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       Trip Report - June 2021 Solo to Adams
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Date/Time: 03/28/2024 11:18AM
Trip Report - June 2021 Solo to Adams

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Previous Messages:
Author Message Text
Go Blue 08/16/2023 10:37AM
Thank you for your kind words.


I totally understand the joy you get from taking someone new. I took my dad (75) and daughter (11), first time for both. There was a unique joy in watching others, particularly loved ones, figuring out what BWCA is all about. I am working on that trip report right now.


Hope you are having a good paddling season. Better late than never!
Bushman 07/17/2023 11:25AM
Lovely trip report.
Your prose had me taking a deep breath and instantly relaxing, even here at work!


I've never soloed mainly because I haven't felt the need to. I think soloing should be an adventure of soul seeking and discovery not just another bucket list item to be checked off.


I am only on my 6th year of BWCA. Unfortunately for me I discovered this far too late in life. I get depressed sometimes when I think about all of the joys I could have had all these years.


I love sharing my experiences with at least one other person and not much can top the look of wonderment in their eyes as they paddle across the first lake or down the first stream. It can only be seconded by the enormous grin.


On July 24th I am taking another newbie with me. Perhaps I am the greedy one who feeds off the joys and surprises of others. I'll take it. I love canoe camping and the beauty it contains.
I too am from Michigan...Go Blue!
GoBlue 07/06/2023 04:38PM
Yeti -


Your initial words were definitely thanks enough! I do really appreciate your recent thoughts. And I find it very moving that my words have meant so much to you. Robert Frost wrote "no tears in the writer, no tears in the reader." To me, that has always captured the connection between a writer and a reader. I can't "give" you this reaction. It is a combination of your lived experiences and obviously reflective personality with my words. Any writer would deeply appreciate your comments and the way you have made meaning of my thoughts.


Hope you are getting a chance to paddle and enjoy the summer!
YetiJedi 07/05/2023 03:05PM
GoBlue: "YetiJedi: "I enjoyed the trip report, GoBlue. Well written. In addition to some of the comments others have highlighted, I appreciated your mention of America's birthday on the 4th of July. The BWCA is a great place to reflect on the freedoms we enjoy. Glad you had a successful and rewarding trip - thank you for sharing your report."



YetiJedi,



It is easy to feel grateful in the BWCAW. It is easy for me to forget how lucky I am everyday. Hope you have a good season, and thank you for your thoughtful comments. "



Just re-reading your trip report after it resurfaced on the main discussion thread...my comments were woefully inadequate. Yours was an exceptional report.


I deeply appreciate the reflective commentary on your experiences. From the successes of a giant fish on your last morning to the failed mosquito net system leading to a night of misery, your insights invoked strong memories of my own experiences in the wilderness. Well, at least the desire to catch big fish since I haven't actually caught a big one yet!


Your spiritual testimony inspired my own faith in God to grow. Thank you for talking about the peace you found as well as the doubt you conquered after the sleepless night and dumping your canoe. I liked the descriptions of the lakes and portages and your reverence and respect for the natural world. Some very nice photos were an excellent touch and reminded me of the inner emotions stirred by memories of my own trips.


As a dad, I also related to your thoughts about family. Although perhaps not your intention, I did liken your comment, "the rock smoothed by an eternity of life rushing to its next home", to my rushing to attend to the competing priorities in my own life, sometimes neglecting what truly matters to me. The buffetings we suffer either by bad choices, bad luck, or part of existence...are simply elements of life. Your thoughts re-invigorated me to be more patient, humble, grateful, and kind which matters most especially during the chaos. Hopefully, the tough times will polish my rough edges into something Sigurd Olson would agree is a good life worthy of reward. If not, perhaps all I really desire is for those I love the most to be blessed.


"Thank you for sharing your trip" seems inadequate to me now but I do mean it more than I did last time. :)
Spartan2 05/10/2022 11:46AM
A remarkable trip report. You took me back to the days when we were on these lakes and portages, when we would go for a couple days without seeing another person, when time and day were unimportant to us, and only the place mattered. Even after many years, the memories of those times are still clear and fresh, especially when someone describes it so eloquently.


Thank you for sharing the memories of your solo trip, and for your beautiful photos.


OldTripper 05/07/2022 02:06PM
Just finished your trip report. That was a great read!!! I really enjoyed your style of writing.
There was a thread here recently about what should go into a good trip report. I think you nailed it! Well done, sir!
GoBlue 05/06/2022 08:54AM
YetiJedi: "I enjoyed the trip report, GoBlue. Well written. In addition to some of the comments others have highlighted, I appreciated your mention of America's birthday on the 4th of July. The BWCA is a great place to reflect on the freedoms we enjoy. Glad you had a successful and rewarding trip - thank you for sharing your report."


YetiJedi,


It is easy to feel grateful in the BWCAW. It is easy for me to forget how lucky I am everyday. Hope you have a good season, and thank you for your thoughtful comments.
GoBlue 05/06/2022 08:53AM
KungPowKing: "That was a great read. I am headed to that area in a month and reading about your trip has me fired up."


