One last chance

[Black_Fly]

Well, my shoulder is in paddling condition, I can also hoist my heaviest canoe onto my shoulders. The problem is weight on top of the grafts, like a backpack strap or yoke. Had all my gear together and groceries sealed in bear vaults, permit for Seagull entry on 5/15, then 7/7. Now I’m hoping another month and the shoulder will be ready to bear weight on portage. I was able to get another entry permit for 8/19, but for a different lake. Permits are like hens teeth, can’t remember having such trouble. I’ll probably have to cancel this reservation also, but there’s a chance. Sometimes I feel like it’s over, time to look forward to day trips, forget camping in the backcountry, sell the last of my camping gear. Then, I get to missing the scenery, the loons calling, the fishing. I get energized. How do you know when you’re over the hill?

 

[eckilson]

I'm a relative youngster (turned 64 yesterday), but I do have some friends that are in their mid-70's. Paddle days are a little shorter, and we avoid long portages, but I still do my best to drag them out, and maybe carry a little more of the load than I might have otherwise. Hopefully in 10 or 15 years when I am wondering if I'm over the hill, there will be some youngsters still dragging me out. ;-)

 

[ppine]

You can portage with a tump line. You have to have the will to stay out there. .
I have sold my last canoe. It was not easy.
I still have one boat, a Hyde drift boat that I use for everything. It has a motor for lakes.

 

[Jmharrick]

I know solo tripping/paddling is what a lot of the members here enjoy, but I think the best solution to the age problem would be finding a strong young person to go on tandem trips with. It could be a grandkid or young person they’ve met that’s interested in the sport but doesn’t have the gear/money to do it themselves.

Said young person could carry the canoe and the heaviest packs, do all the heavy lifting around camp, and also provide an insurance policy in case an emergency arises for the older paddler. This may also help with spouses who are reluctant to let their 70+ yr old loved one leave for a week in the backcountry.

This would be a win/win because the younger paddler would also get the benefit of the knowledge and experience they could learn from the more seasoned paddler, and the more seasoned paddler should have a sense of passing the torch on to the younger generation.

I know this might be easier in theory than in practice, but it really seems like the best option.

-Jake

 

[Black_Fly]

Tried that Jake. My kids and grandkids are too soft, prefer A/C and video games. Living in Ohio most of the time, I don’t really know any canoe trippers, let alone young ones. Ohio is a wasteland of shopping malls and smelly water…and soft people who can’t hack.

 

[kbobb]

I know solo tripping/paddling is what a lot of the members here enjoy, but I think the best solution to the age problem would be finding a strong young person to go on tandem trips with. It could be a grandkid or young person they’ve met that’s interested in the sport but doesn’t have the gear/money to do it themselves.

Said young person could carry the canoe and the heaviest packs, do all the heavy lifting around camp, and also provide an insurance policy in case an emergency arises for the older paddler. This may also help with spouses who are reluctant to let their 70+ yr old loved one leave for a week in the backcountry.

This would be a win/win because the younger paddler would also get the benefit of the knowledge and experience they could learn from the more seasoned paddler, and the more seasoned paddler should have a sense of passing the torch on to the younger generation.

I know this might be easier in theory than in practice, but it really seems like the best option.

-Jake

This is a good idea however, speaking as someone in their 60s, I would be upfront with the young person that I may have an MI, stroke or other potentially fatal event and want that young person to have the option of saying - yes I can deal with that or no I don't want the responsibility for caring for you in that situation.
I worked in health care all my life and can tell you people are affected, sometimes for very long periods, when confronted with a person dying in front of them.

 

[Gamma1214]

How do you know when you’re over the hill?

When I'm under it. Until then I hope to always find a way.

 

[Black_Fly]

You can portage with a tump line. You have to have the will to stay out there. .
I have sold my last canoe. It was not easy.
I still have one boat, a Hyde drift boat that I use for everything. It has a motor for lakes.

Tump lines are not for me. I have degenerative disc disease and an old injury in my neck (not sure the source). Anyway, I’m supposed to avoid neck alignments at the chiropractor so I’m pretty sure the tump is a no no. Getting old is double edged. Old stuff that was of no consequence suddenly matters and new conditions are always popping up.

I pretty much decided to attempt the 8/19 entry, and base my route on how well the shoulder bears weight. The outfitter suggested my backup route could be one that only requires one portage. I won’t be out of the fray, but maybe I’ll get some scenery and some loons. Hopefully, I can do a loop and hit some of my favorite lakes.

 

[ppine]

Get some wheels for your boat.

 

[recped]

For the last 10 years I've done a mix of solo and "group" trips, by group I mean 1 - 3 other paddlers but they always been with solo boats for all. For the 15 years prior to that it was almost always a small group of solo boats, I wasn't doing trips on my own.

All those tripping partners were found online (primarily MyCCR). When considering a potential partner, age has always been a factor, If they were less than 20 years younger than me they would be pretty much disqualified.

I just turned 70, the oldest of my tripping partners are just hitting 50 the rest early 40's, I have told them all to stay in shape so that in x number of years they can carry me down the river.

The only problem with this plan is that all of them now have wives and kids and jobs and just can't get away for long trips. that is what drove me to going out on my own.

