One thing I like about solo travel is being a critter. It takes a couple days, but it happens. You stop streaming words through your head and you just witness. You can feel the barometric pressure shifting and so you synchronize with the fish and the other beasties. You know when it's going to rain before the first cloud appears. Some of it can stick with you. I was camped on the Mississippi and I felt a tornado coming in the middle of a dead calm night. The barometric pressure shift woke me suddenly and completely. I couldn't finger the danger, but I knew it was out there and was ready when the wind started howling. In cities, our technology swaddles us.

i'm with your %100 on this,i ask how long does it take in the wilderness before you become "wild"..as in tune with your environment.i know people pass that off as tree hugger nonsense but it's true and it's real.people have been writing and talking about the phenomena for hundreds of years and i'm sure they were not doing it to sell books and camping gear.i have books from the 1800's in which the writers were bemoaning the effects of city life,which was really,really bad then, and advancing the idea just plain getting outdoors as a cure for that.
i also think that many who also lived in the "great outdoors" like farmers and woods workers were so beat from the effects of working that to take the time to feel what nature had to offer were few and far between.so anyway,yes, people are "made" to be outside--eyes see that greenish tint better that most other colors--stuff like that--and thrive best where they were made to be.

Yep, wetcanoedog. It also strips away your familiar routines and slows time. A solo day in the wilderness lasts days and there's nothing boring about it, even though it's just shades of blue and green. You're more alert and alive and so you're immersed in sensation, plus everything matters more. The wind matters more. In a city, you're shielded by walls, but on the water, the wind shifts from friend to enemy and back to friend. The elements are consequential and who could be bored by that?

I wanna do a solo.

Yep, missmolly, it happens every once in a while: the zen "no mind" - the pure experience of the moment.

Some people say those moments when you quit talking to yourself are when you can hear God talking.

I still have too many committee meetings among me, myself, and I, though :).

I'll likely be going solo this fall for about 8 days and I'm looking forward to it.

quote canoe212: "I wanna do a solo."

Then do one.

quote boonie: "

quote canoe212: "I wanna do a solo."

Then do one."

youll never really know what its about until you do.

quote kanoes: "

quote boonie: "

quote canoe212: "I wanna do a solo."

Then do one."

youll never really know what its about until you do."

yes. do it. a solo means something subtly different to every person. yet they can also be eerily similar.

embrace the solo --not so sure about embracing a 'beast' tho. maybe i'd call it tuning into nature. a beast sounds a bit menacing, nature to me is more soothing than that even in the worst of times.

I've been on 4 one week long solos and don't think I ever let myself get that in tune to where I was a beast. I definitely am more aware of the weather and especially what the wind is doing.

And days do seem to go on forever. Watching the sun go down for two hours is something I never do unless I'm in the BW. And when it gets really quiet my hearing is very tuned in to any sound.

I would just say that I become very aware of what's going on around me when I'm soloing. There's time to just look and listen. It's something that I really like about soloing. It's also the thing I DON'T like about soloing. But that's a different thread.

Everytime this subject comes up, it's interesting to hear about the varied experiences people have when going solo. I am, by nature and sometimes out of necessity, as busy person. I have a hard time relaxing. It's weird - during the height of winter, I'll find myself at home watching the news - standing up!

So.... after a good day of traveling in the wilderness, setting up camp, making a meal, cleaning up and maybe even throwing out a line for that elusive walleye, I am forced to relax and reflect. That's why I go solo.

quote dl: "Everytime this subject comes up, it's interesting to hear about the varied experiences people have when going solo. I am, by nature and sometimes out of necessity, as busy person. I have a hard time relaxing. It's weird - during the height of winter, I'll find myself at home watching the news - standing up!


So.... after a good day of traveling in the wilderness, setting up camp, making a meal, cleaning up and maybe even throwing out a line for that elusive walleye, I am forced to relax and reflect. That's why I go solo."

That's as good a reason as any, and it's your trip.

I think one reason we go solo is to have "our experience" - no compromises. So each solo is very individualized. I've never gone with a large group and don't think I would. I enjoy it when my brother goes with me, but the whole trip changes from the beginning to the end: Travel plans up and back, choice of entry point, route, food, equipment, pace, etc. And of course there's always "discussion". Solos are more relaxed and free flowing, and certainly more introspective. There's less distraction, so there's more chance to blend in, to observe - to become the animal, one with the natural world. There's less noise and commotion and a better chance to see wildlife.

