New Trip Report posted by treehorn

Trip Name: 40 Years Celebrated by 4-Nights Solo.

Entry Point: 44

Click Here to View Trip Report

Nice report, treehorn. It's good to know you had a pretty good trip; too bad you didn't have a little better luck with weather. And got in and out of all those rocky landings without falling in :). Sometimes a challenge solo. Only time I ever did it was an easy one - over confidence, complacency, empty canoe too ;).

Sounds like your trip was a success, treehorn. Congrats!
You took some beautiful pictures too, very nice.

I did the Little Trout to Misquah portage with just a day pack both ways just to say I did it and it was a real bear.

Chicago area myself. Heading up to Rockwood on 8/4 and planning to base camp on Gaskin.

My condolences on the loss of your brother.

boonie: "Nice report, treehorn. It's good to know you had a pretty good trip; too bad you didn't have a little better luck with weather. And got in and out of all those rocky landings without falling in :). Sometimes a challenge solo. Only time I ever did it was an easy one - over confidence, complacency, empty canoe too ;). "

Thanks Boonie...the weather was bummer at times but in between those times I did get some awesome weather - you can see the sunsets were amazing. I shouldn't complain, it's all part of the deal.

OldTripper: "Sounds like your trip was a success, treehorn. Congrats!
You took some beautiful pictures too, very nice."

Thanks!

scramble4a5: "I did the Little Trout to Misquah portage with just a day pack both ways just to say I did it and it was a real bear.


Chicago area myself. Heading up to Rockwood on 8/4 and planning to base camp on Gaskin.


My condolences on the loss of your brother."

Thanks, enjoy your trip!

Yes, I did enjoy the sunset pictures and the others as well.

Seems you savored every bit of that trip. Good for you! I enjoyed the well-composted read. Thanks for sharing.

I've been waiting for this one......... great report and thanks for sharing. So glad to hear you had a good trip.

There were a lot of similarities between your trip and my solo from Morgan EP and out Lizz. Carl dropped me off at the EP and I paddled back to Rockwood. I had planned on going to Omega but when I got to Horseshoe it was completely empty and decided why pass through a great lake when I had it to myself and I camped at the same site as you. I also spent 2 nights there because I liked it so much. I did the same daytrip as you but opposite direction and was fortunate to see a wolf swimming in Horseshoe near the Gaskin portage. My last night I stayed at the same site on Caribou as you and saw 3 moose when I was checking out other sites. I got back to Rockwood about 8:00 and Mike and Carl were shocked to see me so early.... I needed to get home in time to coach my daughter's soccer game.

I did my 1st solo at age 43 and have now done 5. I did my 1st one just to see if I could do it and fell in love with solo tripping. Are you going to do it again?

mjmkjun: "Seems you savored every bit of that trip. Good for you! I enjoyed the well-composted read. Thanks for sharing. "

I sure did...thanks for reading!

ducks: "I've been waiting for this one......... great report and thanks for sharing. So glad to hear you had a good trip.


There were a lot of similarities between your trip and my solo from Morgan EP and out Lizz. Carl dropped me off at the EP and I paddled back to Rockwood. I had planned on going to Omega but when I got to Horseshoe it was completely empty and decided why pass through a great lake when I had it to myself and I camped at the same site as you. I also spent 2 nights there because I liked it so much. I did the same daytrip as you but opposite direction and was fortunate to see a wolf swimming in Horseshoe near the Gaskin portage. My last night I stayed at the same site on Caribou as you and saw 3 moose when I was checking out other sites. I got back to Rockwood about 8:00 and Mike and Carl were shocked to see me so early.... I needed to get home in time to coach my daughter's soccer game.


I did my 1st solo at age 43 and have now done 5. I did my 1st one just to see if I could do it and fell in love with solo tripping. Are you going to do it again?"

Wow, kinda eerie we stayed at the same sites and did the same day trip...

As far as doing it again...I am certainly open to the possibility and *would* do it again for sure. But do I see it happening anytime soon or on an annual basis...probably not. There's just not enough opportunity for me to get away like that. It's a big ask for me to just leave the family and all responsibilities for a minimum of 4-5 days (I've got a day of driving on either end of any trip). I've got a standing annual trip with my buddies that I don't want to give up, and if I do add a second or third trip on any given year, I should probably start bringing my kids, and I know some other people that have expressed interest in going with. And that's not a bad thing - I think I prefer the company of others. I don't regret the solo for a second, but it's not something I'm going to try to move mountains to make happen. Some day when the stars align I'll probably do it again.

Thanks for sharing. Well written trip report. I will try to remember your info about the landings on the eastern part of your trip. I have done poplar to vista before. Those landings weren't great either. Too bad rain up a damper on your adventure some. I am guessing it would have been more enjoyable had it been a little dryer. Maybe next time!

Yes...... prioritizing the trips is difficult. I've been at 2 trips per year the last few years and my top 2 are daddy/daughter and solo. If I ever have to pick just 1 trip for the year it will definitely be my daddy/daughter trip. That one is the "non-negotiable" and absolutely needs to happen.

There is nothing better than spending time in the bwca with your kids!!!!

Awesome trip report. We love that area. It's been years since I've walked the portage from Misquah to Little Trout. The 5 star campground on Gaskin is one of our favorites! My son and I will be heading in on August 11th - our 19th consecutive trip together (our first was when he was 7). Back then, I did most of the work. Now, he does most of the grunt work. Rockwood is one of the finest outfitters. Carl and Mike know how to do it right. We'll be heading to Canoe Lake thru Bearskin - gotta swim at Johnson Falls another time!

BigTim: "Awesome trip report. We love that area. It's been years since I've walked the portage from Misquah to Little Trout. The 5 star campground on Gaskin is one of our favorites! My son and I will be heading in on August 11th - our 19th consecutive trip together (our first was when he was 7). Back then, I did most of the work. Now, he does most of the grunt work. Rockwood is one of the finest outfitters. Carl and Mike know how to do it right. We'll be heading to Canoe Lake thru Bearskin - gotta swim at Johnson Falls another time!
"

Nice, have a great time!

Great report of a great area!

I enjoyed following along on your adventure. Sounds like you were able to adjust just fine right throughout. Glad you were able to catch a few fish towards the end. Even though it's not absolutely necessary for having a great trip, catching a few fish always seems to make the trip more worthwhile for me as well.

Also, it was nice to see a different perspective on an area we recently visited.

Thanks for taking the time to share your story and photos.

Very nice report. Thank you for sharing. I wish I was able to spend more time in the BWCA, but at least the good reads make up for some of it. Thanks again.

Happy Paddling!!!