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Entry Point 66 - Crocodile River

Crocodile River entry point allows overnight paddle only. This entry point is supported by Gunflint Ranger Station near the city of Grand Marais, MN. The distance from ranger station to entry point is 26 miles. No trip option. Must spend all nights on Crocodile Lake. This area was affected by blowdown in 1999.

Number of Permits per Day: 1
Elevation: 1824 feet
Latitude: 48.0347
Longitude: -90.2731
Author Message Text
ryckiej
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07/02/2010 09:46PM
 
New Trip Report posted by ryckiej

Trip Name: My First BWCA.

Entry Point: 64

Click Here to View Trip Report
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Ralphthewonderllama
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07/02/2010 10:35PM
 
Nice trip. Wow! A solo as a first trip impresses me. Sounds like you did a good job. I still don't know if a solo would be my cup of tea.
Koda
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07/02/2010 10:47PM
 
Nice trip report! You should give yourself more poetic license; you have a flair for words. The comment about "Orb and Scepter" is striking.


I can TOTALLY identify with how you felt about bagging it. I've done quite a few 4-night trips (non-BW) that turned into 2- and 3-nighters. It takes a while to get comfortable with solo tripping and I hope you feel more confident now than before. I'd be interested to hear how your thoughts evolve in the next few weeks and months.


You wrote: "I don’t think solo is for me yet. I need a little more human contact until I get comfortable with the whole idea." I would suggest soloing is just the ticket, though not exclusively. A big part of solo tripping is learning that the emotional discomfort doesn't last. After you've done several 3-nighters you'll get the hang of it and if you're anything like me your confidence will pull you to longer trips. You had a couple of tough portages, so it's understandable that you'd be leery. Next time maybe try a route that has more paddling and shorter portages.


"I’m tempted to just go the other way and paddle off into the wilderness." Now you're talking!
mooseplums
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07/03/2010 08:10AM
 
Congrats on your first trip...let there be many more...nice report!

"I am haunted by waters"~Norman Maclean "A River Runs Through It"
bumabu
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07/03/2010 08:18AM
 
"nervous as a whore in church"


Never thought I would read that in a trip report ;)


The heebie Jeebies will get you, I only lasted one night on my first solo. Keep at it, it grows on you. Try a group solo maybe?

Who I am precedes what I do, not the other way around.
dring
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07/03/2010 09:16AM
 
Just finihed my first solo, and I know what you mean.


Nice report.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
fishguts
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07/03/2010 03:12PM
 
Thanks for the report, never been on a solo , so interested in your reactions,

fishguts
TomT
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07/03/2010 04:09PM
 
Ah yes, your thoughts bring back memories of my first two sols when I was in my twenties. Lots of nervousnes, second guessing and even paranoia. Luckily I kept at it and by my fourth solo I think I became a somewhat confident tripper.


Keep at it with groups and then try the solo thing again sometime. I think you will surprise yourself as you grow older and wiser.


Thanks for the report, I really enjoyed it.

"Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." --- George Bernard Shaw
campnscrap
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07/03/2010 09:07PM
 
I loved your report! And congrats on taking the chance and having your first trip ever be a solo - way to go!

THE EDGE, there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. - Hunter S. Thompson
sloughman
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07/05/2010 03:53PM
 
Pretty impressive: first BWCA trip a solo, and tackling the Canoe to Pine portage - that's a tough up-and-down portage.
Nice report.

"You guys might not know this, but I consider myself a bit of a loner. I tend to think of myself as a one-man wolf pack." - Alan Garner, The Hangover.
tremolo
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07/05/2010 05:38PM
 
Congrats on your trip. I could practically hear you talking aloud to the saw poking from your pack, at the fire not starting... I like your observation of the one dead tree that reminds us life doesnt go as planned sometimes. How true. And my favorite line of all:


"The last camper left their toilet paper and I got the idea that if I had my canoe paddle in one hand, the TP in the other hand, I’d have an Orb and Scepter while I sat on my throne and gave counsel to the woodland creatures."


Thanks for sharing.
ChazzTheGnome
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07/07/2010 07:55AM
 
nice report, my first solo will be this fall. i feel your concerns as i type.

"Every day on this side of the dirt is a good day." ~ My Grandpa
wawasee
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07/07/2010 09:21AM
 
Excellent trip report! Solo on the first trip, you aren't chicken!
ILikePike
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07/07/2010 10:43AM
 
great report! we were in that area 2 years ago. too bad you didnt get to see johnson falls, its a gourgeous site!

“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit” -Edward Abbey
alpine525
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07/07/2010 11:42AM
 
Congratulations on your solo trip! Hopefully you will return to the BWCA again and again.


Thanks for writing such a great trip report.

Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace. Dalai Lama
Kevlar
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07/10/2010 10:00PM
 
Congrats...a brave or foolish soul to do a first trip solo. I have never done a solo and don't think I will...I like somebody to talk to and share things with. I hope you can recruit a brother or somebody and so another, longer trip. More days, more chance for the weather to change. Enjoyed reading your report. Evaluate what the outfitter sent with you...useful or not, worked, or not. Then ask questions here, and get more ideas...and eventually, start to collect your own equipment. Maybe save a canoe for last, or rent, but you could buy a pack, tent, stove, cook kit, saw, tarp, etc.
SevenofNine
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07/19/2010 08:22PM
 
Thank you for a nice trip report. Your comments were very good and insightful too. A few more pictures next time!


I have solo tripped on numerous occasions. It is not for everyone but I find I like them and hate them at times! I too miss people or at least one traveling companion so getting lonely is part of the game.


I agree with Koda, you made a rather tough trip for yourself. Next time take an easier route with more paddling. You will be glad you did.


All in all I loved your trip report. Your comments were funny at times as well as insightful too. Thanks.

The best part of this journey here is further knowing yourself - Alan Kay
dicecupmaker
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07/20/2010 02:57AM
 
Way to go! You got a pair!! Took me 10 or 11 trips b/f I did my first solo. Great trip report. Very reflective and insightful.

Joy is a great teacher, but so is dispair. Wonder is a great teacher, but so is confusion. Hope is a great teacher, but so is disillusionment. And life is a great teacher, but so is death. To deny yourself any of those in any aspect is not experiencing life totally.
Corndog
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07/22/2010 05:03PM
 
Loved your report, I had my first solo trip month, and I wish we had done it together. I was scared too......

OMG "Corndogged again!" My all time favorite quote.
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