My First Solo Back Country Canoe Trip!
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- Опубликовано: 20 июн 2024
- I'm so excited to share my first solo back country canoeing adventure! I've been back country canoe tripping for a while now and wanting to branch out to do a solo trip. I had been to Frontenac Provincial Park twice before so it was familiar territory, and it felt like a safe place for me to push myself outside of my comfort zone. I didn't expect this humble little park to wow me as much as it did! From the wildlife, to the weather, to the once in a lifetime opportunity to view a total solar eclipse, I could not have asked for a better experience! As with any back country camping trip, the highs had to be earned and not everything went exactly to plan, but I wouldn't change any of it.
Mexican breakfast burritos:
www.allrecipes.com/recipe/851...
For anyone who watched my Big Trout video:
This video is a follow up regarding my hereditary cancer prevention journey. I have felt compelled to share my experience because I wanted to raise awareness about a topic that is not well known by the public. I think there is a lot of power in sharing difficult life experiences, no matter what they are. I hope that sharing my story can help even one person. Whether it sparks the idea to get tested for a hereditary cancer gene, or it inspires someone to face a fear related to cancer or not. I have found in life that usually anticipation and fear are the worst part of any difficult experience. Once I make the decision to do something scary, I am almost always glad that I did it, even if it's not right away.
Filming/editing/voiceover by:
Stephanie Finn
Title screens/thumbnails/editing consultation by: Pat Finn
Steph, I watched your trip from go to whoa. I'm in complete awe of you and that trip. You are a force of nature.
Thanks Dave! I’m glad you enjoyed it! I hope you and Carole are well 😊
Outstanding first solo canoeing adventure. Took me a few days to complete but that is my bad. Stephanie, this is well done and I was reminded of some good life directions. I also appreciated how lean your canoe gear was; lean and clean!
Thanks Michael! I’m glad you enjoyed. Yes, I definitely like to keep my gear as minimal as possible. I could have cut things out on this trip. I’m always learning 😊 Cheers!
Hi Steph! This was brilliant - from the trip itself to the production of the video! Bravo!! Nancy loved Frontenac, and paddled there several times. Pretty sure she was watching over you! Congratulations Steph!
Thanks Ed! I’m so glad she and Mary took a chance bringing me out there when I knew nothing. They have had a huge impact on my life. I’m so glad that I could share and you enjoyed it 😊
I think you did fantastic considering the first time..!!!!
Thank you! It wasn’t completely smooth but it’s rare that life is! Always learning 😊
A big rock or two in the bow can do wonders in a headwind. A tip from a very old man with years of solo travel. Have a good one.
We actually did that on our next trip! Way better than the bag sticking up! Thanks 😊
Liked. Subscribed. About to watch this video. Be safe.
Thanks Michael! I hope you enjoy!
Another awesome adventure Steph, an eclipse in the backcountry would be so surreal. Just you and nature to experience the whole thing (Pat along would have been better)😜.
We are so glad to hear and see that everything went well with your surgery. We are waiting to see more of your adventures.
Cheers✌.
Thanks guys!!! Surreal is a great way of describing it! It almost felt like magic. Pat is already planning for us to see 2026 solar eclipse in Iceland! He won’t miss that one lol
I’m glad I could share the adventure with you. I continue to recover well. I’m adding very light weights back into my daily stretching/exercise routine 😊. I’m hoping to do a 90km canoe/portage race in September!
Cheers!
Great video! Planning my first solo canoe trip this summer, so this was helpful and encouraging to watch :).
Thanks! I’m glad it could help. I didn’t want to make a video and pretend that I wasn’t scared and that everything went perfectly. It was an awesome experience, difficulty and all. I hope your first solo goes well!!
Just wow!
Stephanie ❤
Thanks 😊 I’m glad you enjoyed!!
Great Video, Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching! I’m glad you enjoyed 😊
Such a lovely video. The way you filmed and edited it was very professional. I'm glad this showed up in my suggested videos. Happy for you that you pushed past your fears and did it afraid (somewhat). Sorry about the bear but you can check that off your bucket list.
Thank you! I love canoe camping so much so sharing it feels this way feels like a natural progression of my obsession lol. Some of my favourite life experiences have been preceded by fear. I am learning to take calculated risks and trust myself.
I’ve had a bear outside the tent before but it feels very different when I’m alone! I consider it a “good” bear encounter since he ran away as soon as he heard me yell. Thanks for watching 😊
@@stephaniefinn488 It was my privilege. I love RUclips. Such great content to be found. Your strength and fortitude really inspired me. I'm in my 60's now but if I were your age, I'd like to be just like you. Blessings, sweetie. Thanks for your reply. I'll watch more of your videos. I'm sure I'm in for a treat. I think one day your channel will really take off. ~ Cheryl in NM.
