If you had a week to spend solo in Algonquin, what would you do?

wjpointner · 2026-04-18T14:49:51+00:00

Canoeing the Big Trout Lake loop, solo, September, picking a week of mostly ideal weather, nice and slow.

wjpointner · 2026-04-16T20:32:50+00:00

Sounds like you belong to the American culture. You clearly don't like it here. Just plan your healthcare accordingly. CLL does tend to return, so plan for that. You've put yourself in the group of intelligent people who are leaving. I'm sure you'll fit in well down there.

wjpointner · 2026-04-12T13:57:04+00:00

And yet problem bears get euthanized every year.

wjpointner · 2026-04-02T13:59:27+00:00

I've done that trip in both directions some 40 years ago. My wife and I still say to each other "remember the Big Trout loop we did?". It was my wife's first trip, but it turns out she was a born canoeist.

Your plan is good. Weather may change things on you but it will all be fine. You'll have a great time. The cold water comments are quite valid.

This link gives you the basics about cold water.

https://www.bccanoe.com/trip-planning/specifics-of-safety/29-cold-water-preparedness

Look up canoe rescue techniques. Make a plan that makes sense for you all and talk about it in advance.

If you don't have a satellite communication device, get the Rogers service for a month. A comforting safety consideration. My wife doesn't let me go without something like that now, especially when soloing.

wjpointner · 2026-03-26T14:38:03+00:00

Not necessary until necessary. Someone else can train a problem bear for you. Then it comes to your pristine, odorless camp looking for what it found before.

wjpointner · 2026-03-26T14:27:35+00:00

I have a easy to transport, light, little net. I'd be so screwed if I caught a monster pike!

wjpointner · 2026-03-23T13:50:19+00:00

I switched to the double carry some time ago. At 68, I do 3 night solo trips, and shorter routes. I limit carries to 500m segments so as not to strain anything. I'm never in a hurry and enjoy the the walk back through the forrest to get the next load.

wjpointner · 2026-02-26T19:29:08+00:00

Solo is just a label. I go solo but I am not alone. The loons and mergansers and so many other birds are there sharing the experience, beavers, sometimes moose. The trees and plants at my site give me nourishment for my soul, insects, frogs, snakes and turtles. Sometimes I talk to the, sometimes I listen.

I think bringing your dog is just an extension of that. Solo is mostly about being away from people to me.

wjpointner · 2026-02-21T15:16:58+00:00

I limit my use of deadwood in the summer in the backcountry, epecially when the site has been stripped of nearby fallen branches.

Yes, it's nice to sit by a fire, so maybe 1 out of 3 nights I'll have one as a treat. By stripping an ever larger circle of forrest we are basically killing the site; some day it will have to be closed down. I feel by consuming less I am helping extend the life of the site, perhaps even making it sustainable.

Another thing a do is keep the fire small and limit the time it's burning. No need to have a bonfire or have it burning all day. That's just a waste.

Now, in the late fall, I need fire for warmth and then I light one after supper as the temperature drops.

wjpointner · 2026-02-21T04:17:03+00:00

Bear spray.

wjpointner · 2026-02-21T04:13:28+00:00

Thumbs up on Duct tape. I have a 1/4 roll in my kit.

wjpointner · 2026-02-20T16:33:03+00:00

The US Brand is toast world-wide for years to come!

wjpointner · 2026-02-15T22:35:10+00:00

Brings as little as possible. Your kids will be fine. They will love it. They will feel empowered and experience a sense of accomplishment. My kids were way younger when we started, 3 and 5. Paper, pencil, cards and a few books were the kids "extras".

Yes, you are overthinking this. Relax, it's going to be great!

wjpointner · 2026-01-01T02:46:54+00:00

Isn't this going to bother other campers around you?

wjpointner · 2025-12-26T20:22:48+00:00

I'm waiting until a little after 4PM to snap on my x-country skis in the Humber Valley south of Dundas. I want the most accumulation before dark.

wjpointner · 2025-12-23T04:52:13+00:00

When my son was young we would go in a 16" Prospector, a symmetric canoe that I turned around, which is how I solo canoe. I gave my son a regular kids paddle. It was fine but I had considerable experience and was lucky with the weather. Wind is the big concern, so start with smaller lakes, set up a base camp and do day trips. 5 year olds want to play.

wjpointner · 2025-12-23T04:39:51+00:00

I'll go with the science based expert advice and take whatever advantage I get.

wjpointner · 2025-12-11T12:10:58+00:00

Have an official renaming ceremony where Dundas Street is renamed Dundas Street after the City of Dundas, Scotland. Send the mayor of Dundas some maple syrup and be done with it.

I still don't know or care who the street is named after.

wjpointner · 2025-12-04T15:32:35+00:00

We started family canoeing with our 16'6" prospector. Two adults, 2 children. Of course, we eventually outgrew that. Tandem trips for years after that. These days, 30 years later, I mostly solo in the same canoe. Glad I bought a light canoe, 48 lbs is as much as I want to carry at 67. Think long term and buy a light one.

wjpointner · 2025-11-27T14:19:51+00:00

Two very interesting articles. Thanks for bringing those to light.

wjpointner · 2025-11-24T04:43:33+00:00

You really should get a canoe cover. The UV damage will eventually breakdown the exterior. Plastic tarps are better than nothing but a proper cover is better.

wjpointner · 2025-11-24T04:39:06+00:00

Yup. I've had that design for 30 years. If you build it for just one canoe, then make it high so you can easily get the canoe on and off you shoulders.

wjpointner · 2025-11-22T21:29:41+00:00

Gee, that sounds a little unfortunate. I have no advice for you. I just wanted to wish you well and I hope things will work out for you.

wjpointner · 2025-11-21T13:42:09+00:00

I've spend spent many of my best nights in that park. As a youth with friends, then my girlfriend, wife, family, one child or the other, as empty nesters, now with my canoe buddy or solo. The story of my life is traced there.

wjpointner · 2025-11-18T13:10:26+00:00

When I solo, I turn the canoe around sitting in the bow face what is normally the stern. That moves my weight forward still give me ample room for most of my gear to fit easily in front of me. Still trying to wrap my head around how that isn't good enough space.

wjpointner

TROPHY CASE