I also like hearing why some people prefer to move all the time while others prefer to basecamp, etc. Sometimes I get ideas of things I might try to see how I like it.

i'll move every day i can.up in the Q where i know i can find a camp i'll start around 8:30 and paddle until 7:00.i go slow and shoreline the lakes looking into all the bays and inlets.in the BW i start about the same time but start looking for a camp around 5:00 knowing i might not get the one i'm aiming for.i stay away the busy areas and the busy time of year.half way out i'll try and find a lay over camp,a bigger open one than the "lost" ones i get into most of the time.on the layover i'll dump out all the packs,air everything out and repack.same with the food bay.all the empty zip locks get gathered up and into one big bag and items than have been mis-packed, like both oil bottles in the dinner sack,get put back where they belong.the re-pack along with a change of clothes and a big hot bucket bath is almost like starting the trip over again.

I did a solo three years ago and learned so much about myself and the wilderness. I will do one again someday. But since then, my grandson has been turned on to the boundary waters and I cannot say no to him. So until I retire, and can go on more than one trip a year, my next solo will have to wait.

...But since then, my grandson has been turned on to the boundary waters and I cannot say no to him...

Good man...don't ever say no to him. He'll be grown and gone so fast. You're a lucky "dog" to have a grandson that wants to do this. My greatest and most memorable trips were taking "my three sons" into the Q and Wabakimi and showing/teaching them what is there...even more important...what ISN"T there. Now they are into their own lives and businesses and don't have time...or don't take the time. So now I wait for them to have kids so I can do it all over again. Until then...I solo or go w/ friends.

Oh, Amok, being as alert as a beast can keep you alive. In fact, I'm sometimes more alert than the other full-time critters. I've spotted many moose, bear, fox, and deer long before they spotted me. I once walked close enough to a deer to touch it. Every time it ate, I stepped forward. Every time it looked, I froze. It took a long time, but I got close enough to touch it. It was twitching like crazy at that point, but there we were.

quote missmolly: "Oh, Amok, being as alert as a beast can keep you alive. In fact, I'm sometimes more alert than the other full-time critters. I've spotted many moose, bear, fox, and deer long before they spotted me. I once walked close enough to a deer to touch it. Every time it ate, I stepped forward. Every time it looked, I froze. It took a long time, but I got close enough to touch it. It was twitching like crazy at that point, but there we were."

I had a similar thing happen except I didn't touch her... But she pee'd and it got me. One little movement and she was gone!

I get what your saying in this thread. I don't think some people are able to become the beast... but that is one of the best parts of being solo.

I get it.

This thread is really inspiring me. It fills me with hope. I am a four months into a separation from my wife of eleven years. Suddenly, I am on my own. I am having to learn to do things I never had to before. Plus, things are very confusing and frustrating for me. I felt the need to get away on a vacation. However, I never like doing stuff alone.

I decided, this June, I am going on a two to three week solo trip. The planning has been a great focus for me. But, this trip is about getting away to think. I can't seem to do that right now. Life is too hectic. Plus, the confidence building factor is important too. So, you experiences reassure me that this is exactly what I'm looking for.

Blackfoot - A two to three week solo is a long one, especially for someone who doesn't like to do things alone. It will give you plenty of time to think though. I'd suggest bringing a notebook to journal - just let your thoughts and feelings flow out onto the page. It can be very helpful. Take something to read - a small volume of inspirational or thought-provoking writings. Good luck on your journey.

Blackfoot, your post took me back twenty plus years were I was in the same boat. A solo trip would be good if you keep yourself busy and move a lot. Like was said, keep a journal and spend time sorting stuff out. Don't dwell to much on the negetives as it will slow down the healing. You say your seperated... If this seperation is a permament thing you need to establish your identity for yourself. That was the hardest thing for me. It'll come... If it happened to me today I'd be paddling before the ice was out. :) Hang in there brother... you have a family here!

i re-read Molly's first post and my answer and the rest and got a bit of a different take on what Molly was at.it's not about being a person who lets go of some of what we would expect of a civilized person but feeling the "beast" in us come out.things like really feeling the changes in the weather or somehow knowing what the best path to take is,"smelling water",that sort of thing.when the critters take you for one of their own and show no fear you know you are there.

I know what you're saying, Wetcanoedog. I just don't call it that. I call it 'tuning in' or 'paying attention'.

MissMolly, I'm not "becoming a beast", I am more in tune with my surroundings. Your description of "being alert as a beast" is more accurate to me.

@ Blackfoot

All the best to you! I hope you reach the place where it's the wind, the water, and you and that's more than enough.