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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Listening Point - General Discussion :: Start to Finish
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| Author | Message Text | ||
| mmrocker13 |
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| timatkn |
thegildedgopher: "when both my dad and kid backlash their baitcasters on back to back casts and I have to pretend to be patient :)" You forgot…AND the fish are biting like crazy…by the time you fix the messes the bite has died down :) |
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| MidwestMan |
timatkn: "Doing too much…knowing when to back off…I like a physical challenge and testing myself. I’d single portage a mile portage not because I need to but just to see if I can…then the next time, could I do it faster more efficiently. It’s hard to explain because it isn’t like I am competitive…if you are faster and can carry more I wouldn’t be jealous, probably impressed but not jealous…if you are slower who cares as long as you enjoy the trip. It’s more of a competitive with myself. How can I be more efficient? But it’s a balancing point of liking to push yourself but not taking unneeded risk or pushing others that don’t enjoy it and ruining their trip. I also want to go to lakes no else has been too as well…that usually means harder portages. T, I relate to your response quite a bit. I’m about to turn 30 in September but I still love the grind of a physical challenge. Just to see if I can do it. I don’t take unnecessary risks and it’s by no means a way of showing off. And, as you said, it’s also not a competitive thing between me and whoever else. It’s 100% internal. Thanks for sharing. |
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| bwcadan |
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| MidwestMan |
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| MidwestMan |
Minnesotian: " I think this will be the most common response, and understandably so. For me, navigation is the most challenging aspect. My map reading skills are subpar. Then, once I’m actually on the water, everything starts to look the same real fast. I’d be a horrible trip leader/guide. I’d also have a hard go at a solo trip for this reason. I think I’d excel at the other aspects of a solo trip, but navigation is such a critical skill that I’d have to limit my trip to a very short physical distance. |
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| sns |
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| thegildedgopher |
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| timatkn |
Bringing my two young boys and my wife…I can say they like easy. :) Sometimes you have to go with the majority. An example I can give is on a trip with my wife. We had a PMA addition to our permit and we’re going to go to BakeKana lake off of Wisini. As we started to do the bushwhack, I could tell Sara just wasn’t feeling it. As much as it killed me, I said, “We don’t have to do this.” She immediately took the out. If I would have kept my mouth shut, I am sure we would have made it, but would she ever go back? I have no regrets, but scaling back and meeting the needs of the entire group is the hardest part of my trips. I don’t know if I described it correctly or not. I think I do this well, but in my head there is a battle going on… T |
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| HangLoose |
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| treehorn |
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| straighthairedcurly |
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| lundojam |
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| Canoearoo |
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| Spartan2 |
In my 20's, the most challenging part of a wilderness trip was lack of confidence. Having to rely upon one other person to know what to do, to be stronger than I, and to keep us safe. In my 30's, the most challenging part was just the logistics. Planning the meals, packing the right amount of gear, being sure there were enough snacks, worrying about insulin, syringes, test strips, Glucagon, and whether Spartan1 would have a debilitating insulin reaction out where there was no one but me to help. What I would do if he were unable to help us get back out? In my 40's the most challenging part became more about my own health. I developed osteoarthritis prematurely, actually in my early 40's. Aching joints accompanied every trip and my challenge was not to complain, not to be slow and cumbersome, and not to let it stop me from the adventure. About this time our trips became longer, and that actually made it easier for me, as my body adjusted to the change in sleep environment and activity. In my 50's the most challenging part was beginning to realize that this wouldn't last forever. We were having a trip every year by this time, and most were 9-10 days. I was wearing knee braces and taking pain pills. Spartan1 was on the kidney diet (low sodium, low protein, low potassium) and meal planning was a nightmare. We knew that he would either end up with a transplant or he would be on dialysis for years and our opportunities would slip away. There was a feeling of desperation about getting in a trip every year, and I think we enjoyed them more during this period than at any time. In my 60's it was a bit of a roller-coaster. '05 was a wonderful 11-day trip, and then '06 was a trip that gave us a physical scare for me. (Can't go into it, but it is all in the Elephant Trip trip report.) '07 gave us a nice little trip on Pine Lake, and then in '08 