I have been doing group trips into the BW for about 10 years and have been guiding for the past several so I am very comfortable in the BW. But now I find myself wanting to spend more time than my friends are able to spend with me so I am considering some solo trips.

I have all my own gear (minus canoe) which has been trimmed down to very light weight and compact so that part does not concern me. Safety is always #1 on my list as well.

So, my question... what suggestions do you have for a woman doing her first solo? I am thinking these will probably be shorter (3 day or weekend) trips to get my BW fix. Any location suggestions that you like for solo tripping?

Thanks so much for any suggestions! Terry

My advice would be to just do it. You might want to get a solo canoe for yourself if you feel you will be taking a lot of these in the future.

For safety a SPOT locator and can of pepper spray. I think a good first trip might be a small loop like Mudro entry to Horse and Fourtown Lakes. Or maybe the numbered Lakes to Insula. Those portages are a walk in the park.

You will certainly learn things on the first one so keep a journal and notes of how to improve for your next trip. It took me 4 solos before I got the pack light thing down. Weight is a big deal when soloing. If you can afford a lightweight boat it would be well worth the investment. Best of luck!

Thanks TomT. I have a SPOT and am actually looking at upgrading to the Gen3 as my B-day/Christmas present to myself :)

lizz entry to the horseshoe/gaskin area is a nice trip. smaller lakes once you get across poplar, many day trip options.

this link had lots of good input. going solo questions

Just do it. You'll love it.

I don't have any gender-specific advice, but I do have some general advice. I'd agree with TomT that weight is a big issue. The heavier the pack or load, the more likely I am to slip, fall, hurt myself. Getting a heavy pack in and out of the canoe is the bigger issue than carrying it. I find that my two solo loads are heavier than the two loads I carry when tandem. A couple of reasons - I'm still taking the same water filter, stove, tarp, etc., but the weight isn't split over two people. The solo canoes I rent weigh 32-34 lbs., which is more than half the 42-44 lbs. of the tandem canoes. So I make an effort to cut the weight. Just add up everything, including food, canoe, yoke, paddle, PFD, and decide if that's two manageable loads.

The other thing I do is simplify the camp chores, especially since there's no one to help with them. I also plan on a little less travel per day for that reason, but I like my down time. Some others are exactly the opposite though and like to travel long and stay busy with camp chores.

TomT and kanoes have both listed good options for trips. A couple of others I've been in would be East Bearskin or Cross Bay. I did a couple of short ones through Little Isabella and Island River before the Pagami fire, but that area was toasted pretty good.

Also, as already pointed out, there are a lot of good threads in this forum with advice and different perspectives.

The biggest problem when you do go solo is that you may end up trying to talk partners out of a trip next time so you can go solo again and again... :)

I think Boonie already mentioned Crossbay.....I'll second it....portages aren't bad, very scenic...most of the campsites on the way to Long Island Lake are on the small side, perfect for a solo....bascamp on Long Island for a day or 2 and back out....the las two times I ran this route, i ran into several young ladies doing solo trips and they enjoyed the route tremendously.....

Mike

quote Exo: "The biggest problem when you do go solo is that you may end up trying to talk partners out of a trip next time so you can go solo again and again... :)"

Yeah, I'm never going to "beg" someone to go again because why take the chance on a ruined trip vs. just going solo and knowing it will be good. I'm very particular now who i'd go with.

just general advice would be to find a big camp site so you can wander around a bit,small sites that cramp you in get tired fast.i have been in some "pocket" camps but just for a quick over night and out fast to paddle around the next day.a few i got stuck in on windy days left me with nothing to do but read.
with no one to talk to or share with bring stuff for the down times,read,photos,art.
i like the Little Indian Sioux and Moose River as a starting point.
the rivers are a good warm up as your not out on a lake right off the bat and you can shore line the small lakes if the wind picks up.
forget all the tall tales you hear,there is nothing out there to bother you.i tell people that i may as well be camping in my back yard.

make yourself a Home Away From Home....

quote Exo: "The biggest problem when you do go solo is that you may end up trying to talk partners out of a trip next time so you can go solo again and again... :)"

Funny, but true!

Hans Solo

quote tnthekids: "I have been doing group trips into the BW for about 10 years and have been guiding for the past several so I am very comfortable in the BW. But now I find myself wanting to spend more time than my friends are able to spend with me so I am considering some solo trips.

I have all my own gear (minus canoe) which has been trimmed down to very light weight and compact so that part does not concern me. Safety is always #1 on my list as well.

So, my question... what suggestions do you have for a woman doing her first solo? I am thinking these will probably be shorter (3 day or weekend) trips to get my BW fix. Any location suggestions that you like for solo tripping?

