New Trip Report posted by kanoes

Trip Name: Exhaustion 101: My Frost River solo..

Entry Point: 38

Click Here to View Trip Report wc-20080501-1040

Nice trip report Jan, enjoyed it very much. You must have been tired(NO FISHING????). High water levels seemed to help on those portages from the pictures. I have never seen water levels that high before. River was flowing over the banks in the woods over at Baker EP that same weekend. Glad you had a safe trip.
CB

Thanks for sharing Jan. Sounds like you had a great time. Hope you gave yourself enough time to smell the roses along the way.

Awesome summary, now I cannot wait to get on the water! Thanks for sharing.

Very nice report. I wouldn't do it ! Izzy

Thanks Jan! I enjoyed reading the trip report. I can cross that one off my list (I have a very low tolerance for pain - hahaha).

Thanks, Jan, well written report. On day three, the third picture is of a big boulder. Is that the portage trail? I've seen a few like that but not many. What was the best part of being alone?

Traveler

thanks traveler and thanks all. that boulder is the west side of the of the 10rd from afton to fente. the best part of being alone? i guess the pride factor. knowing i can do this with no ones help. actually, i was too tired to think about it much. :)

Thanks. Super report. You should have been a writer; reading your report was almost like being there! (This site was lacking while you were gone) :) oth

Very good report. Makes me wish I was doing a solo this year, but it doesn't look likely.

Jan, what a nice story. After reviewing your trip report I'll have to put that trip on my short list for my own expierence. Maybe my fall solo.

Let us all pay homage to the great Kanoes. He gives us strength when we feel weak.

Sounds like fun. Some day I will run this route as a solo. I like the idea of a challenge and few people.
Thanks for sharing.

kanoes,
A very enjoyable read. You are able to relay your experience in a most descriptive manner. Definitely makes one want to canoe trip.
Thanks for sharing.
Boppa

Jan,

Great report, it just makes me want to finish that route even more. Isn't soloing fun? :-)

Jan,
Nice report! Isn't strange the things you find out about yourself and how you pack and do things on a solo. Did you find there were things you took you did not need? How did you like the Wenonah Wilderness? One of the guys going with my in June bought one to solo in. Another thing is you mentioned is the tiredness that you have when alone seems to be more pronounced than when with others too! Good report!

Bruce

Kanoes,

What brand/model of tarp do you have, and where did you get it?

Excellent report. Sounds like the effort was definitely worth the reward.

Sounds like a great trip-glad it turned out somewhat as you had planned and you are going to go again.

thanks bruce.

i love that little canoe. it performed flawlessly...extremely stable and easy paddling. hated the adjustable seat though, that will be modified. the BB beavertail (i know you have one) was a perfect paddle for this canoe, quiet and not overpowering.

things i could have left behind...

much food. (i was planning this to be a longer trip than it ended up being)

binocs...never even took them out.

radio...i was hoping to catch some Twins games, but no reception.

over half the Everclear. :)

8 ounces of carolans irish cream...never cracked it open.

too many clothes. perfect amount of socks though.

LED tent lantern. i used it but could have just used the flashlight instead.

many redundant items in a survival bag. i was never in the canoe without my gear the anyway.

so yeah....i could cut alot of weight there. next time i will!

jg? that tarp is a campmor versatile tarp. 40 bucks.

Wow, you really pushed it, especially on that third day. Finishing with those Afton/Fente and Fente/Hub portages exhausted me just reading about it.

Do I assume correctly that the water was high enough that you didn't need to get out and walk or line the canoe between portages on that stretch of Frost River just past Pencil?

Thanks for the report and pictures. I had a great time reading it.

Outstanding report kanoes! We did that route backwards from you last year and can feel your pain. It is some of the most beautiful country. Did you stop and see the airplane on Zenith?

no walking or lining on the entire river UM.

and no DO. i was kinda in a hurry then. :(

enjoyed the report -- leave one longing for the wilderness

Fun report!!!!!

Very enjoyable report Kanoes. I can relate to that end of the day exhaustion from doing a solo. I'm surprised you didn't fish though. You didn't make a cast? I think a Lake Trout would have made for better fixins than Mountainhouse.

