So I'm a little bit excessive--on my four-day solo starting next Monday, I'm bringing four books along--but I'm curious about how many books others bring. My friends think I'm crazy for wanting to do nothing more after a long day of paddling to sit on a rock and read for a few hours. That's my idea of heaven. Or to sit in the tent on a rainy day and read and read and read....doesn't get much better to me.

And on a long canoe trip--or on a lazy solo like the one I'm taking next week--there's a lot of down time. Hence, a lot of books.

So, how many do you carry?

Certainly one of the great pleasures of camping in canoe country is enjoying a good book. But, IMHO, there are so many things to see & do while on a trip, I usually only bring one. For longer trips I may bring two? Depends on how long the book is. On most trips they're for hammock time or rainy days.

Of course I've been burned by this a few times. Several consecutive windbound or rainy days have a way of eating up pages in a hurry. Or, sometimes, when it's just impossible to set it down. On the other hand. There are usually times when there is competition for the "premo" spots. :)

I usually just bring one, but would love to do a lazy trip sometime like you're talking about. I'm thinking of getting one of the small e-readers with long battery life for just that purpose, so I could take a bunch in without too much weight/bulk.

Four days or less I'll bring one book. For a week I will bring two, maybe three if one is smaller/shorter

Ok, maybe I am a little excessive. Did I mention I'm an English teacher? :)

quote carmike: "Ok, maybe I am a little excessive. Did I mention I'm an English teacher? :)
"

Hey, it's your trip - do whatever you want. You don't have to justify it to us :).

So, what books are you taking?

quote carmike: "Ok, maybe I am a little excessive. Did I mention I'm an English teacher? :)
"

IMHO There's no right or wrong answer. Do whatever floats your boat. :)

quote boonie: "

quote carmike: "Ok, maybe I am a little excessive. Did I mention I'm an English teacher? :)
"

Hey, it's your trip - do whatever you want. You don't have to justify it to us :).


So, what books are you taking?"

WOW! Great minds think alike & at the same time?! ;-) LOL

:)

See, part of the fun is trying to decide which books to take. I still haven't made up my mind yet.

I'm probably going to take "Brutal Journey" by Paul Schneider, a book about a poor fellow who ended up walking across North America a in the 16th century. Then probably Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey. The next one....probably Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean. The fourth....not sure yet. Probably between a book on Minnesota geology and a Sigurd Olsen and Sam Cook. I read both Desert Solitaire and Young Men and Fire each yet up there, so I might as well get one (or both) out of the way. :)

If the trip is as lazy as I'm planning, I'll finish at least two and get through chunks of the others.

I usually bring one or two. Most of the time the book has to do with the area- sometimes loosely. Before we did our trip to Wabakimi, I read about David Thompson and Samuel Hearne.

When we do the BW, its usually some sort of canoeing related book.

I haven't brought one to the BW yet. If I go on a solo, I definitely will. Though I might bring mp3 books instead. I have an iPad, but the battery wouldn't last too long and it's heavy. I'd probably bring several audio books and then one real book. But just one.

I would bring a satchel full of books on a solo if I didn't have to carry them. ;-)

I bring along a little "Wilderness First Aid" book I keep in my day pack. I might also bring a small instructional book of knots. Otherwise, that's one place I don't really read very much. Could that change? Possibly.

quote carmike: "See, part of the fun is trying to decide which books to take. I still haven't made up my mind yet.


I'm probably going to take "Brutal Journey" by Paul Schneider, a book about a poor fellow who ended up walking across North America a in the 16th century. Then probably Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey. The next one....probably Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean. The fourth....not sure yet. Probably between a book on Minnesota geology and a Sigurd Olsen and Sam Cook. I read both Desert Solitaire and Young Men and Fire each yet up there, so I might as well get one (or both) out of the way. :)


If the trip is as lazy as I'm planning, I'll finish at least two and get through chunks of the others. "

I haven't read "Young Men and Fire" yet, but really liked "A River Runs Through It". Sometimes poetry is nice to bring - very thought-provoking for its brevity. Something to think about while there's no one talking to you. Essays likewise. Short story collections.

"Young Men and Fire" is great. Definitely worth the purchase price, and you can find it used for pennies. :)

Any one here read the Terry Pratchet books? If not I would recommend one of his disc world books. I normally only bring one book with me for a 7 day trip. So what four books are you bring?

Well I've been out twice now, and I'll be leaving for another trip in a few days. The first trip it rained A LOT....it was the week before Memorial Day...so we did a lot of reading.

I ended up bringing Portage into the Past, Brutal Journey, and a Sigurd Olsen book. The next trip I only brought two, but that's because it was primarily a fishing trip.

I keep hear alot about the Sigurd Olsen book. I think I'm going to have to pick that one up be for my solo trip her at the end of JUNE. ... Hopefully the rain will let up on your next trip and we get out of this rainy streak :-) ...

I'm constantly reading books, however I usually bring just two during out trips. I don't feel like having to carry more. :) Sounds like you've made some good choices.

I drive 4,000 miles, roundtrip, when I go to the BW. I usually able to finish a couple of courses from The Teaching Company or several books on disc, in the car. I have found that I don't read while I am in the BW and probably would not take them in the future.

I brought one book and didn't look at it once. If I take a solo I'd bring a book but otherwise I'm going to skip it.

lol. Well, Nola you gave it a try. I do not bring a book. There's too much to observe. However, I do bring a journal. I like to jot down notes or I forget what happened and when it happened. I do like to read and did bring a book to read at night when we brought our son, a few years back (he was 7.) We read a chapter or two each night out of The Witch, the Lion and the Wardrobe. Paperback, of course.

I only bring books on solo trips. I've found I just don't read them otherwise. Soloing is a little different, so a book is a must for me.

I actually read quite a bit when in the BW. One of my favorite parts of being there is setting up a hammock and reading a good book. This last year I started taking my Kindle and that worked out great, less weight and I'm not stuck with just one book.

quote MadMoose: "I actually read quite a bit when in the BW. One of my favorite parts of being there is setting up a hammock and reading a good book. This last year I started taking my Kindle and that worked out great, less weight and I'm not stuck with just one book. "

JUst got a Kindle for my 15th year anniversary at work. I usually take one book but if we hit a rough patch of weather I burn through it quick. Looking forward to being able to bring as many books as I want. I already started loading some PDF books like "Quetico Fisheries" on my Kindle for reference.

T

how long the kindle's battery charge could last?

quote Rambler_Dog: "how long the kindle's battery charge could last?"

I don't know about Kindle, but I've toyed with the idea a bit and there was a Nook (maybe called the Simple) that was supposed to get 30 or 60 hours, I think.

quote Rambler_Dog: "how long the kindle's battery charge could last?"

All of the simple e-readers (not the ones that play movies or games) are supposed to last about a month between charges. I haven't had mine long enough to know for sure---not a lot of heavy use yet. The battery seems to last a long time so far though. I can't imagine it needing a charge on a trip.

T