Fishing
Fishing Trips spend the first two and a half days in the Dartmouth College Grant, a 27,000 acre wilderness area in northern New Hampshire. Due to the uncooperative nature of the fish, many students come away disappointed by their fruitless attempts to catch fish. The Grant does, however, provide ample opportunity for hiking and nature study in addition to open-reel fishing. We urge you to consider this activity in your choice of trip options. If you don't have your own rod, we can lend you one! You will be required to purchase a short-term fishing license for the state of New Hampshire (information on acquiring a license online provided below).
Packing List
The following list is a guideline on how you should pack. You might not be sure why we have included/excluded certain items, but trust us, we’ve done this before. Remember that all these items have to fit into your pack which you will be carrying. Pack what you need but don’t pack too much!
Remember that you’re only going away for 5 days. And yes, it’s an outdoor trip, so you won’t be looking your best. That’s okay, everyone else will be the same way! Think about what’s practical, not fashionable.
If you have any questions give us a call! 603-646-3996.
REQUIRED
- A NEW HAMPSHIRE FISHING LICENSE. Please see instructions below on how to acquire this online.You must buy the license on your own, bring it on your trips, and send us a copy. If this is a problem for you financially, let us know.
- A backpack or duffle
- Fishing rod (or fly rod if you prefer)
- Fishing tackle (reel, line, leader, lures, flies)
- Two pairs of shoes: Sneakers or sports sandals, one pair for fishing that may get wet and one pair for in camp.
- Sleeping bag (synthetic or down, not cotton or flannel lined, and packed in a stuffsack lined with a plastic bag)
- Foam sleeping pad or thermarest
- Wool sweater or fleece pullover
- Raincoat or poncho
- One pair long pants (wool or synthetic to insulate when wet -- NOT blue jeans or cotton sweatpants)
- 3 pairs of socks (preferably wool)
- 2 t-shirts and underwear
- 2 pairs hiking, biking or gym shorts
- Warm shirt (wool or synthetic material insulate when wet)
- Flashlight or headlamp with extra batteries
- Wool or fleece hat
- Gloves or mittens
- Bathing suit
- Small towel
- Plastic bowl and cup, spoon. We will be providing an outdoor knife/spork for you.
- 2 plastic water bottles (at least one liter each, not a small disposable water bottle)
- Sunscreen
- Insect Repellent
- 2 large plastic bags (one to cover your pack in the rain)
- Several smaller ziplock-style bags
- Toilet articles: toothbrush, small toothpaste. You don't need more than this! No razors, makeup, hairdryers, etc.
OPTIONAL
- LUNCH for the first day! You won't get dinner until 6pm on the day you arrive, so make sure you have food for when you are traveling to Hanover.
- bandanna, pocket knife, compass, camera, sunglasses, wind or rain pants, harmonica, etc.
PROVIDED BY US
cooking equipment, first aid kit, stove, and all other group gear.
NOT ALLOWED
firearms, private food, cd players, ipods, radios, TV sets, cellular phones, alcoholic beverages or non-medical drugs, homesickness, garden gnomes
NOTES
- Dartmouth Outdoor Rentals has several fishing rods available for use during DOC Trips. If you need one for your trip, please send an email to doctrips@dartmouth.edu with the subject "fishing rod rental" and we can reserve one for you—first come, first served.
- We do not have any fishing tackle, so please bring any fishing gear that you have; you can also purchase lures, flies and leaders up at the Grant where your trip takes place.
- If you are subject to allergic reactions (bee stings, peanuts, etc.), we ask that you acquire an epinephrine kit from your doctor, and if you have an athletic brace by all means do not forget to bring it along as well.
- The rivers and lakes of New Hampshire get quite chilly by September, and weather in New Hampshire is unpredictable. It can be quite hot during the day but it gets COLD at night. Even if you're roasting in your town's summer heat right now, prepare for some chilly nights on your trip by bringing warm, non-cotton clothes. If you bring the proper clothing, you will remain toasty warm, even while wet. Don't cut corners on things like hats, sunscreen and warm, non-cotton layers.
- The COTTON issue: You should avoid bringing cotton clothing as your warm clothing on the trail. Think about throwing your favorite cotton sweatshirt in cold water and then putting it on to keep warm – it's heavy and doesn't insulate. September is likely to be wet at least some of the time, and therefore you should provide for your own comfort and warmth by bringing a long-sleeved top and bottom layer that is not cotton. Any kind of synthetic material will work, as will wool. Don't be afraid to wear an old wool shirt or thermal underwear! Better to be wet and warm than wet and cold!
- Line your bag with a plastic trash bag and pack your clothes in plastic bags as well. In the event of rain you will be thrilled to have some dry clothes and a dry sleeping bag in camp.
