BWCA Trip partners Boundary Waters Listening Point - General Discussion
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03/29/2020 08:59PM  
Per the request by lindylair...
If you trip with others (not your spouse/partner or children), are they friends that you see regularly? From your area? Or friends that live further away, maybe you only see them on paddling trips?

On most of our BW trips, or any other primitive type camping to other areas, it is usually just my husband and me. Occasionally the kids if schedules fit. None of our "local" friends have any interest in this kind of trip. RV camping in crowded county campgrounds is what they enjoy. We have a few friends who live several hours away who have an interest in the BW, but it is hard scheduling.

We tried four different non-local friends for this years trip, but our vacation availability and theirs don't match up, so we booked an EP for just the two of us again. Yes, we enjoy our time there with just us, but sometimes it is nice to share the experience with others.
 
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luft
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03/30/2020 12:26AM  
I started out canoeing with my kids as my trip partners. But they grew up and don't want to canoe with me anymore.

I met some really wonderful women on this board who live in my area and now I trip with them when I am not on a solo trip.

 
03/30/2020 05:18AM  
Thanks keys...these days many of my trips are with my buddy Jim with whom I share a lifelong friendship and history of camping, hiking, fishing and photography interests. We have brought his boys with a couple times and occasionally bring a couple newbies with. I do have a couple other friends that talk about wanting to go but we just haven't been able to work out the logistics yet.

Some people are particular about who they travel with, like my buddy. But i am more open to new partners and get along with pretty much everybody. I am sure Jim and I will continue to take at least one trip per year but I am hoping to get up thee with some other folks too.
 
03/30/2020 05:41AM  
Usually solo, but otherwise far away, see once a year.
 
Frenchy
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03/30/2020 07:17AM  
For many years it was with my kids and their friends. After loss of my trip partner(son) I enlisted co-workers whom have bought into annual trips wholeheartedly. This is a group of teachers with varying experiences in the outdoor but all love the BWCAW.
 
RedLakePaddler
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03/30/2020 07:44AM  
For the last 40 years I have tripped with my wife, family, and friends.
Over the year we have introduced many to joys of canoeing and the outdoor world.
We have taken our Dentist's family, our neighbors, cousins, our children's friends, and our Pastor and his family.
All of the trips have been great ! Spending a week on Knife lake with 6 girls, 2 mom's, a son and 2 father was very interesting. Our son was never more helpful. Any thing to get away from the girls. This was back in days when the group size was 10, I am old!!
Lately since my wife passed away I have continued to trip with my daughter and grandson. Also have done a couple solo trips with my 90# poodle, Rusty.
Be a social person on the first trip after 3 days I told Rusty I needed to find some people to talk to. On the second trip after 4 days Rusty told me he needed to find someone else to talk to.
As summer gets closer I will probably post on trip partners looking for some will to put up with a old man and his over sized poodle.

Praying for the health of all my friends on this site during this trying time.

Carl
 
JimmyJustice
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03/30/2020 08:37AM  
I initially started tripping with friends (invited by them). Over time, they stopped tripping and I kept going; inviting new friends, some of which have kept going and some of which have stopped. All of which enjoyed our trips though. In some instances, I had the opportunity to take trips with complete strangers and they have grown to be great friends who I will trip with anytime.
 
Duckman
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03/30/2020 08:38AM  
I don't make it back to Minnesota very often outside of Christmas.

So it's usually a mix of relatives up there and friends from back in highschool. It's often the only time I ever see many of them in person.
 
03/30/2020 09:07AM  
I live in Duluth so I am not too far away to begin with. And my regular trip partners are my wife, sister, and my father. Sometimes my sisters kids go, sometimes my kids go, sometimes I bring a friend up there who hasn't been. For the ones I bring on their first time I generally will bring anything to make them more comfortable. In some cases I provide everything so they don't even need to purchase anything. I have extra sleeping bags, air mattresses, bottles, rain gear, you name it. All in all if they are new just make sure that they have anything out there that will make it more comfortable for them..... I have even done triple portages for it lol.
 
AirPrex
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03/30/2020 09:17AM  
I have a main tripping partner that I start planning the trip with every year. The main priority is ensuring we're able to go together and any additional people are a bonus. We figure out what length of a trip we're able to do as early as possible and then invite others depending on our goals for the trip. Typically 2 other people join us. Some of our friends are down for the long fishing trips we enjoy most while some are only interested in shorter trips or trips less focused on fishing, so our goals each year impact who of our friends are willing to join.
 
03/30/2020 09:22AM  
1999 was the first trip for me. It was myself and a number of friends from college, 5 in total. At that point we were based in Duluth. From that original group of 5, three of us were fairly steady in annual trips. Other trip members come and go. The smallest group has been 2 and the largest 7.

I'm the only one that stayed in the Northland. I see the various trip memebers once...maybe twice per year. Majority are in the Cities. We've had individuals from as far as Arizona.

New trip members often only know in advance of the trip, one other trip member. We're all pretty chill and haven't had any real issues.
 
straighthairedcurly
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03/30/2020 07:51PM  
Since I spent my younger years guiding trips with kids and with adults, now I prefer to just take trips with my family. It is easier when I know what they like and how they travel. My son is nearing the end of his years wanting to trip with us, but still enjoys it. My husband and I have some good years ahead of us still.

We do add in a friend once in awhile such as our friend from Costa Rica who took the trip with us last summer. This August, my son wants us to take a family trip that includes his girlfriend.

I have friends who enjoy canoe trips, but a number of them still work at camps in the summer so are unavailable. One of these summers I might see if some female work friends want to give it a try.
 
03/30/2020 08:19PM  
RedLakePaddler: "Also have done a couple solo trips with my 90# poodle, Rusty.
Be a social person on the first trip after 3 days I told Rusty I needed to find some people to talk to. On the second trip after 4 days Rusty told me he needed to find someone else to talk to
"


LOLOLOL
 
03/31/2020 07:28AM  
Cc26: "
RedLakePaddler: "Also have done a couple solo trips with my 90# poodle, Rusty. Be a social person on the first trip after three days, I told Rusty I needed to find some people to talk to. On the second trip, after 4 days, Rusty told me he needed to find someone else to talk to. "

LOLOLOL"

+1; this was great
 
03/31/2020 07:29AM  
My primary tripping partner & I are supposed to take our HS senior sons to WCPP in 6.5 weeks.

Think it's unrealistic to think we'll be going. Even if they open the border and parks, my tripping partner is a hospital doc...so his life is as crazy as it gets right now.
 
03/31/2020 01:49PM  
I don't get to see the couple folks that I have tripped with the most very often. One is kind of close, but life gets in the way, and the other lives about a 10 hour drive from me. Luckily, I will be able to start taking the kids in with me soon and I will hopefully have nearby partners for a few years yet. :)
 
scramble4a5
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03/31/2020 06:09PM  
I go with a guy I work with but we rarely see each other in that we are both out of the office seeing customers, in different capacities. If I see him once a month that is about average. We do chat quite a bit on Facebook messenger.
 
mutz
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03/31/2020 08:13PM  
One trip with my brother and our two boys, and a trip with myself and younger son. All the rest have been several guys from work. I have never been in with anyone I didn’t know, always have been good friends.
 
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