Spartan1 was on peritoneal dialysis. After his kidney transplant in '09, we had four more good trips, and in 2013 I realized that I no longer had the mobility to do this kind of travel. That trip wasn't pleasant. We were done. The things in the thread that I nodded about: storms at night, irritation at rude people met along the way, all of the various aspects of getting older (stiffness, pain, inability to get out of the canoe smoothly, and I would add clumsiness on slippery rocks and difficult landings.) I would also add paddling in whitecaps. I did it, and for the most part I did OK, but windy days were a challenge for me. The things I didn't associate with: anything to do with fishing. And the things I really didn't agree with: mainly the comments about the drive to and from. We always made the drive from wherever we lived (Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan) to the canoe country and back a "vacation". When we had the kids with us to drop them off at our friends' home in Minneapolis, we would camp along the way to and from. Later we found hotels and restaurants that we loved and they became "traditional". We tried different routes (across the U. P., or across the northern shore of Superior, or through Chicago and Wisconsin), so it didn't become boring. It was all a part of the adventure. We miss it. We miss the adventure of it, the new routes, seeing lakes we haven't seen before. We miss the portages and we miss the campsites. But we don't miss the canoe country, because we still return every summer and stay in a cabin for a week. I will be 77 on Sunday, and I just had my "fix" of canoe country lakes, rocks, trails, forests, and loon calls last month. Also, as our granddaughter kept saying, it was a "five moose trip!!!", so we felt like we hit the jackpot. |
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| MidwestMan |
sns: "Herding the cats." A task equal in difficulty as controlling your dreams and nightmares. |
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| pamonster |
I've had to squeeze in far too many two night trips. I just lose a day on each side so that's still four days away and I'm not up for leaving at 3:00am anymore. Fine in my 20s, not exciting in my 40s. With all the other things we like to do, scheduling enough time in the B-dub is my biggest challenge. Looking forward to retirement! |
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| missmolly |
The other challenge is getting into and out of the canoe. There's real peril there and especially because I'm not landing and camping at established campsites, but simply flat places that might not have a safe or cleared landing spot. |
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| Heyfritty |
thegildedgopher: "when both my dad and kid backlash their baitcasters on back to back casts and I have to pretend to be patient :)" Winner, winner! |
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| Heyfritty |
The tough part for me is finding fish because my sister loves to fish and this is about the only chance she gets. I shouldn’t complain though. A bad day of fishing is better than any day at work. Fritty |
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| MikeinMpls |
But mostly, like HangLoose, I have less and less tolerance for other people's bullshit...I have become a curmudgeon. I admit that. I think I am, at my core, saddened by the change in values in respect to the wilderness compared to when I was a boy...mostly having to do with simple consideration. Just one iota of understanding of how voices carry and the impact of noise on others experience. Unless there is an emergency, there is no reason whatsoever that one needs to yell. Police up your campsite. Move your yard sale to the side of the portage. Stop trying to circumvent the permitting process. And be quiet. Mike |
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| dschult2 |
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| Minnesotian |
The drive back after the trip is done. |
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| ockycamper |
Minnesotian: " +1 17 hour drive home |
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| PineKnot |
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| KawnipiKid |
Heyfritty: "thegildedgopher: "when both my dad and kid backlash their baitcasters on back to back casts and I have to pretend to be patient :)" Love this. This is not my toughest challenge these days because we don't bait cast. I did learn a lot about my father and a whole new salty lexicon as a boy in the 60s as he straightened out our frequent birdsnests. Why he let us use his red Garcia baitcast reels is still a mystery. I can still see him with a General McArthur corn cob pipe in his mouth biting so hard that I though he'd snap it and swearing out the other side with some truly creative expletives. My hardest part of the trip is camping the night before entry. In the same site on any other night I'd enjoy things much more. I'm more relaxed that in the distant past but still too twitchy to relax and enjoy a night of car camping. A close second is the drive home. |
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| Duckman |
The Bdub gods know it and sit patiently waiting for me to head back in and then blow a big nasty south wind for me to fight against down the long length of Sawbill. It just sucks the will and good vibes out of me. I don’t think a north wind is possible on that lake. |
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| DeanL |
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| merlyn |
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