Reading your comment has me jealous!


I am hopefully headed into Skipper on the 17th. I am looking forward to a new area, but it will be measured against that great trip into Adams.


Happy paddling!
GoBlue 05/06/2022 08:52AM
AceAceAce: "Excellent trip report! I really enjoyed it. I've done three solo's now myself and felt every word of the bittersweet agony of the trip. "


Ace,


"Bittersweet agony" says it all!
GoBlue 05/06/2022 08:51AM
straighthairedcurly: "Fabulous, just fabulous. This is an area I have only partially explored and your trip report made me want to get back there soon. Great combo of info and philosophy. Thanks for taking the time to put together such an enjoyable read."


SHC - thanks! I have enjoyed your reports and solo thoughts often. It is a great area. I am hoping to get my dad, who is 75, back there this summer. Here is to a good season!
YetiJedi 05/05/2022 09:54PM
I enjoyed the trip report, GoBlue. Well written. In addition to some of the comments others have highlighted, I appreciated your mention of America's birthday on the 4th of July. The BWCA is a great place to reflect on the freedoms we enjoy. Glad you had a successful and rewarding trip - thank you for sharing your report.
KungPowKing 05/05/2022 07:58PM
That was a great read. I am headed to that area in a month and reading about your trip has me fired up.
AceAceAce 01/10/2022 09:41PM
Excellent trip report! I really enjoyed it. I've done three solo's now myself and felt every word of the bittersweet agony of the trip.
straighthairedcurly 01/10/2022 03:18PM
Fabulous, just fabulous. This is an area I have only partially explored and your trip report made me want to get back there soon. Great combo of info and philosophy. Thanks for taking the time to put together such an enjoyable read.
GoBlue 01/06/2022 12:35PM
MHS67: "What a great trip report, a pleasure to read!!"


Thank you for your kind feedback. I am starting to share more of my writing, in this format and others. Getting positive response is so encouraging. It is deeply appreciated.
GoBlue 01/06/2022 12:31PM
TomT: "Well, this is one of the best solo trip reports I've ever read. I'm going to guess you teach English because of the obvious writing skill on display. I really enjoyed it and the pics as well.



Here's a quote I'd like to highlight. "By the third day of a trip, I try to find that place where I don’t recall the day, where the lake dominates time, where place matters more than calendar."



Yeah, that's what I love, when you reach the point of just "being there" and fully settled in to the here and now. I've done maybe 7 solo's now of around 10 nights each and yes you mention how important it is to prepare mentally before the trip. I learned that it's not good to go if there are negative issues lingering in my mind so I try to start my trip with no baggage. It really helps me focus on just being there.



You nailed this and thanks again, it was a pleasure. One suggestion I'll make is - get yourself a dedicated sleeping hammock with a zippered bugnet and leave the nemo home. I use a Warbonnet hammock, Check out their site it's well made stuff. You'll need a tarp too then and their Superfly is awesome to say the least."



Tom,


WOW! thanks for the wonderful comments. I am an English teacher, and I try to practice what I preach! At this point in my career, I am working on publishing, and this little trip report is a small first step.
Since the trip, I have purchased a bug net for just my ENO. I like the idea of sleeping under the Nemo because I want to take it anyway.
That said, I am totally exploring a dedicated sleeping hammock. I tested an Amok, and I just couldn't sleep well. Great company - returned it and refunded no questions. I will try to Warbonnet next. Always more gear to get! Thanks for the recommendation.
GoBlue 01/06/2022 12:30PM
JWilder: "Bravo! Bravo!



Nice writing. Great pictures. What a fulfilling trip for you. And I am glad you acknowledged and embraced it. There were so many good quotes I wanted to reference, but here is the one that I want to bring to light:



“Between swims, I chased the shade around the pines, reading, relaxing, writing. I realized there wasn’t anything to find out here; I travelled all this way to realize that everything I need, everything I am looking for, I have always had. Here, I can find it within myself more easily, and I hoped to bottle it up, save it for staff meetings and traffic jams, for the interminable process of grading essays, for the mindless plodding of civilized life. Here, I can more easily find and hold my deep WHY, and with such knowledge, I can survive, like Nietzche said, any HOW.”



I love being solo and this report has filled my tank during these winter months. Thanks as well for acknowledging God and His creation.



Amen!



JW"



Thank you for your very kind words, JW.


