I'm a through and through photographer, but next time I'm leaving all my gear home on a solo trip and bringing the point and shoot. 16 less pounds for sure. If you do decide to take a 35mm with some bells and whistles, definitely get a top-loading Pelican with the carry strap. Worked wonders for me.

I had no use for a GPS and it never came out of my ditch bag. I did waypoint the parking lot though just in case. Don't think I will bring one next time. Never got lost, and the maps are easy to follow. I will probably always bring hardware with. The bugger was wet for 9 days and all that rusted were the rear sights. My homemade knife also rusted, but was shined up easily enough.

This time of year has unpredictable weather. I left some cold-weather gear in the truck; and took some I didn't use. I should have left more. I will only be packing 2 days of clothes from now on instead of 3. My reasoning was I wanted a dry set if what I was wearing was wet and I what I washed was still wet.

I am a fan of the 2-gallon Ziploc clothes washing machine. I would not give up my hammock for anything. I loved the candle lantern.

I packed freeze-dried food and still had a heavy food pack. I eat two of those for dinner per day though so I had 18, plus 2 for an extra emergency ration. I attribute a lot of that weight to uneaten bannock and GORP.

I'm a fanatic about a blue barrel for food. I used it again later in the season for the real stinky food on a 10-day Canadian canoeing/fishing trip and can't say enough good things about them. I splurged and got the harness.

The Solomon water shoes I bought for this trip were garbage. I was expecting to have neoprene booties on due to the cold water, but didn't need to. I wanted to wet-foot and portage with these water shoes on. Instead I wore blisters into the arch of each foot by day 3. I had my North Face three-quarters along and ended up wet footing with those on some days and changing shoes on the longer portages.

I also loved my Exped mattress. Without that I think my back would have given me problems the whole trip. I had brought my lightweight bag and my +20 mummy. I used/brought the lightweight with a cotton sheet inside.

I still get teased by friends for going on solo trips. Their reasoning usually boils down to being afraid of being alone and especially being in the woods alone with a smattering of sissy. After years of doing it the creepies get less and less and you get to know the difference between the sound of a mouse and a deer or even bear. Didn't lose any sleep on this trip to the heebie-jeebies. But then again, maybe some imbibery and being hard of hearing helps out!!

I will always use Piragis as an outfitter. Great guys with great advice.

If you decide to take the plunge and do a lengthy solo, dig yourself in several days from your exit point so that it will take a few days to get out anyways. Slow down and enjoy the moment. Open your ears and paddle quietly.

I am planning another trip early May. I want some colder water and weather and perhaps some more solitude. I'm going to pack lighter and do more miles. Hopefully the ice is out by then. I haven't decided if I will go solo, or if I will go into the Q. We shall see. Can't wait to plan the next trip...hopefully a trip with less gear.