Hopefully I'll eventually get to doing a full "Trip Report" but wanted to share a few things and pics from my first solo which was last weekend Sat. to Tue.

I entered at South Kawishiwi River #32 with my dog Echo and did the Kawishiwi Triangle. I normally base camp with my wife/kids but wanted to move and tire myself out so I camped at 3 sites. I Didn't feel like fishing and only did a little from shore at camp which surprised me. I didn't have any night time heebie jeebies which I was worried about especially after the high anxiety I had to fight through on the drive up. Echo was awesome.... rode well in the canoe, only exited and entered the canoe on command, didn't make any noise, and the only time we ran into someone on a portage he sat and stayed while I walked past him to put down the canoe and he stayed out of their way. I had a wide range of temps/weather during the 4 days. Hot and close to 80 with a couple shirtless afternoons to a high in the 40's on a misty/cloudy day. One night's low was 59 and the other two were in the 30's. I love the wide range of fall weather and the low number of people tripping.

I loved my first solo and will do it again!

I knew you'd like it, ducks :). I'm glad you finally got it done, even if it was short. I know you've been planning on one for at least a couple of years. If you think you're hooked now, just wait until you can do at least a week ;). I'm looking forward to reading the full trip report.

Great mini report, can't wait to hear the rest. It looks Echo was an important part of the trip and was a great companion (kind of like having half a person there). Nice to hear you had good weather, your small water plan worked out.

It is interesting how your interests are different when solo. I found some of the same things, no desire to fish, more desire to get to bed early, meals were easier even with the same amount of cleanup.

Did you enjoy the paddling? I have to admit it was nice not having to answer questions about why we are turning toward that rock face or which side of the log are we going to land next to.

Welcome back.

Welcome to the club. The high anxiety is pretty normal. Once you get on the water it fades pretty fast. How did the boat work out? What would you do different next time...if anything?

Awesome Ducks, thanks for the mini report. Nice pictures !

Glad to hear it all went well Ducks! Funny how having along a pet takes the heebie jeebies away, it's like having a person to talk to in a sense.

Nice, I hope to do my first solo next year

Cool

Thank you!

boonie....... yes several years of "hoping" and I finally did it. I always ended up having someone else to go along. This time my wife said I should go by myself and she'd stay home and then we'll do a hotel getaway weekend in Nov :) 4 days is my normal trip length because of kids activities and the way my wife's work schedule goes. It's nice being fairly close so 2 or 3 shorter trips work better than 1 long one.

DeterminedOrange... Yes, I liked the small water. Once I was at camp each day I was content to kick back and relax and soak it all in. Didn't get bored at all. This was my first time doing freeze dried meals for supper and loved the simplicity and no clean up. It took a while to get used to the yak paddle but it worked out well. I did like paddling by myself a lot. I was asleep by 8:30 each night.

hobbydog......I really liked the SR Q16 for a first solo. Gave me lots of confidence and there was never a time I felt in danger of tipping. The next trip I want to try out a Bell Rockstar. I feel much more confident using one now that I have the first trip under my belt. The thing I want to do differently is tweak some gear. I would like a smaller tent (used our Taj 3) and a bear vault (used a 30 liter barrel) to eliminate some pack space and weight. Since I didn't know if I'd like soloing I didn't want to spend money on stuff for possibly 1 trip. It worked out well but smaller and lighter would obviously be better for a solo trip.

That is awesome! I've done that route solo a few moons ago and really liked it. Love the pics and Echo looks like the perfect canoe dog companion!

Congrats on your first solo Ducks! May there be many more to come. Sounds like Echo is the perfect canoe dog.

"half a person"

Yeah, the GOOD half!

What I want to know is how much talking you did.

Your enthusiasm for your first solo trip is definitely conveyed in your post. It also appears you had a great K9 companion in your dog Echo. I especially love the picture of him by the lone pine tree and the river outlet in the background.

Hans Solo

i think solo is what the BW is all about.you can pile on the gear and go out with canoe loads of guys and fish anywhere.
the tangle of rivers and lakes with so many island and bays to paddle around in is what canoe tripping is all about.

One of life's biggest pleasures is a great canoe dog. Sounds like a great time was had by both you and your dog. I had one black lab and she was always to warm in the canoe. She was always trying to get out of the sun. Your dog sounds like the perfect companion... the best thing you can do is reward him with another canoe trip. You picked a good place to go also.

nice looking lab. looks like you 2 had a great time. very nice pics.

thanks for the kind words everyone. Echo is a big part of our family. I did get a few comments from people on the trip what a good dog he is.

Moss Tent....... I didn't talk to myself much and I think having Echo helped with that. On exit day I found myself having a really hard time talking to people at the VNO and when I ate at Brittons. It was like I didn't know how to talk and it hurt my brain. When I got home I couldn't keep up with all of the info coming at me from my wife and kids :) It took a full day to adjust back into life.

I'll bet you were glad to get back to your TV shows though - weren't you, ducks?

BTW, thanks for the previous advice on Nelson's Travelers Rest. I stayed there after my trip. Very nice, clean, and comfortable. Very reasonable price. Owners were very nice and helpful.

quote boonie: "I'll bet you were glad to get back to your TV shows though - weren't you, ducks?


BTW, thanks for the previous advice on Nelson's Travelers Rest. I stayed there after my trip. Very nice, clean, and comfortable. Very reasonable price. Owners were very nice and helpful."

I'm glad you enjoyed the Nelsons. They are good people. We've enjoyed them and their clean and quiet place many times. The whole family is spending 3 nights there in a couple of weeks. Can't wait!

Tell them hello and thanks from me.

Glad you had a great trip but I agree that you weren't really alone with such a fine companion. Looks like a great way to go.

Very interesting to hear that you loved it so much. You do such a good job of getting kids and family out there, it's interesting you weren't longing to show them everything along the way.

Yes, I'm projecting, 'cause that's my rationale for me. I can't seem to imagine enjoying solo as long as there's a child to drag along. Based on your experience, maybe it wouldn't be that way in real life...

GLAD GLAD GLAD you had fun and recharged. Hope you enjoy your hotel trip too.

quote boonie: "Tell them hello and thanks from me."

will do!

quote BWPaddler: "Very interesting to hear that you loved it so much. You do such a good job of getting kids and family out there, it's interesting you weren't longing to show them everything along the way.


Yes, I'm projecting, 'cause that's my rationale for me. I can't seem to imagine enjoying solo as long as there's a child to drag along. Based on your experience, maybe it wouldn't be that way in real life...


GLAD GLAD GLAD you had fun and recharged. Hope you enjoy your hotel trip too."

Funny you say that because I was worried about that happening. Last summer when my planned solo turned into me bringing a coworker that "needed" a trip I spent a lot of time thinking "watching these moose would be more enjoyable with my wife and/or kids" as well as the other cool things that happened on that trip. Maybe I was able to let go of that because my wife told me that I needed this solo and to go do it.

Glad it worked out with just pure enjoyment. How was your re-entry?