• Happy First Sighting of Manatees by Columbus (1493)! 💧🐘

Looking back on 2024 and what’s ahead for 2025

eckilson

eckilson

Joined
Oct 9, 2016
Messages
204
Reaction score
357
Location
Woonsocket, RI
2024 was a pretty good paddling year of me – 54 trips with a good split between flatwater (19), whitewater (15) and sea kayak (18). What I didn’t get to do much of was camping – only 2 overnight trips. For 2025, I want to keep doing what I’m doing, but also get out on a couple of longer camping trips - maybe the ADK, or up in Maine. We’ll see.

How about you. How was 2024, and what are you planning in 2025?
 
3 trips last year, plan on 3 trips his year again.

Planning a week solo in the BWCA this year. Got a loop mapped out and planning to finally do some proper tripping.
 
2024 was my typical paddling and fishing on local rivers and our annual trip to the Ozarks. We're heading south for the winter this weekend so it'll be mangroves, keys, and gulf paddling for the first few months of 2025. I've been going down a whitewater rabbit hole on Youtube for the past few days because I ran across some old photos from the 80's and I was feeling nostalgic. I'm actually contemplating buying an appropriate boat and trying to get back into WW after 30+ years away from it. I'm not sure if I still have the athleticism and balance but I'd like to take a crack at it.
 
2024 was my worst/weakest/least (pick one) paddling year in over 20 years, only one seven day trip and no solo trip for the first time since 2013

2025 has got to be better, hopefully about 8 times better and include a 3 or 4 week solo trip.
 
2024 went to Wabakimi for 2 weeks. Six week tour of Canada/Alaska with the Thelon River thrown in the middle. Wanting to push the cold weather stuff did a last week of October trip in the ADK's.

2025 should have an ADK shakedown in May and canoeing the Missainabi in June. Then in August canoe the Fon du Lac in Saskatchewan. Will push the ADK cold weather stuff again this fall, maybe November this this time.

I am probably in the minority here, but outside of tripping I don't use my canoes, for years at a time in one case. Any canoeing I do in Western NY is in my Grumman with a trolling motor. Does that make me a bad person?
 
Does that make me a bad person?
Click to expand...
Trolling motor, double blade... you do you (I mean; sure we'll judge but we'll [usually] keep it to ourselves). 🤷‍♂️

--------------

I never get out as much as I'd like but I did manage to get back to Ontario in '24 and (contrary to what one might believe from the TR) I really liked the Marshall Lake loop. It's certainly on the "do that again" bucket list.

For 2025, I'm still thinking I can pull off 3 weeks in & around Wabakimi and, possibly, an Allegheny River trip in the Fall. Might even outfit myself with a hot tent but we'll see. (really should do a Spring run down the West branch of the Susquehanna... so much water, so little time)
 
Punkinhead said:
I've been going down a whitewater rabbit hole on Youtube for the past few days because I ran across some old photos from the 80's and I was feeling nostalgic. I'm actually contemplating buying an appropriate boat and trying to get back into WW after 30+ years away from it.
Click to expand...
You should go for it - class II/easy III - lot of fun. Limiting factor for most is the ability to kneel. Last year I overdid it early in the spring and got a bad case of bursitis in my knee. It was so bad that I thought I was done kneeling in a canoe and bought a sea kayak. Fortunately it settled down (knock wood) and I got out a lot this year. I still paddle the sea kayak though ;-)
 
Keeled Over said:
I am probably in the minority here, but outside of tripping I don't use my canoes, for years at a time in one case. Any canoeing I do in Western NY is in my Grumman with a trolling motor. Does that make me a bad person?
Click to expand...
I'm the opposite - most of my trips are day trips. Finding days is easy, but its been tough to take weeks at a time. Hopefully that will change this year.

I like trolling motors - especially on lakes traveling into the wind. I'm not proud.
 
2024 was a good year for me. I was able to check off items on my trip list, making 8 multi-day trips to the Adirondacks. Now that I have a canvas wall tent and stove I hope to get an early start this Spring.
 
I think this was my first year with no actual canoe trips. I did a few motorized trips in the freighter canoe, but no paddling trips. Hopefully I can change that this spring.
 
eckilson said:
How about you. How was 2024, and what are you planning in 2025?
Click to expand...
Sounds like a banner year for you. I didn't get out canoeing as often as that but had some great days on the water, did some car camping/canoeing, and even a canoe trip with friends in the Adirondacks. It was my first trip in a solo canoe (all tandem tripping previously) so I learned that my thirty year old tandem gear wasn't conducive to solo tripping. It worked, but was cumbersome/overkill for solo use. Did some research and ended up completely changing out my tripping gear so it's much more compact and lightweight. I'm all set for the canoeing season and have been planning trips I want to take. I also want to sharpen my freestyle technique and maybe even come up with a "routine"; more for play than performance. My audience will likely be limited to a few ducks and a kingfisher or two.
 