It is all about filling the tank! I have spent years reading reports; writing one fills that tank in a different way.
GoBlue 01/06/2022 12:28PM
30Smoke: "I enjoyed your report. I would like to get to Boulder someday, closest I got was Adams on a daytrip from Malberg. I loved that portage from the wall to Adams. I also climbed the hill on the Adams side of that portage - it was fun, almost put my hand on a snake! I don't see very many snakes up there, but I would guess there are many!
What really struck home about your report was the day 2 sentence your wrote "I realized it is a skill to be here while you are here." In the solo group, there is a posting with a poster picture that says "Being alone has a power that very few people can handle" - sounds like you can handle it. And to your observation, I am learning that the hardest part of the solo trip is keeping your mind there and in the present. As soon as you start thinking about all the things you should be doing instead of being there, you need to snap back or go home! But when I am up there with other(s), I am 100% in the moment.
Thanks for the report, it is something you can always look back on to remember the good times (I don't think there are any bad times up North).
"



You are more than welcome, 30Smoke. I have enjoyed many of your reports. Your comment about thinking of all the things you should be doing while alone really captures what I felt out there. It is both good and bad - but better than anything down state!
GoBlue 01/06/2022 12:27PM
Laketrout67: "I really enjoyed your trip report. I felt like I was alongside during your trials and tribulations. I hope to be up there for the opener and can't wait for lakers and splake to make my reel sing! Marc"


Thanks for the nice reply. I am hoping to be there for the opener as well. Putting in at Skipper and looping out to Long Island. A much shorter trip, but hopefully as meaningful.
GoBlue 01/06/2022 12:26PM
johno: "Fantastic! I very much enjoyed your writing style and description of your trip. I particularly liked the "oops" story of knowing the canoe was going to overturn and there was nothing you could do about it; been there, done that :-)



And ending your trip with a big pike like that had to be quite exciting"



Thank you johno for your kind words!


The feeling of inevitability haunts me every time I think about flipping a boat!
GoBlue 01/06/2022 12:25PM
Thank you for your kind words.


The feeling of inevitability haunts me every time I think about flipping a boat!
MHS67 01/05/2022 02:19PM
What a great trip report, a pleasure to read!!
TomT 01/05/2022 10:40AM
Well, this is one of the best solo trip reports I've ever read. I'm going to guess you teach English because of the obvious writing skill on display. I really enjoyed it and the pics as well.


Here's a quote I'd like to highlight. "By the third day of a trip, I try to find that place where I don’t recall the day, where the lake dominates time, where place matters more than calendar."


Yeah, that's what I love, when you reach the point of just "being there" and fully settled in to the here and now. I've done maybe 7 solo's now of around 10 nights each and yes you mention how important it is to prepare mentally before the trip. I learned that it's not good to go if there are negative issues lingering in my mind so I try to start my trip with no baggage. It really helps me focus on just being there.


You nailed this and thanks again, it was a pleasure. One suggestion I'll make is - get yourself a dedicated sleeping hammock with a zippered bugnet and leave the nemo home. I use a Warbonnet hammock, Check out their site it's well made stuff. You'll need a tarp too then and their Superfly is awesome to say the least.
JWilder 01/04/2022 11:49PM
Bravo! Bravo!


Nice writing. Great pictures. What a fulfilling trip for you. And I am glad you acknowledged and embraced it. There were so many good quotes I wanted to reference, but here is the one that I want to bring to light:


“Between swims, I chased the shade around the pines, reading, relaxing, writing. I realized there wasn’t anything to find out here; I travelled all this way to realize that everything I need, everything I am looking for, I have always had. Here, I can find it within myself more easily, and I hoped to bottle it up, save it for staff meetings and traffic jams, for the interminable process of grading essays, for the mindless plodding of civilized life. Here, I can more easily find and hold my deep WHY, and with such knowledge, I can survive, like Nietzche said, any HOW.”


I love being solo and this report has filled my tank during these winter months. Thanks as well for acknowledging God and His creation.


Amen!


JW
30Smoke 01/04/2022 09:45PM
I enjoyed your report. I would like to get to Boulder someday, closest I got was Adams on a daytrip from Malberg. I loved that portage from the wall to Adams. I also climbed the hill on the Adams side of that portage - it was fun, almost put my hand on a snake! I don't see very many snakes up there, but I would guess there are many!
What really struck home about your report was the day 2 sentence your wrote "I realized it is a skill to be here while you are here." In the solo group, there is a posting with a poster picture that says "Being alone has a power that very few people can handle" - sounds like you can handle it. And to your observation, I am learning that the hardest part of the solo trip is keeping your mind there and in the present. As soon as you start thinking about all the things you should be doing instead of being there, you need to snap back or go home! But when I am up there with other(s), I am 100% in the moment.
Thanks for the report, it is something you can always look back on to remember the good times (I don't think there are any bad times up North).
Laketrout67 01/04/2022 06:50PM
I really enjoyed your trip report. I felt like I was alongside during your trials and tribulations. I hope to be up there for the opener and can't wait for lakers and splake to make my reel sing! Marc
Laketrout67 01/04/2022 06:50PM
I really enjoyed your trip report. I felt like I was alongside during your trials and tribulations. I hope to be up there for the opener and can't wait for lakers and splake to make my reel sing! Marc
johno 01/04/2022 02:48PM
Fantastic! I very much enjoyed your writing style and description of your trip. I particularly liked the "oops" story of knowing the canoe was going to overturn and there was nothing you could do about it; been there, done that :-)


And ending your trip with a big pike like that had to be quite exciting
GoBlue 01/04/2022 10:43AM
New Trip Report posted by GoBlue

Trip Name: June 2021 Solo to Adams.

Entry Point: 51

Click Here to View Trip Report