BWCA #1 thing I learned on my first solo Boundary Waters Group Forum: Solo Tripping
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      #1 thing I learned on my first solo     

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06/12/2014 02:30PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
I did a week in the eastern part of the BW's on Alder/Caribou/Clearwater/Mountain in late May. It was my first solo trip and I was surprised at how much I learned about preparedness and efficiency by doing a solo trip but I think the best lesson I learned is that you have to mind your canoe during landing at ALL TIMES. The canoe wants to float away from you at ALL TIMES. That's what it does. Pulling it up on shore and tying it off whenever possible is a must. There was one instance where I had to get my feet wet to go in after an escaping canoe but a number of times that i had to react to keep it near shore. I've done about 15 trips, all of them tandem, so I think I just subconsciously expect that someone else is keeping the canoe in place.
 
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Alan Gage
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06/12/2014 03:04PM  
Solo canoes are like solo paddlers. They like to paddle alone. Tandems like company so they stay put better.

Alan
 
06/12/2014 06:44PM  
And it's not just a matter of being solo that matters here, it's also the water temperature. Swimming a few hundred yards, especially with a PDF , in August is no big deal. In May, those waters can be really cold.
 
06/12/2014 07:55PM  
Yeah, I learned that same lesson pretty quickly too :). It does give you a little different perspective on some other things too.

I'll be eager to hear more about it when you get around to writing up some more. I hope you got some good pictures too.
 
06/13/2014 08:39AM  
Flexibility. In mid-May I was stymied by ice on my first extended solo and had to plan a new course of action. Perhaps of most importance I had to be comfortable with the change and have as much confidence in my change in plan as I had with the original, and greatly anticipated, route. The change created a different adventure and a new perspective of flexibility.
 
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