I'm glad you did all you planned though. I remember you being pretty apprehensive. I'm sure this trip will be the beginning of many and you will have greater confidence because of taking the risk you did.

I gootta ask what tent you brought? Is that the Taj 3? No real storms to test it?

thanks Tom. i only made about 20 casts and lost a little cleo. this trip was really a threshold moment for me. it opened my eyes in a wonderful way. i found out im fine being alone. i really am a different person now. :)

and the tent? no, it wasnt the taj3. it was a really crappy rei sierra dome 2...and its going back. i may be a taj 3 whore....but im not an rei whore period. :)

Kanoes
Thanks for posting your trip report. I would be interested in hearing your comments on the Wilderness canoe. It sounds as though you put it through it's paces. I have been considering one of these as my first solo canoe. Thanks again for the excellent report.

Kanoes...thx for the post...I'm sure it will the first of many that I will read this year and will have to live vicariously through them as I'm not going to be able to make it north this summer. Thanks again...much enjoyed.

Was the problem with the adjustable seat the noise from in clanking or something else?

Bruce

clanking mostly but sometimes it would slip down during a portage and then, kinda jam after i turned it over. it wasnt a big deal, just a litle PIA i dont want to deal with anymore.

Great report Jan. Nice adventure. You made great time! That’s a heck of a loop in four days.

I call that site on Frost the "The Couch Site" because there isn’t a log bench but instead a log couch. :) The water in front of that crescent of beach that you wanted to swim at was full of leeches the last time I was there.

Doesn’t sound like you had a chance to check out the Zenith airplane or the Kelso Dolmen.

I like your camp set-ups. I’m going to switch back to a rectangular tarp I think.

I’m glad the Wenonah Wilderness performed so well. I got a chance to paddle one a couple weeks ago. I liked it but it didn’t thrill me, but I was paddling it empty. I bet it paddles much better loaded.

Great report.

Great report Jan. I enjoyed the read and the photographs.

nice effort and report jan! appreciate you sharing!

tg

That fireplace setup is awesome on Frost. I also like the pic you took of the view of snow on the trail under the canoe. That's when you know you're out early in the season I guess.

And I would imagine there were no bugs in sight either.

Kanoes
Awsome report and I just bought the same tarp, glad to see it works for you !!! Tim

thanks! btw, i only trust those white tie-outs for light applications....nothing load bearing. find something similar to these for the "heavy lifting".

Kanoes-

Thanks for a great trip report. I have only done one solo, but it was a great experience that I will certainly repeat some time soon.

Great pictures.

I think when you see bright colored fungis it is natures way of saying tasty! jk.

Nice report. Good detail. Makes me want to do a solo... We camped on the most northern beach camp site on frost lake a few years close to the one you were at and thought the same thing about the Corona commercial lol.

Thanks for the report! For most of the winter, we had planned on doing that exact route the last week of May -- then the other guys had to back out of the trip (I ended up doing a seven night solo out of Lake One into the Fungus Lake PMA). Now that I've read your report, I don't feel so bad about not taking that route this year!

Glad you enjoyed the solo aspect of the trip -- I'm planning my fifth solo for the end of the summer...can't wait...

good report. a few questions on your trip. i'm not clear on why you decided to come out early. you did your research on this route, but the combination of paddle/portage on your route plan would have made long days for anyone-why not divide the route up differently? you advise people to keep moving on solo trips (a suggestion i agree with), but put a layover day in your own route plan-why? in retrospect with regard to fatigue, do you think your caloric intake and hydration level were factors?

thanks.

keep in mind, this was my first non basecamping solo...i had no idea of what kind of distances id be able to cover.

the layover was planned to fish frost lake. i slept in that morning. the weather never cooperated. being new to paddling a solo combined with a fairly stiff wind...i just didnt feel comfortable enough to venture out on the lake, especially considering the water temp.

fatigue. i did fairly well at hydrating. i did poorly at feeding the engine...im sure that was the main factor for fatigue.

bump.