The guy I've done the most trips with in the past 12 years....

current age 42 - check
can get 3+ week holiday periods - check
wife but no kids - acceptable
has dabbled in power lifting - check
is a paramedic - CHECK
likes paddling solo - check
quiet - check
loves paddling anytime/anywhere- check
similar ww skills - check
has all his own boats/gear - check
doesn't consume alcohol - check
pothead - check
never whines - CHECK
all round nice person - bonus points


There are potential sherpas out there but you have to be proactive to "harvest" these people. Some prefer to "grow their own".

 

[Black_Fly]

Get some wheels for your boat.

Got some, but not allowed in BWCA. Not sure about Quetico.

 

[memaquay]

I haven't been in Quetico, but if it's anything like the usual routes up here, wheels will be a hinderance, the ports are usually goat trails.

 

[Black_Fly]

I haven't been in Quetico, but if it's anything like the usual routes up here, wheels will be a hinderance, the ports are usually goat trails.

Yeah, I can’t see a cart working in Quetico or anything but the most crowded routes in BWCA, regardless of regulations.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

For the last 10 years I've done a mix of solo and "group" trips, by group I mean 1 - 3 other paddlers but they always been with solo boats for all. For the 15 years prior to that it was almost always a small group of solo boats, I wasn't doing trips on my own.

All those tripping partners were found online (primarily MyCCR). When considering a potential partner, age has always been a factor, If they were less than 20 years younger than me they would be pretty much disqualified.

I just turned 70, the oldest of my tripping partners are just hitting 50 the rest early 40's, I have told them all to stay in shape so that in x number of years they can carry me down the river.

The only problem with this plan is that all of them now have wives and kids and jobs and just can't get away for long trips. that is what drove me to going out on my own.

The guy I've done the most trips with in the past 12 years....

current age 42 - check
can get 3+ week holiday periods - check
wife but no kids - acceptable
has dabbled in power lifting - check
is a paramedic - CHECK
likes paddling solo - check
quiet - check
loves paddling anytime/anywhere- check
similar ww skills - check
has all his own boats/gear - check
doesn't consume alcohol - check
pothead - check
never whines - CHECK
all round nice person - bonus points


There are potential sherpas out there but you have to be proactive to "harvest" these people. Some prefer to "grow their own".

This is the way.

I couldn't have done the BWCA trip last year without my nephew and his paddling buddy. And the two of them check all the right boxes.


I've found a small group of other qualified local individuals who also fill that role from time to time, and my son on the other side of the state (where all the best water is) even provides "drift boat support".

I can still do less ambitious trips on my own, but I fully intend to take advantage of others' youth when I can't.

 

[Marten]

Gather all those that are done with portaging and plan a fly-in base camp type trip. That is my norm now at 73. I can still portage but prefer a base camp and day tripping. BWCA and QUETICO are a miniscule portion of canoe country. Heading in for 6 weeks shortly and doubtful I will see anyone but my friends.

 

[scoutergriz]

Yeah, I can’t see a cart working in Quetico or anything but the most crowded routes in BWCA, regardless of regulations.

I find that most routes in N-central or northern Ontario don't like portage carts, the granite, quartzite, and exposed spruce roots chew them up in no time, no matter how much you baby them...

 

[Odyssey]

If you start numbering the years you'll start numbering the seasons. Then you'll number the trips and eventually get down to the days. This is where and when you'll find yourself clock watching. That's no way to live. Make plans, sensibly adjust the expectations, and accept the consequences of time. Then try to explore/embrace a new set of possibilities. Just because some of us are well past our Best Date doesn't mean we've hit our Expiry Date. That comes in time to us all. You can sit and wait, and watch that clock, or you can make new plans...

 

[PaddlingPitt]

If you start numbering the years you'll start numbering the seasons. Then you'll number the trips and eventually get down to the days. This is where and when you'll find yourself clock watching. That's no way to live. Make plans, sensibly adjust the expectations, and accept the consequences of time. Then try to explore/embrace a new set of possibilities. Just because some of us are well past our Best Date doesn't mean we've hit our Expiry Date. That comes in time to us all. You can sit and wait, and watch that clock, or you can make new plans...

I think you have provided an appropriate perspective, Odyssey.


In the summer of 2022, Kathleen and I completed our last northern Canada wilderness canoe trip. To fill the void we finally accepted our daughter Monica’s annual invitation to share her passion for cruising. In May of 2023 we cruised for nine days from Barcelona to Rome, with Monica, her partner Sean, and Sean’s son & wife. We began the trip by flying to Barcelona three days before the cruise. We ended the trip by staying in Rome for three days after the cruise. The highlights for us were the three days in Barcelona and Rome, respectively, where we strolled the streets, revelling in the architecture, and marvelling at the history. We also very much enjoyed sitting at sidewalk cafes with a glass, or two, of chardonnay, absorbing the unending vibrant street life parading past. Our hotel room in Rome looked out in two directions above the street immediately below. We left our bedroom windows open at night so that we could hear people promenading and relaxing in the evening warmth.

During the cruise, we visited the Pope’s Palace in Avignon, explored the Villefranche port, toured Nice and Saint-Paul de Vence, rode the train to Florence, climbed the tower of Pisa, ate focaccia and pesto in Genoa, and dined on original pizza in Naples.



We never asked ourselves whether or not visiting Europe was as good as canoe tripping in Northern Canada. Both activities excelled in their own way. Just different, desirable experiences for different stages of our life.

Thanks for broaching the topic, Odyssey.