We all do almost everything without reflecting on what we are really doing. Big things like being apart of society or even the small things like taking the trash to the curb.
Some really important things like deciding who to spend the rest of your life with.

Are we just to busy with inputs /stimulation to reflect on what we are doing as we are doing it?

Canoeing SOLO the whole trip you can spend in reflection, in my case anyways.
Just about immediate little things, say your paddle stroke or bigger things like your surroundings.

Which leads me to certain Questions or Reflections when I am canoeing SOLO.


But I keep coming back to this question when I am out there by myself.

What's the point of doing this if there is no one here to see or share it with?
I have yet to find the answer to this one.

A few others are
Why?
What was I thinking?
Is this really what I wanted?
Do I find this enjoyable or just the idea of it?
What was I thinking?
Is this worth the effort and planning, expense.

I am not sure I am making any sense here but


What questions do you ask when you are out SOLO
And did you find any answers?

_________________

A foolish paddler and their boat will soon part.

Depends on the time for me....I think...
7am my god the sky is amazing.
8am this food is great.
9am this is fantastic, I'm not at work.

7pm boy I'm tired, this is work.
8pm the sky is great.
9pm the bugs are amazing.

Tickles too much thought!
Except for the planning part!
There are times in the shoulder season I question when the weather goes south... but I quickly come back to my senses and just enjoy the moment. (s)

I am much more self-fulfilled on solo trips,
I usually don't have those questions.

Jeff

_________________
Choosing to save a river is more often an act of passion than of careful calculation. You make the choice because the river has touched your life in an intimate and irreversible way, because you are unwilling to accept its loss. — (David Bolling, Ho

I think all of those questions have gone through my mind while on a solo trip. Still, I just came back from another solo trip 3 days ago, so there you go...

The key is to be able to embrace the moment and let go of all of the mental clutter, including the questioning and self doubt, etc.

I find that the more I go solo, the more content I become with the experience. I've been solo tripping now for over 20 years. That said, I do feel a bit "soloed out" at the moment, and am looking forward to some group trips later in the season. Solo trips and shared trips are totally different in my opinion. I spent about 65 days solo last year, mostly two big trips and a couple small ones, and most years do at least a 3+ week solo plus a few small ones. I love the freedom and flexibility of planning and paddling alone, but will welcome the shared experience and shared labour in camp and on the ports on my upcoming trips.

Don't give up on the solos. The biggest hurdle to a successful solo trip is psychological, 100%. And don't worry too much if you have moments of doubt, especially later in the day. It is very common Even trappers and woodsmen of old refer to this if you read the literature. For me, early to mid-day is filled with the most enthusiasm, while, if you're ever going to start over-thinking, it'll usually be later in the day.

_________________

www.mikemonaghan.ca

I'm generally wondering just what I said to cause my cute little Canadian gal to abandon me this time, and did I leave a cooktop burner on?

One thought that has recurred specifically while running a rapids solo goes a lot like this "How the hell did I end up running this rapid backwards.... again!

_________________
Bryan's website - http://pawistik.net
ColdspringPaddling.com

If I am in my favored frame of mind, not many. On open water I occasionally ask “Is this wind ferry angle gonna work for turning broadside at that that next peninsula?”, or, when it is wildly windy, “Oh shit, why did I get this far offshore?”.

In moving water I snap into awareness at the sound of rapids or the glimpse of a strainer and ask myself “What is the best set up and approach route” or “Do I dare try sneaking around that strainer, and if I get close it is a no go, what is plan B?”

But once I fall into a comfortable paddling cadence I escape into empty headedness. Pre-retirement my work necessitated being on my toes and 100% engaged at every moment, and tripping was liberation from that workaday awareness overload. Post-retirement that pattern has not changed much.



Answers, no, but I didn’t really go in with any questions. Peace and happiness, yes.

I don't think, I experience and appreciate the solitude, the stillness and quiet (mental, the lakes can be not-so.-quiet....). Just me and the woods.

_________________

Website: http://www.hunter-gatherer.org/en/

Photo site: httpp://www.hunter-gatherer.org/images/

In the past I would question the worth of what I had gone through to get on the Boreal waters for the first days of a long trip. Those feelings always passed so now I know to go through the motions those first paddling days and the passion will be there when I wake about day five. By the third week my only question is "What are the potentials dangers in front of me at the moment." As a month long trip nears its end I ponder how a food drop would allow me to stay paddling in the bush for another.

_________________
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheNorthwoodsman1

What did I forget at home?

Rarely. I use an overly comprehensive, all seasons, all travel packing list that encompasses everything from day paddles to long tripping outings, family, group or solo, local or cross country, hunting, fishing, foraging anything and everything.

It makes me feel I am making major packing strides when I come to a winter camping or hunting section and rapidly cross items off the list.

That list is constantly evolving, and is still far from the perfect.

When out on family trips there are “What did I forget to do at home” things I really should add to that list as a non-gear sidebar. Things like “Turn off water” and “Put a hold on the mail”, both of which I routinely overlook.

I use a list too.
Toilet paper is on it.
TP seems to stay home too often.
Booking off work is on that list too. I forgot to do that once.

I never forgot to book time off work (no longer a concern). I did neglect the out-of-office email and voice mail messages and paid the price.

It has been too long since I revised my comprehensive packing list. There isn’t much left to come off the list, but there are a few items that should go on.

Tripping truck gear and accessories needs its own section, and a sidebar of stuff to do at home before leaving wouldn’t hurt. It’s a big mailbox, but the missus gets 3 catalogs a day.