going solo


A few times a year I attempt to take a short solo canoe trips, usually no more than two or three days.  The duration of the trip is influenced by a myriad of externalities; family and work responsibilities, water levels, and how much I feel like working at playing.

Solo tripping is awesome, but it is work.  You’re responsible for everything; loading, paddling, unloading, cooking, cleaning, unpacking, setting up, tearing down, packing, loading, paddling, unloading.  Like the shampoo bottle says: lather, rinse, repeat.  It’s a chiastic process repeated daily.

Something goes haywire?  You’re on your own.  Fishhook in the thumb?  Deal with it.  Forget matches?  I hope you like eating canned chili cold, which is very much like eating dog food, only I hear dog food is better.

The upside?  Absolute solitude.  No timeline but your own.  If you want to eat last night’s leftovers for breakfast, you do it.  If you want to stop and take a nap for an hour or two, no problem.  Get up when you want to.  Paddle when you want to.  Sleep when you want to.  You are as free as a bird.

Besides, the worst thing that can happen would happen anyway.

 

 

 

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