@@Pack.Leader Thank you so much for the encouragement Cheryl! It can be scary to create and share videos when they come from the heart. It’s so lovely to hear that I can connect with others through this content 😊 I hope to continue!
@@stephaniefinn488 Please do !
great content 10/10 subscribed
Thank you! It’s definitely been a passion project for me. I’m so happy others are enjoying it too 😊 cheers!
Hi, Steph. I'm still working my way through your journey but i wanted to add a quick comment. I went on my first solo last fall (much credit to camperchristina for inspiring me to try solo). I have a boat very similar to yours. I purchase three 20L dry bags from aquaquest and put about 17L water in each. Then like you placed them in 'bow'. This is about 110 lbs so with this ballast, my packs and me, i am almost to the minimum weight for the p16. I just dumped the water at start of each portage and refilled at the other end. Worked quite well.
Ok this is a great strategy! That would definitely counter my weight and avoid having the dry bag sticking up. I didn’t love having the weight up high and the bag in all of my nice shots.
This would also be good for trimming the canoe properly while paddling tandem with my husband since we have a huge weight discrepancy and it makes it difficult for me to paddle stern (which I still do using rocks or a pack). It’s a great light weight solution. Thank you!
This was really cool!! As a twig stove nut, I really like yours. What kind is it if you don’t mind me asking. I have several but the one I use most on backpacking trips is the firebox nano with trangia backup for when it’s pouring.
Thank you so much for this! I’m a recovering alcoholic so my brain can spin out of control with anxiety and wild narratives when I’m backpacking solo.
Great capture of an early spring trip!
Take care. NQU
I love a stick stove too! We have two but this one is by far my favourite. I was actually missing the top half of it because I couldn’t fit it in my bag. It’s called a Kelly Kettle (if you love stick stoves, you likely know of them). The thing I love about the Kelly kettle, is the kettle part on top is essentially a chimney so it creates draw. It actually works better in windy conditions! We’re pretty obsessed with ours. Here’s the link in case you aren’t familiar:
www.kellykettle.com
I’ve been curious about the trangia and other alcohol stoves too. I love gadgets!
I’m glad you found value in the bit about facing fears and anxieties. I think it’s a common thing and it can be empowering if we talk about it. Good for you for taking on addiction, I imagine it isn’t easy but I’m sure being in nature helps.
Thanks for the chat 😊
how are you?~professional trip. have a nice day~
I’m glad you enjoyed! Thanks for watching 😊
This looks so beautiful! Well done video! Where’s the link for the Mexican burritos?
Thanks!! It was absolutely gorgeous. Hahaha I knew I was going to forget to put that in!!! Doing it now, thanks for the reminder!
Bearwatch systems fence might be good on a solo trip for killing the anxiety. I know a person who uses them in Algonquin, the ultralight version weighs about 2lbs. I've thought about buying one after I had a big chunky black bear wandering around my site who was not afraid of people at all.
Yikes!!!
I’ve definitely seen videos of people using them around grizzlies and polar bears. Good to know they come in an ultralight version. My bear encounters have all been “good ones” with the bear running away from me. I can’t imagine how scary it would be if the bear was not afraid of me though! Thanks for the info!
I’m planing my first big trip in algonquin for september, was supose to be a solo but a friend joinned, the biggest challenge is the food planing
I hope you do a solo trip eventually but going with a friend is fun too! Food planning can be tricky though. Depending on your experience level (and how much gear you own), Algonquin Outfitters do an awesome job at meal prepping and outfitting. If you want to do it yourself and you are into apps, we just got this one that looks really comprehensive (haven’t tried it out yet though). It’s $9, so pretty good! Happy planning 😊
www.paddlelikeagirl.com/product-page/notion-template-for-organizing-and-collaborating-on-your-outdoor-adventure-plann
@@stephaniefinn488 i did 2 trips last year, the first one i did with a friend, we did 45km with insane head winds for 2 days (1 night at a campground mid may) and the second was a solo in a provincial park for 2 nights, now im done dreaming about algonquin and planing it, the 2 first days its essy to eat fresh, but after that i need to learn stuff
@@Canal-gi8di awesome! I’m glad you’re making it happen! We have a dehydrator and make a lot of our own meals. It’s much cheaper and healthier than store bought. Dehydrators are only about $150 and there are lots of websites with recipes. I usually use this one: www.backpackingchef.com/backpacking-recipes.html
Happy planning 😊
@@stephaniefinn488 yeah i founded 3 identicle dehydrator cheaper then buying trays on market place, now i just need a vaccum sealer and its time to cook (walter white) next step its to find a date to bring in the woods with me
Also, 99% of solo males you will meet in the backcountry are there to be alone with their thoughts and nature. They want little to do with you. Read this as they're probably more afraid of you than you are of them. Just relax and enjoy your trip.
