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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum Trip Reports Trip Report - 42 day solo with dog in far Northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba |
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01/30/2017 11:01AM
New Trip Report posted by Alan Gage
Trip Name: 42 day solo with dog in far Northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Entry Point: Other
Click Here to View Trip Report
Trip Name: 42 day solo with dog in far Northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Entry Point: Other
Click Here to View Trip Report
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01/30/2017 06:39PM
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oh my goodness! i just spent the last 2 hours glued to my computer screen reading about your trip. such big water, non-visible portages, rain rain rain... rain, and then the break-in of your vehicle. i know you think to not take your dog again, but how do you think you'd have done mentally without having her to set your focus on once in awhile?
she seems like a real trooper and willing to do what you ask of her.
thoroughly enjoyed taking this trip and reading all the other comments in the link.
the photography also outstanding.
oh my goodness! i just spent the last 2 hours glued to my computer screen reading about your trip. such big water, non-visible portages, rain rain rain... rain, and then the break-in of your vehicle. i know you think to not take your dog again, but how do you think you'd have done mentally without having her to set your focus on once in awhile?
she seems like a real trooper and willing to do what you ask of her.
thoroughly enjoyed taking this trip and reading all the other comments in the link.
the photography also outstanding.
01/31/2017 03:42PM
i know you think to not take your dog again, but how do you think you'd have done mentally without having her to set your focus on once in awhile?
That's a good question. I've never been on a trip without her and I'm unsure if I'd like it or not. Besides the obvious comaraderie and comic relief that a good dog brings you're probably right that having someone/thing else to worry about and consider helps in the tough times and possibly stops me from making a stupid decisions when I'd perhaps be willing to put myself in jeopardy but not her.
While she's still able to do trips I'm not sure if I want to leave her home for more far north travels or stick to more southerly trips, like around WCPP, until she's too old to go along.
she seems like a real trooper and willing to do what you ask of her.
She's really made me proud on all the trips we've taken. She seems to settle right into the routine and nothing shakes her. I kept expecting her to refuse to get back in the boat on some of those cold and rainy days when we had to get out to line a rapid but she always jumped right back in. Good girl.
I'm glad you enjoyed the report.
Alan
02/04/2017 09:21AM
Wow! Epic! Thanks so much for your effort at writing the report, and the great pictures. Felt like I was along on a trip I will never be able to take.
I was advised once on a backcountry trip, just to leave the car unlocked. The local ranger said we WOULD be broken into, and there was nothing the local law enforcement was allowed to do about it.
02/20/2017 06:00PM
Been out of town and off the internet for a couple weeks. Just got home last night. Happy to see the report is being enjoyed.
That was my first (ok, second) thought when I saw my car broken into. I normally don't ever lock my car (or remove the keys). Next time I think I'll just leave it unlocked with a polite note asking them not to steal my stuff.
One thing I did do, and that I'll continue to do, was disconnect the battery when I parked the car. I didn't want to come back to a dead battery due to parasitic drain or from an open door or dome lights left on by someone breaking in.
Alan
I was advised once on a backcountry trip, just to leave the car unlocked.
That was my first (ok, second) thought when I saw my car broken into. I normally don't ever lock my car (or remove the keys). Next time I think I'll just leave it unlocked with a polite note asking them not to steal my stuff.
One thing I did do, and that I'll continue to do, was disconnect the battery when I parked the car. I didn't want to come back to a dead battery due to parasitic drain or from an open door or dome lights left on by someone breaking in.
Alan
02/24/2017 10:21PM
Wow Alan, some big water and some gutsy paddling solo thru those rapids. I know when I did 40 days, my entertainment was my dog. I was always amazed how she did... that same year we did 26 days in Woodland Caribou, the things she had to put up with and overcome was amazing to me. Although sadie wasn't happy about the current conditions, I'm sure she was happy to be with you. Coming through eastern Iowa Tuesday with some boats. Shhh! Don't tell anybody... haha. Email me if lunch is an option. Not sure your actual location. And dang you anyway, I stayed up pretty late as I couldn't stop reading this. Haha!
Nctry
02/25/2017 08:22AM
quote nctry: "Wow Alan, some big water and some gutsy paddling solo thru those rapids. I know when I did 40 days, my entertainment was my dog. I was always amazed how she did... that same year we did 26 days in Woodland Caribou, the things she had to put up with and overcome was amazing to me.
It's too bad you won't be driving through western Iowa instead because I'd enjoy getting together to talk about traveling with dogs. As you know traveling on a trip like this with a good dog can be pretty special at times. It's fun to watch them being presented with new situations and scenarios and then figure out how to deal with it. After a couple weeks on the water it really gets to feel like you're a team working together.
Alan
02/25/2017 10:06AM
quote Alan Gage: "quote nctry: "Wow Alan, some big water and some gutsy paddling solo thru those rapids. I know when I did 40 days, my entertainment was my dog. I was always amazed how she did... that same year we did 26 days in Woodland Caribou, the things she had to put up with and overcome was amazing to me.
After a couple weeks on the water it really gets to feel like you're a team working together.
Alan"
I agree. Dogs can be inspiring too. If I was tired at the end of the day, Luna was not and she was always excited to portage. I got a kick out of watching her ahead of me on the trails. Seemed to make it less hard.
"Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." --- George Bernard Shaw
08/17/2019 08:10PM
I just returned from the BWCA and likely won't be back for a month or so. To ease the ache of those "just got home" blues, I started to read others' trip reports and came across this buried treasure. Alan - thank you. The writing is so subtle and genuine, it's like the reader is taken along with you. All the details, the pictures - and your dog - thank you for this journey. I smiled knowingly when you talked about grabbing the heavyweight fleece you were originally going to leave in the car. I forgot my wool beanie this past week, and was fortunate to find a fleece cap for sale en route; it was chilly and rainy there last week! OK, I'm going to spend the remainder of the night finishing this epic tale. Thank you!
01/03/2020 01:43AM
What a great trip!
What do you do for dog food on a long trip like that? Planning to take my dog on a 10-14 day trip next summer, and discouraged by how much space her food takes up....
What do you do for dog food on a long trip like that? Planning to take my dog on a 10-14 day trip next summer, and discouraged by how much space her food takes up....
~On to Fort Chipewyan before the snow flies!
01/15/2020 01:23PM
dogwoodgirl: "What a great trip!
What do you do for dog food on a long trip like that? Planning to take my dog on a 10-14 day trip next summer, and discouraged by how much space her food takes up...."
They have freeze dried dog food now for our favorite furry traveling companions. Save's on the space and weight.
CrazyLoon
“...only when one comes to listen, only when one is aware and still, can things be seen and heard.” ? Sigurd F. Olson, Listening Point
01/16/2020 05:02AM
This message has had HTML content edited out of it.
I looked at that brand, but it's freeze dried raw, and I'm not risking salmonella or e coli on a long trip!
CrazyLoon: "CrazyLoon "
I looked at that brand, but it's freeze dried raw, and I'm not risking salmonella or e coli on a long trip!
~On to Fort Chipewyan before the snow flies!
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