Hi, Ziggy.

I know a little about Cdn. shield and boreal forest country, though I don't pretend to be an expert. My primary experience is in the foothills and mountains of Alberta, which share similar features.

I think you have laid out an interesting project for yourself. (I've been on a few film sets myself, including -30 C on the ice of a Northern lake with a brisk wind -- now that's fresh.) If you do it right, you'll have a remarkable and memorable experience. If you do it wrong, as others have warned, you'll have a big mess.

I guess you've set yourself a pretty large psychological challenge as well. In fact, that's probably the biggest part of it. Otherwise, the bottom line (for any three-day tour) is: dress warmly, keep dry, boil your water, eat a bag of granola or GORP (good old raisins and peanuts), and don't chop any arteries.

And congratulations: you've done the right thing by admitting that "I don't know anything." That's the first step in acquiring meaningful knowledge. A lot of people try to fake their way through, macho style, and get into deep trouble as a result. The only way to "know it" is to "do it" -- and a big part of that is "doing" your homework.

You have a lot a research ahead of you. Don't skimp on it.

First, hit a good library. There are almost certainly books on survival techniques and local edible plants. Read them closely, and take them with you.

Next, pick up the phone and talk to forest rangers or park rangers that operate in the same general area. They can steer you toward an appropriate location, away from obvious dangers, and give you a rundown on active wildlife in the area. Since they'll be the first ones called out for search and rescue, you can bet they'll make every effort to help you avoid trouble.

For what it's worth, here's how I would set things up:
- Set up a nice, comfy base camp within sight of your vehicles ... tents with no-see-um netting, sleeping bags, clean water, spare clothing. Have food, but keep it in your vehicles. Keep your camp meticulously clean of any food-like smells to avoid wildlife surprises.
- Make sure somebody knows where you are and when you will be back. If cell phone coverage is available, make sure you have one.
- Set up your "survival camp/ film set" no more than an hours' walk from base camp (I think you're doing that already).
- Don't set up in a high-risk forest-fire zone. Take a spade along, and build your fire in a location where it can't possibly spread.
- If you can convince someone with experience to come along and hang out off camera, do it. You won't regret it.
- I suspect you'll find more "easy" food in and around water than anywhere else. Roasted cattail roots anyone?
- Don't eat anything unless you're triple-sure it's safe. This is not the place to play to the camera. Avoid mushrooms.

Last, be prepared for the most relentless, bloodthirsty predator in the area (neither bear, cougar, nor wolf): the black fly. Without DEET and headnets (and even with) they will make you intensely miserable, and possibly swollen/sick with their anticoagulant venom. Heed the old song: "... and the black fly, the little black fly, always the black fly, no matter where you go ... I'll die with the black fly a-pickin' my bones, in old Ontar-io-i-o, in old On-tar-i-o..."

I hope things go well. Be safe first and foremost.

Let us know how it goes.