BWCA A new solo tripper Boundary Waters Group Forum: Solo Tripping
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      A new solo tripper     

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BlueSkiesWI
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04/21/2015 02:06PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
It might not happen this summer, but I plan on making my first solo trip either this year or next year. Super excited to embark on the journey!
 
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jeepgirl
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04/21/2015 02:53PM  
Good Luck. Solo tripping is amazing. It will change you. I have 2 solo's planned this summer!
 
04/21/2015 03:18PM  
Welcome to the solo forum, lots of good info here and good people, have fun tripping and be safe.
 
04/21/2015 05:11PM  
Welcome to solo paddlers. I enjoy an overnight or even two nights on local waters from time to time. No need to save the joy for only the BWCA although the shield lakes are far more solo - not see others.
 
04/21/2015 06:17PM  
Hi there! You don't need to do a BWCA trip to get a taste of a solo. Plenty of areas in WI and the UP. St. croix, Sylvania, Big Island Wilderness, Craig Lake State Park, etc. also check out "Other canoe camping locations" forum. There is a recent post on the turtle flambeau in WI
 
gkimball
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04/22/2015 08:09AM  
As everyone says, it seems the more you solo the more you WANT to solo. Work into it. Lots to learn and enjoy. Good Luck!
 
AlfalfaMale
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04/22/2015 11:02AM  
I too am looking to make my first solo this year. Shooting for early to mid September. Trying to decide between EP# 40 - Homer Lake or EP# 6 - Slim Lake.
For my first solo I'm not looking for big adventure. Mostly just a trip to refine gear and such as I'm sure soloing will end up being quite a bit different from group tripping gear wise.
Homer offers short easy portages with opportunity to explore a bit. Stay a night or two on Juno then head down to Pipe.
Slim has longer easy portages but I would likely just end up base camping on either Hook or Keneu. Not sure yet which would give me the best experience to build up confidence for a second more adventurous solo.
Thinking three to four nights at this point.
-mark-
 
jeepgirl
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04/22/2015 11:47AM  
My first solo was a 3 night one. Fall Lake to Pipestone Bay. 2 easy portages. I was wind bound for 1 of the days. The other days were spent exploring Pipestone Bay and Jackfish Bay. I thought I would get solo tripping out of my system and never go again. Only it was a great trip. It changed me.
Last summer I entered at Lizz and spent a week exploring the lakes between Lizz and Gaskin. It was an amazing trip. I am hooked. I am not the same person who did the solo to Pipestone Bay. I am in much better shape, and I am much more confident in my abilities as a solo tripper.
This summer I have 2 solo trips planned. 1 easy one early in the season and 1 harder one in early August. I cannot wait.
 
gkimball
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04/22/2015 12:05PM  
quote jeepgirl: "My first solo was a 3 night one. Fall Lake to Pipestone Bay. 2 easy portages. I was wind bound for 1 of the days. The other days were spent exploring Pipestone Bay and Jackfish Bay. I thought I would get solo tripping out of my system and never go again. Only it was a great trip. It changed me.
Last summer I entered at Lizz and spent a week exploring the lakes between Lizz and Gaskin. It was an amazing trip. I am hooked. I am not the same person who did the solo to Pipestone Bay. I am in much better shape, and I am much more confident in my abilities as a solo tripper.
This summer I have 2 solo trips planned. 1 easy one early in the season and 1 harder one in early August. I cannot wait. "


Yes I am also finding that soloing is a great motivator to control my weight and stay in shape the rest of the year, especially winter and spring as the season approaches. Being on your own doesn't sound like a good situation to be in poor condition. Nice side benefit.

Might even keep this 64 year old young!
 
AlfalfaMale
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04/22/2015 01:38PM  
jeepgirl. Along with fueling my desire to try a solo, your trip report was part our inspiration to pick the Lizz entry for a spring trip for me and my son in a couple of weeks.
-mark-
 
BlueSkiesWI
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04/22/2015 01:39PM  
Reading your responses makes me even more excited to start doing solos. I'll have to check into your routes!
 
jeepgirl
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04/22/2015 03:01PM  
Thanks Alfamale. I love the area. So much so that my brother and I will be taking the same trip this fall.
 
04/22/2015 08:45PM  
quote BlueSkiesWI: "It might not happen this summer, but I plan on making my first solo trip either this year or next year. Super excited to embark on the journey!"


You've come to the right place, BlueSkiesWI. You can pick up a wealth of informnation by going back through past threads and reading through them. They cover just about every topic you'll have questions about and probably a couple you haven't even though about yet. Quite a few of us have posted trip reports of our solos too, which will also give you plenty of additional information. Then you'll have a lot to think about and a bunch of questions to ask, after which you'll have a lot of things to try out.
 
04/22/2015 08:55PM  
quote AlfalfaMale: "I too am looking to make my first solo this year. Shooting for early to mid September. Trying to decide between EP# 40 - Homer Lake or EP# 6 - Slim Lake.
For my first solo I'm not looking for big adventure. Mostly just a trip to refine gear and such as I'm sure soloing will end up being quite a bit different from group tripping gear wise.
Homer offers short easy portages with opportunity to explore a bit. Stay a night or two on Juno then head down to Pipe.
Slim has longer easy portages but I would likely just end up base camping on either Hook or Keneu. Not sure yet which would give me the best experience to build up confidence for a second more adventurous solo.
Thinking three to four nights at this point.
-mark-"


Mark-

I would say this: If the purpose of your first trip is to build confidence for a second more adventurous solo, then make your first trip a mini-version of what you want the second one to be. In other words, if you plan to travel most of the time on the second one, don't spend all your time on the first one base camping. If you do, you won't learn everything you need to learn to be prepared for what you are planning for the second one. Try to get some variety into it. Maybe one short day of travel, one longer day, one lay over day. Not all short easy portages, maybe throw a slightly longer one in there the second day, nothing really hard, but somewhat challenging.

You'll find that solo gear is pretty much like group gear, only there's no one else to help carry the community gear ;). The main difference is the group stuff you decide to leave behind to save weight. And the stuff you buy for the solo because it is lighter and more compact. I also try to keep things very simple since there's no one else to do camp chores either.

I'll end by saying that most soloists have a very individualistic viewpoint :). You'll eventually find your own style, but reading through the varied responses to topics here may help you get there sooner. Good luck on your trip.
 
04/24/2015 12:08PM  
I did my first solo trip last May. It was an awesome 6 day experience and I'm excited to get back up there in a month, this time for a 9-10 day solo trip.

Do plenty of planning and make sure you're prepared. That will help ensure a fun and successful trip. And keep a journal. We look forward to reading your trip report.

Here is my report from my first time in the BWCA.
 
04/24/2015 12:37PM  
Three to four nights is a good start. The first night is always special but similar to group trips the real being in the wilderness and the routines that come with it set in about the third day. That length of visit should whet your appetite very nicely. Have a jolly good trip.

Simplify. I have gone to pretty much one dish meals and eat right out of the skillet using a good silicon cupped spatula for cooking and to eat. I carry one fork, just in case. Portions for one need adjusting and consider if you tend to eat more or less when busy outdoors.
 
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