Thanks so much for any suggestions! Terry"

I've done QP and BW solos and agree with others here. If you've organized your gear down to a good solo quantity and weight that you feel good about, then plan whatever you think you can handle and head out. I have generally done 4 day-ers but that was b/c it was the time I could squeeze in between work/family obligations. Moose, Snowbank, Mudro, Lakes One/Two, etc are also good (but just about any route has good solo opportunities). Others here have certainly done longer. My wife feels a lot better when I carry a SPOT, a GPS...and my maps/compass :). So...plan our the routes, keep it manageable, plan out a back-up plan, be flexible and most of all ---enjoy and have fun!

I agree with what has been said.

For solos I like rivers and/or small lakes. Solo routes that come to mind are Little Indian Souix (North but also South), Mudro (either direction - through Fourtown or through Horse), Kawishiwi River triangle, Lizz Lake, Morgan Lake, Mead/Rush, Sawbill/Baker, Kawishiwi Lake, Homer, East Bearskin. All have nice routes for soloist with little or no big water.

I did my first solo this past summer. Just 2 portages from Fall Lake to Pipestone Bay. I carried a Spot geo locator and checked in ever day. I loved it. I was not bored at all. I was only in for 4 days and spent my down time reading and exploring my beautiful island campsite.
I am planning on a longer solo trip and am now interested in purchasing a solo canoe. The solo bug bit me hard and I cannot wait to go again.
Inthekids you should be just fine. I spent hour scouring this site for info on solo trips. Lots of people with good advice.
Lots of people thought I was crazy to do a solo bwca trip. After I came back from my trip and saw my photo's they sort of understood. Most people asked if I was worried about getting lost and worried about being alone. I said yes to all of them but the pull of the bwca and my need to do this on my own was far greater than any fears I had.

quote wetcanoedog: "just general advice would be to find a big camp site so you can wander around a bit,small sites that cramp you in get tired fast.i have been in some "pocket" camps but just for a quick over night and out fast to paddle around the next day.a few i got stuck in on windy days left me with nothing to do but read.
with no one to talk to or share with bring stuff for the down times,read,photos,art.
i like the Little Indian Sioux and Moose River as a starting point.
the rivers are a good warm up as your not out on a lake right off the bat and you can shore line the small lakes if the wind picks up.
forget all the tall tales you hear,there is nothing out there to bother you.i tell people that i may as well be camping in my back yard.

make yourself a Home Away From Home...."

Great points! I have been kicking around a solo up to Loon via LIS EP.

quote HighnDry:
Great points! I have been kicking around a solo up to Loon via LIS EP."

You could do a loop through Heritage Lake. I think there's quality solitude there if you can snag the only site.

So many good options. Start at one end and take trips in and out. If you could get a little more time it's nice to take some bigger loops. Little Indian Sioux to Moose River North has some good options. A couple times I've come from Loon Lake to take the portage past Devils Cascade. Going out that has been a bugger with that steep hill at the start. Knowing it's there you can mentally prepare yourself a bit. Not a big deal, just that one minute your making good time and then your slowed down a little there. On day 38 I was getting kind of portaged out the last time I did it.

I might try Wood Lake and get into the Good Lake area for a short trip sometime.

Now that I'm feeling a little better I may be doing a lot of what your thinking of. Like people have said, that solo tripping gets in your blood.

Minimize your gear, and pack light, light, light!

Since you have been thinking about soloing (many people don't), I think you'd experience regrets, eventually, if you never got around to doing it. I was old already (60), when I first experienced the BW and it was my first canoe-camping outing. I immediately wanted to do a solo and, feeling pressure to do it while I was still young :-), did it as both my 2nd and 3rd trips. I experienced my 61st and 62nd birthdays while on the solo trips. Both of those trips included driving 4,000 miles, roundtrip, also solo.
You already have a heck-of-a-lot more experience than I had when I soloed. It is just a matter of doing it. I don't even think you need advice from us.

Nights are the what's hardest for me and especially the first couple nights. Pepper spray is comforting, but reminding myself that the forest is noisy at night also helps. When I'm with a kid whom I'm charged to protect or my father who due to his age offers no protection, I'm not afraid at night, even though I would be the protector. However, being alone, I do get the heeby-jeebies, so for the first couple nights, go to bed tired, easing the sleep.

You are ready. All you have to do is realize (as you probably already do) that things will take longer. Just scale down your expectations from a tandem trip.

For you the hardest part maybe to relax and enjoy. Without clients there is no one to please but you!

I have met nothing but nice folks on my solos. You really don't have anything to worry about in camp that wasn't there before, though the knowledge that you are one and its a big dark world can give you the creepies. I have been scared by an unexpected mushroom enroute to the loo in the dark!

Don't let those noisy woods make you all jumpy. The crickets and frogs are nature's music. It's when the woods are as silent as Bigfoot sneaking up on some food that I start breathing shallowly....so that I may better hear the snapping of a twig.
;-)

Do it.

Tylenol pm and ear plugs helps with the night sounds. I read until I could no longer keep my eyes open. Took some Tylenol pm, put the ear plugs in and slept great.
My only real issue is that I have no depth perception. It makes portaging tougher and getting in and out of a canoe tougher but I just go slower and watch my feet at all times.