BWCA Just Completed My 40th Solo Trip Boundary Waters Quetico Forum
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      Just Completed My 40th Solo Trip     

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09/29/2016 03:06PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
I already posted this in the solo group but I thought I would post it here as well.

I just completed my 40th solo canoe trip: 38 in Quetico and 2 in Woodland Caribou.
I have done 18 - 3 week trips and 22- two week trips. Since I didn't discover Quetico until I was 30 I am quite pleased with this accomplishment.

Over the years I have had nearly everything happen at least once including getting lost, going the wrong way, seeing moose & bear, being landlocked, flooded or frozen, mosquitoed, blacked flied and ticked to distraction, squirrelled or moused to death, beaver scares, weird noises at night, no stove or toilet paper, wrong equipment, dumping the canoe, crashing into rocks by wind, failing to stay afloat when running beaver dams, running out of water in creeks, head first falls into muskeg, getting stuck in bogs, broken fishing equipment, and finally cuts, bruises and more serious injuries (but nothing to stop me).

But more than offsetting these difficulties are seeing the most beautiful unspoiled wilderness in North America, exploring new lakes and portages, fishing for great game fish, observing nature at its best, watching spectacular sun rises and sunsets, enjoying your accomplishments of moving through water, over portages & setting up a good camp, capturing the delight of a crackling campfire at dusk & learning new skills and problem solving.

I guess what I have learned over the years is to know exactly where all your equipment is packed, have a plan but be flexible, roll with the punches and laugh at your miscues, incorporate technology for work and pleasure and
finally when in doubt be safe and have a safety net.

I have included links to photos from my past few trips:

Google Photo Links

Quetico:

Quetico August 2016

Quetico August 2015

Quetico Spring 2015

Quetico August 2014

Quetico Spring 2014

Quetico Summer 2013

Quetico Spring 2013

Woodland Caribou:

Woodland Caribou Spring 2012

Woodland Caribou Spring 2011
 
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09/29/2016 05:06PM  
looking forward to opening your links. thanks for your words of wisdom after many trips. your synopsis seems like it should be common sense, right?
carmike
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09/29/2016 08:56PM  
Congratulations.
Lailoken
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09/30/2016 11:26AM  
Awesome! I'm doing my second, 15 days 2nd half of October.
Old Hoosier
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09/30/2016 04:04PM  
Congrats on a major milestone! Glad to know at least of one guy who admits all his errors, mistakes and predicaments while paddling. While few are humble enough to admit, we all know in our hearts that "good judgment" springs up from a lifetime of "bad judgment" that eventually changes our behavior. Unfortunately, many travel a lifetime of "bad judgment" that never changes them at all (sad.)

Old Hoosier

Jackfish
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09/30/2016 09:51PM  
John, great pics from your trips! I'd like to do just ONE solo trip and you've done forty of them. And two to three weeks long. That's awesome. Congratulations!
I
You're in Calgary, AB? The possibility exists where I may head up to Calgary for a business call at some point this winter or spring. If you have the opportunity to get together to talk canoeing, I'll buy the beverages. :)

p.s. I hope you don't mind, but I edited your post and used the Add a Link to this Message function so all your photo albums are now hot-linked.
OldGreyGoose
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10/02/2016 04:57PM  
Congrats John! Great following you via your pictures. Keep on paddling! --Goose
mkdixon
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10/02/2016 06:31PM  
Ha! I was at your same campsite on McDougall the night after you were there. The smallmouth fishing was phenomenal. Thanks for leaving firewood by the way. Looks like you traveled through Russell on 9/3, which means we were on that lake at the same time. Did you see another solo boat on Russell? I was alone in a solo cedar strip boat, but I didn't see you. It was windy as hell during that time. Mark
10/02/2016 10:35PM  
Picking up on Mocha and Old Hoosier, common sense seems only learned at the school of hard knocks. Forty trips, I am in awe and would love the opportunity to buy a beverage and hear a story.
10/03/2016 01:50PM  
I would love to meet you and talk canoeing. Here is my email address: john.larway@gmail.com. Get in touch if you are coming.

Thanks for fixing the links.
10/03/2016 01:52PM  
Mark

I went down to falls in the morning to walleye fish. But it was so windy I eventually stopped and fought my way back to my island campsite. I do recall seeing a canoe fighting its way across the south end of the lake heading toward the portage and then I lost sight of it. The MacDougall campsite was wonderful with great swimming. But there were a lot of weird noises on the point across from it so I kept my eyes open.

John
 
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