Plan a River Trip like a Pro

So youve decided to organize a multi-day river trip with some friends. Youve all decided what stretch of river youll be doing. So whats next? The key to any successful river trip is in the pre-trip planning. The more you can do ahead of time, the smoother the trip will go, and the more time you will have in camp to explore or relax. After all, this is why you are going on the trip.

There are lots of aspects to the pre-planning. And since you are going with a group of friends, not a guide service someone has to do the job of the guide service. However, this doesnt mean that one person needs to be saddled with the whole job. Instead use the strengths of group and divide and conquer. Pick one or two people with the most familiarity or the most experience to be your group leaders. These people are then responsible for planning the trip itself. They are responsible for getting the maps, planning put ins and take outs, transportation, campsites, number of miles traveled per day, etc. They need to make sure you have all the permits necessary for using land along the rivers edge. The trip leaders also need to check on current river conditions, especially any rapids. Its always a good idea to contact state and federal agencies that manage land along the river corridor. They often have free maps and information for the public. Theyll need to check wi!

th any private land owners as well. Local knowledge is also very valuable. Local outfitters will have the most current information on river conditions, and will know land ownership along the river.

You will need a gear coordinator. Someone in the group needs to take charge of getting together a list of what gear the group has collectively, and make sure you have everything you need without over doing it! The gear coordinator needs to make sure there are enough boats for the group size as well as personal floatation devices for all. Camp equipment should include the camp kitchen, tents, group shelters etc. Some river trips require you to pack out all human waste, so a camp latrine will be part of your gear list. Safety equipment is a must and should include throw bags, bow lines, and hardware such as carabineers at a minimum. There should be a good first aid kit in at least one of the boats and some sort of communication device (i.e. VHF radio, cell phone, sat phone, etc.).

There should be a safety coordinator in the group as well. This person will work with the gear coordinator to make sure the safety equipment is in working order and that at least a couple of people in the group know how to use it. If only one person knows how to use rescue throw bags and that person is the one needing to be rescued, youre in trouble. The safety coordinator will also develop standard hand or whistle signals so that you can communicate quickly between boats. This really needs to be established before the trip begins, not when youre in the middle of the big rapids and voices are lost in the roar of the river.

And finally youll want a camp chef. This person is not necessarily in charge of all the cooking. Rather they are in charge of planning the menu, buying food, and packing it for the trip. They are also in charge of developing the sign up sheet for kitchen duties. The camp chef will poll the group for food likes and dislikes, food allergies and any budget concerns. Also there may be some members of your group that have food to donate to the trip. Once the information is gathered the chef can plan a menu that will work well on the river. The chef should come up with an estimated budget and present it to the group before finalizing the menu.

Packing food is really important, especially in warm weather when spoilage is a concern. Pack one cooler for each day on the river with dinner on the bottom and breakfast on top of the cooler. The most perishable foods should be used first, and the least perishable foods used toward the end of a trip. Each cooler should be labeled and sealed. Let the group know that it is taboo to open any cooler before the day it is labeled for. This will insure that the cold stays in as long as possible. You should pack lunch coolers separately. Lunch coolers will contain 2-3 days worth of lunches as well as snack foods while on the river. Also, when packing the coolers into rafts, try to keep the lunch coolers accessible. You dont want to have to unpack the whole boat when you stop for lunch.

With a little pre-planning and division of labor you can plan a trip that you and your friends will remember for a lifetime. Youll be talking about the river trip for years!

Alaska River Expeditions and specializes in Alaska Vacation, Lodging and Vacation Packages in Cordova Alaska.

Robin Irving is a naturalist, environmental educator and co-owner of Alaska River Expeditions which has specialized in 1 to 10-day multi-sport eco-adventures, and wilderness voyages. They are based in Cordova, Alaska, located only 3 hours south of Anchorage by scenic ferry ride. She enjoys sharing information about great eco-tour destinations especially in Alaska. For free Alaska Nature Adventures newsletter with tips and Alaska travel specials, go to: http://www.alaskarfters.com

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Yoga as an Aid to Bust Stress

stress is a physical and psychological condition that demands more from the body. Under these conditions a variety of changes happen in the body the increases the hormonal reactions to meet that demanding situation. A stress busting therapy should be able to cope up with the physical and the psychological needs of our body.

yoga is the best remedy for beating stress in your daily life. yoga has a lot of postures, breathing exercises and meditation that helps you to beat stress from your daily life. Lot of asanas are available in yoga for reducing stress. You can use these asanas to deal with stress. yoga promotes self-awareness and during the process it helps you to deal with stress in your day to day life.

It was practiced traditionally in the eastern countries and now it is picking up in the western countries. Understanding the benefits of yoga, now many companies are sponsoring yoga courses for their employees. The workers who are practicing yoga are more relaxed and hence their productivity is increased. Moreover they are more healthy and creative. This has driven more and more companies to go after yoga for their employees.

