
5. No firearms, audio players, or pets.

Logistics:

• If the water is too swift, we'll call a cab to shuttle us back from the Independence Grove take-out.
• USGS Water Level and Flow at Russell Rd.
• USGS Water Level and Flow at Gurnee.  

Required Gear:

• River shoes that can be worn in the water. Low top old gym shoes are fine, but Tevas are not.
• Layered quick-drying (synthetic) clothes are recommended.
• A windbreaker.
• A set of "Dump clothes" in a dry bag. This is simply an extra set of clothes in case you get soaked for whatever reason. Avoid blue jeans, and other heavy cotton fabrics that will not dry out on the water. If you don't have a dry bag, bring a cloth bag lined with two plastic bags.
• Hat, sunglasses, eyeglasses strap, sunscreen, & lip balm.
• Bag Lunch. NO GLASS CONTAINERS.
• Water for use in the canoe (bottled-water bottle is fine).

Protocol:

• Stay within sight of a leader canoe.
• Keep yourself well hydrated, don't wait to drink until you are thirsty. Also protect yourself from the sun.
• Know and avoid poison ivy.
• There is no toilet at the put-in. I'll bring a compact portable toilet with privacy tent for the lunch spot.

Alternate Plans:

In case the weather turns sour, we'll meet at Independence Grove for a hike instead.

Travel:

Carpooling makes sense from an environmental, economic and social point of view. It is the participant's responsibility to make travel arrangements, and I encourage you to contact other participants.

When you send an e-mail with answers to the questions above, I'll put your initials in the table below. When you've mailed in the liability waiver and fee (write check to Sierra Club), I'll put an X in the "Applied" column, and when I've approved you for the outing, I'll put a number in the "Approved" Column.
 

	Paddlers	Contact	Applied	Approved	Notes
1	Evan C	ww-outings@illinois.sierraclub.org	X	1	Leader
2	DM
3	AC
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Updated 6/1/04

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