You are right, most humans (both men and women) are good at heart. From a female perspective, we don’t know who the 1% is who aren’t just alone in nature and may try something. There are no locks on tent zippers. I felt it was important to share my perspective in a male dominated hobby. I doubt any man ever goes out and feels afraid they might bump into a woman who could hurt them. I wanted to be completely honest about my concerns. I bet if you asked most women, they’d be worried about this too. It’s just something for everyone to think about.
@@stephaniefinn488 In todays male/female climate, men have genuine reason to fear meeting a woman alone. As far as the general 1% threat of the unknown, the possibility of being harmed, assaulted, robbed, or otherwise is universal anywhere for any gender. Men just accept it differently, but we still keep it in the back of our head as a possibility. We handle it differently than women.
You have a nice day and enjoy your time in the woods.
I really enjoyed this. I took my first solo backpacking trip last weekend up in Vermont in 32 years! I was terrified the whole week before and when I finally got out there and started hiking in, I started to relax and just get into the rhythm of the hike. I WILL say however that later on the first night a gentleman hiked in and set up camp solo and with his hardcore southern accent and the fact that he told me he had been hiking the Appalachian trail for two years now! I had created this crazy narrative in my mind that he had basically been on a killing spree for the last two years and was hiding out on the Appalachian trail!🙄. I unscrewed the snow baskets off of my trekking poles so they could be used as spears! He of course ended up being fine and sadly my firebox nano kept sending smoke all the way over to his tent spot but it had been raining a lot. He was gone before I awoke the following morning. My biggest fear is always bears but ironically in the middle of the first night I heard what I thought was skunks and THOSE do terrify me!! Black bears run away when you yell and bang. There was also a ridge inner staying at the same csmping spot as I so that helped. I’m a skinny 53 year old male. You seem extremely level headed and really cool!
Take care.
@@notquiteultralight1701 thanks for sharing your story! It’s amazing what the mind can get up to when it’s left to its own devices! It can spin stories up that are so much scarier than the truth! That’s why I made sure I was prepared for things that really could happen and just got out there. Most people are kind and talking usually takes the fear out of the situation. Experience solo camping will teach me to ease into it more quickly so I hope to do more 😊. Skunks can definitely be scary too. I had a job gardening when I was a student and I worked beside a sweet family of three skunks and we got along just fine. I saw them most days for months and I feel like we developed an understanding hahaha
I’m so glad others can relate to me. Thanks 😊
I’m a wannabe “Lost Lakes” tripper! We have lakes and rivers in Oklahoma but the solitude and alone time available in Northern wilderness is severely lacking due to access for large numbers of folks using our parks and streams here. We’ve canoed BWCA once and hope to return after upcoming retirement. Thanks for sharing your adventures!
I love Lost Lakes too! We’ve been watching his channel for years. We are very lucky to have the expanses of wilderness that we do here in Canada. Boundry Waters look beautiful too! Apparently you can paddle right into Canada from there! (The park connects with Canadas Quetico - a Park that’s on our paddle list!). I hope you get back there and even come to Canada if you can! Thanks for watching Gary, I’m glad you enjoyed 😊
@@stephaniefinn488 I forgot to mention that after many years of owning an 80lb Mad River Royalex we purchased a Swift Prospector Combi canoe. I love the beauty of Bill Swifts canoes and I’m especially drawn to RUclips video canoeists paddling a Swift canoe. We have a Son and grandson down in Lafayette Louisiana and a Swift canoe distributor happens to be located there. Pack and Paddle is the dealer in Lafayette. I had my eye on the beautiful red 16’ prospector but my wife preferred the greenish gray 15’ canoe that they had in stock I hope it’s big enough for gear and big “doodle” dog! She was only 4 months old on the last trip with a rented Wenonah from Ely. ……so in the interest of a longer happy marriage we compromised and bought the one she liked ( compromise?). Anyway we love your videos! Keep them coming! New subscriber.
@@garyl3819 we love the swift canoes as well! I’ve paddled three different models and loved them all! (Prospector16, keewayden 16 and solo pack boat 12). We’re really lucky to live close(ish) to the Swift outlet. We pop in almost every time we head north to paddle. Sounds like you’re lucky to have a swift dealer in the family! Compromise is key to a happy marriage… but maybe you need a his and hers canoe hahaha.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the videos! I’m loving creating and sharing them 😊 happy paddling!
Ps: I hope the dog fits in the boat! lol
@@stephaniefinn488 His canoe is a real possibility!🤓👍
@@garyl3819 that would be a real compromise! Hahaha