As most in this section are solo do-ers or soon to be, what are your thoughts on big water with very few portages, or a lot of smaller water with a good deal of short (less than 150 rods) portages? Is the risk of wind on the bigger water worth the not portaging 5-8 times a day? Im doing a late May in to Early June trip.

if you build in a couple extra days a big water trip wouldnt bother me. keep in mind, with the right wind strength and direction, you could get layed up on a pretty small lake too.

i'm out on Lac La Croix quite a bit or Agnes Lake up in the Q.i like them both because i can travel for days,in and out of bays,and not have to portage.both lakes have small side lakes that are easy to get into.in 25 plus years i have only been wind bound a couple of times but have had some hard paddles into the wind several times.i find the loading and unloading very tricky when your solo and as i triple portage i try to do as few as possible.on LLC the only spot i don't like is that big jump past 27 island.i have looked over the east end of the BW and read the trip reports and i think the only way i would try that area was with a very light kit.

i love paddling big water. somehow i always end up on LLC and crooked lake. but i plan it so i am traveling with the west winds. i like nothing better than when the waves are lapping at the gunwales of my canoe. sometimes it is a bit hairy, but i love hairy.

i should add, as an aside, that some canoes are much more agile in treacherous waters. in the wrong canoe, what might be a fun rush for some canoeists could become a disaster. look for a canoe that has a small amount of rocker in the design. it's great to go fast sometimes, but it is even greater to feel that you are in complete control of your boat in any condition.

my two cents.

I've done both, but I personally prefer smaller water and I don't mind portaging. Smaller water seems to make me feel more "in tune" with my surroundings. I think I get to see a lot more detail. Plus a good walk in the woods is something I enjoy for no other reason than to stretch my legs. Although, like WCD I triple portage. That can be a lot of stretching.....

I actually like large lakes that are rather narrow with irregular shorelines. One can paddle for miles while still retaining the feel of smaller water. Even on larger lakes like Basswood I tend to stay close to shore. I avoid crossing large expanses of water where possible unless the winds are calm.
Dick

I like the smaller water for two reasons: 1) less wind issues, and; 2) getting out of the canoe more often. I prefer not to sit for hours. I get too stiff. I like to get up and stretched out.

Even on routes with rivers and smaller lakes, some larger lakes are usually unavoidable. I just do the best I can and try to travel them early in the day when the wind is less.

I generally fall into the 5 - 8 portages a day category.

Thank You!

Smaller lakes give me what I am looking for. A close up view of the wildlife and my surroundings. On larger lakes I'm always wondering what I am seeing across the lake.

Any trip route up there can be very rewarding. You can always mix things up and do a bit of both, small and large lake paddling. You just have to consider issues with big water travel when you decide to take something like that on.

I solo usually 10-12 days. Thus, I cover lakes of all different sizes. I prefer smaller lakes for their seclusion and less wind, whereas I prefer the bigger lakes for their numbers/larger fish.

I'm with PineKnot, a veriety is good. I also like the big lakes to get some distance. Normal to moderate waves don't bother me. But have been wind bound a couple of times. Once I was wind bound as far as fishing goes on a bigger lake... No islands to hide behind. I get frustrated fishing in a lot of wind. I too like to get out once in a while... After paddling the distance of Lac La Croix last year, both me and the pup had some pretty sore butts.

As of now I am leaning towards the Sawbill area. My other solo was a short loop starting at Gabbro and was a very easy trip. I think this one will give enough of each without having any huge water to cover. I just cant imagine what a trip buster it would be if I got a couple days of big spring wind and couldnt get far in it. Considering Im there to fish mostly, that could put a real damper on things.


Thanks to all for their input!

I just discovered this "Solo Tripping" Forum. I did not know about it before and am happy I found it - looking forward to getting some good info here about solo tripping and participating also. I did a solo trip last year for 6 days in July and it worked out well, so am planning on doing a couple trips this upcoming year. I am planning a trip in early June at EP "Sawbill Lake", and I noticed that you "Steiner1730" also is planning a trip there. Where abouts are you planning on going from Sawbill ? Would you be willing to share your route with me ?