Last edited:
December 31, 2024 ... last paddle of the year... (cold and foggy):
IMG_2119.JPG

January 1, 2025 ... first paddle of the year.... (cold and sunny:)):
IMG_2127.JPG

IMG_2124 1.JPG
I have access to soft water almost all year round. I usually paddle there twice a week. Compared to some participants in this forum, I am privileged, which I sometimes forget.

In 2024 I visited Quetico (Ontario) for 6 weeks in Spring.
Planning another Spring trip in Wabakimi (Ontario) this year. I can hopefully sneak away from work for four to five weeks.

André
 
In addition to a bunch of day paddles I did a few overnights from the house to one of the campsites on the Connecticut, and really enjoyed it. Plan to do them more frequently this coming season. Also planning a trip down to the MA line -- 4 or 5 nights. May do it solo or, if I make the effort to talk someone into it, with a partner.

And I retire in April, so who knows what I may get up to with all that time on my hands?
 
Couple of two night river trips in Pennsylvania (clarion and Allegheny) and 10 days in boundary waters.

Otherwise, a few day trips on the cuyahoga, kokosing and Tuscarora rivers and numerous sea kayaking days on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

Pretty typical year that will largely repeat this year.
 
My main canoeing focus this year is going to be getting back into poling shape enough to do some upriver multi day trips. A long sickness followed by DVT and PE in '23 trashed my poling routine, and I didn't do any more than short stretches in '24.

I did get to paddle a lot of flat water day trips last year, but only one day of whitewater. I want to get back after that too. And if I can squeeze in one or two week long trips of any kind I'll be very happy.

One thing that I think will help is selling the sailboat come spring. As much as I like sailing, it's a huge distraction with no remotely practical purpose in my location. That will secure more time for paddling.
 
Last edited:
Keeled Over said:
I am probably in the minority here, but outside of tripping I don't use my canoes, for years at a time in one case. Any canoeing I do in Western NY is in my Grumman with a trolling motor. Does that make me a bad person?
Click to expand...

A few years back all I wanted to do was be in the canoe. 4-5 times/week was not uncommon. Taking a canoe trip was just icing on the cake and a way to put the skills I'd been working on to the test.

Now I might paddle lightly 1-2 times per year. Each year I think I'll get back into canoeing and each year I don't.

Alan
 
clemency said:
In addition to a bunch of day paddles I did a few overnights from the house to one of the campsites on the Connecticut, and really enjoyed it. Plan to do them more frequently this coming season. Also planning a trip down to the MA line -- 4 or 5 nights. May do it solo or, if I make the effort to talk someone into it, with a partner.
Click to expand...
The upper Connecticut River is great - nice campsites, easy paddling, perfect of a for putting together a couple of nights. We've done the sections from Canaan, VT to Blooomfield, VT; Bloomfield, VT to Lunenburg, VT; day trips on the reservoirs from Lunenburg, VT to Woodville, NH; Woodsville, NH to Orford, NH and Orford, NH to White River Junction, VT. If we continued, the next section would be Wilder Dam to Bellows Falls. The plan was to do it in the spring of 2020, then COVID hit and we've never gone back. Wouldn't take an awful lot of effort to talk me into joining you - the trouble is that I am still working. :(

​

 
2024 was pretty decent, took the family on the Bloodvien for 2 weeks in July and solo circumnavigated Lac La Ronge in September. Both trips were great, and both surpassed my expectations.
2025 will hopefully see the family heading to a mountain river in the Yukon and maybe a solo trip on Superior.
All the best to everyone in the new year!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

NoelCanoeDad
Trumbull Canoe Trails Trip Schedule
Replies
0
Views
555
NoelCanoeDad
NoelCanoeDad
eckilson
Year-end overnight camping trip on the Pawcatuck River in RI
Replies
6
Views
133
snapper
S
R
2024 subaru outback stock crossbars
Replies
15
Views
968
Marten
Marten
WonderMonkey
River and Lake Canoe Discussion and Input
2 3 4
Replies
61
Views
1K
Black_Fly
Black_Fly
Glenn MacGrady
What's your morning routine on canoe trips?
2
Replies
27
Views
1K
stripperguy
stripperguy
Back
Top