The techniques in yoga that are used to relieve stress include controlled breathing, physical movement, stretching, mental imagery, and meditation. Combining all these in the yoga practices enables the person who is practicing it to beat stress. With regular practice of yoga you can unite your mind, body, and spirit. Although it is used in the earlier days for spiritual transformation, now you can use it to beat stress and have a good physical being.

There are many benefits of practicing yoga. Some of the benefits are reduced stress, cure from diseases, lowering the blood pressure, spiritual growth, sense of well being, reduced anxiety, increased flexibility & strength, relieved asthma and allergy symptoms, slowed aging process and sound sleep. It is sure that you get more benefit than the effort that you put in practicing yoga.

In practicing yoga there are poses that serve in the form of exercises and there are poses that are done for purely spiritual purposes. The poses can be done faster in some exercises, while in some they are done slowly with a breathing process in them. Both the types have their own benefits. Among the numerous benefits that you get out of yoga stress relief is just one.

You need to spend some time daily or on alternate days to practice yoga. You have to do them properly and for that it is better to learn yoga from a master who is good in yoga. Although it can be practiced on your own, we may not be sure about the correctness of the poses that we do. Hence initially it is better to learn from a master and then practice it at home when you find some time. Some people may have physical limitations to do some poses. Regular practice of yoga gives you an psychological edge over others who are not practicing it.

There are pill and herbs available in the market that are used for stress reduction in a person. Although you can go for this option, yoga is the best method as it gives you other benefits when you do stretching exercises, breathing exercises, meditation and guided imagery. Moreover practicing yoga requires commitment and effort to do it regularly and to get the benefits out of it.

You can do yoga after a hectic day at office or after a busy weekend. This would relax you and relieve you off your pain. There are different kinds of poses in yoga that can be used to relax you. You can perform a simple search in the internet to locate the websites that give you information on the different poses that are used for stress reduction.

Books and videos for reducing stress through yoga are also available in the market. You can make use of these and practice yoga postures that are given in it. It is always better to find a teacher who can teach you the poses properly. You can find out a yoga studio in your locality using the internet. There are many sites that lists down the courses offered at different locations. You can use these websites to find out one that is near your locality.

To learn more about various yoga exercises and to stay fit visit simple yoga exercises to stay fit. Signup now at yoga beginners guide and get your free copy of the best selling ebook titled "A Beginner's Guide to yoga".

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Top 5 Natural Ways To Reduce Your Blood Pressure

1. Try yoga: yoga is a great way to reduce stress, which contributes to high blood pressure. But there are some poses in particular recommended for those wanting to level out their blood pressure. These include:

* forward bends like virasana and upavista konasana, which are both sitting postures
* horizontal asanas which allow the heart beat to slow down when they are practised slowly and rhythmically
* asanas like uttanasana and adhomukha savasana

2. Regular exercise: It doesn't have to be yoga. Any regular exercise like walking, biking or gardening is great for lowering blood pressure. Your physician will be able to give you an exercise plan that suits your heart condition and physical fitness levels. It's important not to overdo it too quickly. tai chi is actually an excellent way to reduce blood pressure. Like yoga, it is relaxing, rhythmical, a stress reducer, and has great benefit on the nervous and parasympathetic systems within the body.

Having a regular exercise program may even reduce your need for blood pressure medication.

3. Eat more bananas! Bananas are high in potassium, which is great for reducing high blood pressure. Other dietary improvements include eating more fruit and vegetables generally. Studies have found 8 servings of fruit and vegetables daily to be preferable, with these having a particular benefit for cardiovascular health:

* Lettuce
* spinach
* cauliflower
* cabbage
* broccoli
* swiss chard
* citrus fruits

And when these changes are combined with exercise, there are more significant improvements in blood pressure.

4. Make sure you get your folic acid: A study by the Harvard Medical school looked at the benefits of folic acid on blood pressure, and found it to be highly beneficial, particularly amongst younger women. It seemed to have a protective effect against high blood pressure. Younger women who took at least 1mg of folic acid a day lowered their risk of hypertension by 46%. Older women who had reasonable amounts of folic acid daily lowered their risk by 18%. The study was conducted on 156,000 nurses, 19,720 of whom had high blood pressure.

5. Blessed chocolate: Dark chocolate, and foods and supplements that had high levels of cocoa including chocolate confectionary, cocoa sandwich filling and drinks, have been found to be associated with a lower blood pressure and reduced risk of dying from any cause in a small study conducted on 470 elderly men (they were on average 72 7ears old). The study followed them for 15 years, and those that ate more than 2.3 grams of cocoa a day had lower blood pressure than those that didn't. Researchers believe it is the flavanol component of cocoa that provides this beneficial effect.

Before thinking this is a green light to eat lots of chocolate, you'll need about 100 grams of dark chocolate a day to get the blood pressure benefits. That equates to an extra 500 calories per 100 grams, with an average fat content of 30%. Raw cocoa is not well taken by people when it is eaten in large amounts. The calorie and fat considerations need to be taken into account, although there are some chocolate bars out there that have a higher flavanol content.

For high blood pressure herbs, check this article. For other articles on blood pressure, click here. Submit health articles here.

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