1 -- bike -- 25-30 miles at a time, looking for hills. the years I've been able to do that a few times a week was the easiest Quetico trip ever.

2 -- walk -- lots of it. Closer to trip I throw 30 to 50 lbs. in pack. If walking along roads, I step up and down on curbs, small walls and obstacles. And I try to walk in uneven grass to strengthen ankles.

3 -- paddle -- this is going to sound really stupid, but for me it works. I have an in-ground pool. In the months leading up to the fall trip, I stand in the shallow end with a plastic paddle (no, not my good Bending Branches), and I paddle. Hard. Fast. Deep. Until ... I ... can't ... lift ... my ... arms.

Then, thoroughly whipped, I do some "resistance" type stuff (submerge paddle completely, horizontal to ground, and with two-handed grip try to "swing" it through water like a baseball bat).

Again, it looks stupid. But it kicks my asskey, so I don't give a hairy rat's butt what the neighbors think. Besides, I usually paddle in the wee hours of the night, when it's a bit chilly, so on top of solitude I get to mentally prepare myself for paddling while cold.

Oh, and I've been known to put my canoe on my shoulders (the heavy aluminum one, not the Wenonah) and step up on bench and top of picnic table and down again, over and over. Helps quads and back.

Looks stupid. My kids laugh. Who cares.

-- kypaddler