- Remember, if you do not have the proper equipment, try borrowing it from a friend or check out your local Army/Navy surplus store. You don't need the top-of-the-line, Himalayan expedition-caliber gear; just make sure it's functional and relatively light. Much excellent wool and polyester can be had for next to nothing at Salvation Army and Goodwill.
- If you have gear questions, contact your local outdoor outfitter such as EMS or REI. Here are some websites that sell less expensive gear: Campmor, REI, Backcountry Store, Sierra Trading Post.
How to get a license:
*Do this as soon as you can. The sooner we have this on record, the better. It must be done before you get to Hanover.*
1. Go to https://www.greatlodge.com/cgi-bin/licenses/customer_options.cgi?st=NH&btype=&r=0.9492733443382491
2. Read the information!
3. Check if you have Adobe Acrobat Reader. If not, use the links at the bottom to get it (for free!)
4. Click "Purchase 2009 Fishing/Hunting Licenses - Expires 12/31/2009"
5. If you are a resident of New Hampshire click "Resident". If you are not, click "Non-Resident".
6. Fill out your information.
7. (Optional) Click "I do not want NHFG to share or use my name and address information for solicitation or commercial purposes."
8. Click "Continue."
9. Check what you entered and click "Continue."
10. Non-Residents: Choose the 3-day Fishing ($28). Use the chart below to determine your starting day. The time should be any time before noon. This will be less expensive than buying two one-day passes.
11. Residents: You will have to purchase TWO one-day passes ($10 each, $20 total). Use the chart below to see which days you should purchase it for.
12. Fill out your payment information. ONLY CLICK THE SUBMIT BUTTON ONCE! Otherwise you'll be charged twice!
13. When you receive your license, print it out and keep it for your records.
14. **Send us a copy of your license! This can be the digital copy, a fax, or a scanned image of the paper.** We need to have this on file!
15. Bring it with you to Hanover!
16. Do a little dance; you're one step closer to your DOC Trip.
If you have any questions about the process, give us a call! 603-646-3996
Non-Residents ................. Residents
Section C: Start 9/4/09 .... Purchase 9/4 and 9/5/2009
Section E: Start 9/6/09 .... Purchase 9/6 and 9/7/2009
Section H: Start 9/10/09 .... Purchase 9/10 and 9/11/2009
Gearing Up
We at DOC Trips know that it can sometimes be tough to get all the equipment you
need for your trip. If you haven’t been camping before, or just don’t own
equipment, it may be a burden to procure the backpack, sleeping bag, etc. for
your trip. And we at DOC Trips want to help you out!
Step 1 - Read:
Read your packing list to figure out what you need. You might not actually need
legit backpacking equipment for your trip (for instance, Cabin Campers will be
fine with just a duffel bag, and many hikers will be fine with well-worn tennis
shoes instead of brand-new hiking boots). Figure out what gear you already have.
Figure out what you need.
Step 2 - Ask:
Ask everyone you can to borrow equipment! Ask your parents, your neighbors, your
co-workers, fellow classmates, anyone! The best outdoor eqiupment is gear that’s
been used before. If you have really old-school stuff, so much the better!
You’ll just look that more hardcore.
Step 3 - Buy:
Go to your local Army surplus store, thrift store, rummage sale, or outdoor gear
store (EMS, Sierra Trading Post, etc.) and buy the things that you need. If you’re buying
something you’ll probably use only once, don’t spend lots of money. However, if
you’re buying something you’ll use in the future, it might make sense to invest
in the high-quality option (b/c you get what you pay for).
** IMPORTANT **
This is so critically important, every year tens to hundreds of trippees make
this mistake: Do NOT, repeat do NOT, bring brand-new hiking boots on your trip.
You WILL be miserable. If you are getting new hiking boots, buy them at least three
weeks in advance and wear them around on a daily basis to break them in. Brand
new boots will eat your feet alive, and you do not want that. Your Trip is about
fun, not blisters.
Step 4 - Email us:
If you are unable to find or buy gear, send us an e-mail with the subject line
’Gear request’ and a list of the gear you would like to borrow from us. We
provide the following items free of charge for use by students during their
trip.
- Sleeping bags
- Sleeping pads
- Frame packs
- Fishing rods
- Mountain bikes
Gear is not done on a first-come, first-served basis. Priority will be given
to students who are recieving financial aid. We do hope to be able to accomodate
all gear requests, but there is a chance demand will outstrip supply. If for
some reason we are not able to provide gear for you, we will notify you well in
advance to give you time to explore your options.
** Also pretty important **
Please be sure to try other resources (friends, family, goodwill, etc) BEFORE
applying for gear from us. Our gear is a BACKUP in case all else fails.
We ask that all gear requests be sent to us by August 15.
Questions?
Contact us, as always!
|
 |
