2. Be prepared. Proper equipment can make the difference between life and death in a critical situation — and the difference between comfort and misery.

3. Know how to read a map. Getting lost may make for a good Hollywood film, but in real life it can be terrifying.

4. Know how to paddle a canoe. You will spend a lot of energy crossing lakes if you can’t go in a straight line.

5. Learn about wild creatures, and not just the obvious ones such as bears and wolves. The ones that caused me the most grief were the cute little chipmunks which chew your pack, and the bloodsucking leeches.

6. Take lots of matches. And a saw. Maybe even a hatchet. And know how to build a fire. A fire goes a long way to making a camping trip an enjoyable experience, and you may have to build one in the rain.

7. Have an adventurous attitude. Pick a route that isn’t too hard and long, so you have some time to enjoy yourself, and forget about rigid schedules. However, you do need to maintain some kind of schedule to reach your next campsite before dark.

8. Invest in a decent, compact sleeping bag — mine is thermal and keeps me warm down to -10C (16F).

9. The cold and being outdoors all the time makes you want to urinate more. So don’t drink a lot before going to bed, unless you want a 3am wake-up call requiring a creepy trek outside in the dark.

10. Get the right insurance. Some holiday insurance precludes adventure activities, so check the small print on your policy and contact insurers to advise them of the sorts of things you will be doing.