Hello All-- Well, thought this was a good thread with which to break my lurker-ness! I've been following for a few months, enjoy PaddleWise immensely. I'm an enthusiastic gregarious person in 'real life'--one of the things I love about being on the water and in the wilderness is connecting with my quieter self. Letting Nature do most of the talking. One startling moment after spending a month in Baja on my NOLS course (November 99)--watching the pasta boil on my gas range at home and wondering if there was enough fuel left. Also, deciding if I had enough fresh water (while standing in front of my own sink) to brush my teeth, or whether to walk back to the ocean. :) I'm planning to spend several weeks on the Maine Island Trail this summer--anyone have stories to share or interested in talking about a trip? Regards, Claire __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send online invitations with Yahoo! Invites. http://invites.yahoo.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Hello all... Fun thread! I remember returning to Montreal after a summer spent in an Inuit seal-hunting camp and realising I was walking along one of the main streets looking for a suitable place to relieve myself where I would be free of the sled dogs... Oops! No sled dogs in Montreal... One of the small but important benefits of civilization. When kayaking solo in the arctic a few years ago I really wondered how I would enjoy being alone. Each day got better and better. I didn't want it to end. One evening I began looking for a camp site and picked a point up ahead as a possible stopping place. As I rounded the point I saw my spot already taken by a family out at their fishing camp. I was totally stunned to see them and just sat there looking at actual people. They had seen me first and were waving me in, but I realised my thrill of being solo was over and found it hard to join them. I was so surprised at my feelings. Their warm tea and bannock not to mention northern hospitality soon had me back to normal, but the thrill of going solo or in small groups has become important to me ever since. Michael Bradley Hatley Village, Quebec *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Claire wrote: > after spending a month in Baja on my NOLS course (November 99)-- I also did one of my first big trips with NOLS, from Bella Bella to Port Hardy (in July/August 1998 a much balmier time to do it than Doug Lloyd's famous trip.) Great way to learn to be cautious and self-sufficient (relatively speaking with all the petrochemical clothing we were wearing.) Going in to the mall in Port Hardy after four weeks out was real culture shock! I like both solo tripping and going with others, they're just very different experiences. I just finished a 12-day Baja trip (Loreto to La Paz in February) with just one other guy and it was great, but with the wrong person it could be tough with no one else to talk to or mediate. I wrote up a trip report with photos for my club's web site - if anyone is interested you can link to it from the trip reports page on www.nspn.org - a NE Massachusetts based club. I'm in the process now of planning a two week trip on Notre Dame Bay in Newfoundland for July. I'm planning to spend several weeks on the Maine > Island Trail this summer--anyone have stories to share > or interested in talking about a trip? I've been on a couple of parts of the Maine Island Trail - some solo, some with others. Very beautiful, but for my taste a bit busy at times. My favorite is to go mid-week in May or September/October before the crowds (all kinds) come out. Just me and a few lobster boats. I hear that way "down east" is where you get most away from most of the people, but haven't been up that far yet. You should also know that MITA is beginning to be a concerned about over use of many of the islands - some parts of the trail have just gotten too popular. > *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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