I got back yesterday from my first ever solo canoe trip - and my first solo camping in 28 years. I went in at Mudro and went through Fourtown and Boot etc. to Gull where I camped two nights, then via the Moosecamp River back to Fourtown for another night, then out on the fourth day. I've never been to those lakes before and thought they were really nice. I'll post a pictorial trip report in coming weeks.

I liked soloing more than I thought I would. There were times when I would have liked to share the experience with someone else, but I was never lonely. Paddling my Prism was very enjoyable.

I did miss my partner David, and wished I could have at least briefly communicated with him each day, if only by hitting OK on a Spot, so I think I will have to bring one of those next solo trip. In contrast, when he and I go on a trip together, I have no interest in communicating with "the outside world."

Tripping with David is still my first choice, but when he can't or doesn't want to go, I'm sure I'll do more solos in the future.

welcome back! sounds like you had a great time!

Glad you enjoyed it! Great to have you back :)

Ho Ho, "I liked soloing more than I thought I would."

Glad you enjoyed, welcome to the club!

butthead

Sounds like you had a great first solo experience. Welcome back.

Welcome back Ho Ho. I look forward to seeing your trip report.

Aren't solo trips neat? A totally different experience in many ways when go that route. Somehow I feel more connected with my surroundings.

I'm also looking forward to the trip report. I'm not surprised that you enjoyed it, but I also understand wanting to share the experience. The line quoted in "Into The Wild" kind of sums it up for me - something to the effect of "happiness is only real when it's shared".

glad it went well. looking forward to the trip report. yours are always good.

how was the prism enjoyable?

Thanks all. I liked the Prism a lot. I don't have a lot to compare it to (and please no comments from the Magic snobs), but it was a great ride. I'm going through pictures for the report now, although it may be a bit before I get it all together.

With all of the experience you have, I am surprised to learn that this is your first solo. Glad you like it.

Looking forward to your trip report.

quote butthead: "Ho Ho, "I liked soloing more than I thought I would."


Glad you enjoyed, welcome to the club!


butthead"

I second that. Welcome to the club. :+]

I look forward to the trip report. Given that this area is so popular, did you have any trouble finding a campsite?

There were generally plenty of open sites. However, when I got to Gun the first night, all five sites on that lake were taken. I'd wanted to camp there but kept going to Gull, where I found a great site.

Way to go HoHo!

I am proud of You !

SunCatcher

Glad you had a good trip and enjoyed paddling solo. Im planning on joining that club this year as well.

Thanks guys. I know some of you have already seen it, but I've posted my trip report. It's even more detailed than most of my trip reports (and I tend to be pretty detailed), because part of this trip was a psychological journey, and I wanted to include that aspect. Not that it was too intense - but that's part of the story.

Reading another thread reminded me of something about my solo that I did not put in my trip report. (I know, if you read the report you are thinking "but it was so long, how could anything have been left out?")

I'm not sure if any one noticed, but I did NOT post here ahead of time that I was going on my first solo. The reason was that I wanted to keep going during the trip only if *I* wanted to keep going. I thought I might not like it and wanted to feel like I could turn back if I wanted to, and I thought that telling a ton of people what I was doing might make that harder for me. In a sense, that reflects the really personal aspect of going solo. I wanted to be sure I was doing it only for me. Once I was done, though, I definitely wanted to share the experience with others.

Looking forward to reading it. Congrats on taking the plunge. Without reading the report I see long Q solo's in your future. :)

Here's what I would do if I were you. Enter the water from your dock. Go east to Seagull Lake outfitters where you spend the night and restock your food from a box you previously shipped there.

The next morning get a ride and then a tow on big Sag where you enter the Q. Go north to Mack then west through Kawnipi then Poohbah and finally make your way back to your dock.

You up for this? :)

quote TomT: "Looking forward to reading it. Congrats on taking the plunge. Without reading the report I see long Q solo's in your future. :)


Here's what I would do if I were you. Enter the water from your dock. Go east to Seagull Lake outfitters where you spend the night and restock your food from a box you previously shipped there.


The next morning get a ride and then a tow on big Sag where you enter the Q. Go north to Mack then west through Kawnipi then Poohbah and finally make your way back to your dock.


You up for this? :)


"

Sounds like a great trip! Might do it two-man, though. BTW Tom, you (or at least your Mudro-Moosecamp solo trip report) make an appearance in my trip report.

I read your trip report before reading this post. Really enjoyed it. I'm glad you had a good trip.

I especially enjoyed the bird and flower pics/comments. Can't claim to be a birder, but I usually carry a field guide and try to identify as many as possible.

I started carrying a Spot on my solo 2 years ago. I push the 'OK Button' every day when I've made camp. My wife always prints the daily map and we enjoy looking at them as we go through the pictures when I get home.