View topic - Preparing for old age solo canoeing

that's true I could really use that two hole console, especially when I'm pishing for the elusive hairy woodpecker and don't want to spill my drink.

pishing
Tried it yesterday.. the loon rammed the canoe..Maybe best for songbirds.

here is a how to
https://www.thespruce.com/pishing-to-at ... rds-386698

Any activity you like is a good add on.
for me Photography waiting for those special moments in light and surroundings.
(no fake filters for me)
As said earlier whether Tai-chi or yoga or a program that interests you.
And practice!
Paddle, hiking, bush skills.
With a good solid base you will feel much more in control or your emotions.
This reenforcing will keep you on the positive side of things when the weather goes the wrong way or you feel a little off when you are out there.
The paddle practice will give you better endurance and the paddle part of your trips will be more enjoyable.
A double blade can make a huge difference in both ease, and in harder conditions.
Forget the single carries, take your time.
Eat well!
Don't be afraid to change your plans weather, water levels and any other situation that makes you uncomfortable.
On your trips be flexible to change, for bad weather or just some spot that catches the spirit of your mood.
Solo paddling for us older folks is just the same as solo for younger folks.
It is a mindset,
just a little different
Jeff

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Choosing to save a river is more often an act of passion than of careful calculation. You make the choice because the river has touched your life in an intimate and irreversible way, because you are unwilling to accept its loss. — (David Bolling, Ho

Wouldn't a cart be better than dragging?

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Old canoeists never die---they just smell that way.

I can't remember the last time I was on a portage where a cart would do anything except create an extra trip to carry it across....

I also drag my boat on most (shortish) portages, usually with just the "danglers" but sometimes mostly fully loaded.

When I get home I slap another layer of s-glass on the wear spots and I'm set for the next trip.

In some circles I'm known as "The Canoe Killer"

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"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915

Of course---wasn't thinking. Another seniors' moment!

!

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Old canoeists never die---they just smell that way.

To clarify, it is best, for me, to find that quiet looking and listening spot somewhere away from camp. If I am in camp I am too easily distracted from quiet contemplation by noticing some minor housekeeping details. Oh, I should fix that line. I guess I oughta reorganize the tent for the night. And hang some clothes on the line. The visual disturbance of tent and tarp alone prevents me from falling into any natural world reverie.

On river trips I will wander encumbered by chair and journal and daypack essentials bag (recped) and a beverage or three, out of sight of camp to some spot with a beguiling view. Often that is only a hundred yards away, and in a really pleasant resting place I end up spending most the day there. Sometimes, admittedly, having moved half the camp creature comforts down to that refuge.

That interesting spot to sit, listen and look is usually not the place that had space and drainage for a tent and tarp. Don’t forget to pack a lunch.

One lake or bay trips I put a more complete day’s load in the canoe and paddle off a mile or two in search of such a spot. At some frequently visited venues I have my spot, with just the right combination of sun, shade, bug breeze and view, which I return to trip after trip.

My annotated maps have places self-named Mike’s Beach and Picnic Point.

D.B., great topic, especially with tripper folk containing an oversized population of sexagenarian paddlers.

Thanks for the posts, something to ponder

That you do.

Funny thing is I already had one in a box ready to mail before you posted that. I made an absurd number of those paddler’s consoles and you seemed a likely recipient even during construction

That they can also hold a couple Sigg bottle of fuel for refilling the motor is a bonus.

I threw some other random stuff is the box for funsies.

I get my old age stretching exercise by chasing my water bottle which always rolls directly under the seat
How does one console a water bottle in the bow station

I’m tired of being coached: it’s under your left cheek or right or I don’t see it
Thinking of installing a shepherds hook so the bottle can hang in front of me

It’s one of those horrifically priced insulated bottles that I got as a gift but it sure was nice with ice on a 12 mile day paddle in the sun

I am older than I was, but younger than some of the posters above. My favourite thing to do is navigate - maps fascinate me and I can keep myself busy all day just exploring. Rarely would I ever stay two nights in the same place.

I'd always have a book to read and always had a little SW receiver to listen too at night.

I have started fishing a bit more. Plus, since I have added the Ham radio to my camp I have something else to do in is technically interesting and useful. I will often spend two nights in one place, fishing and day tripping in the day and then set up the radio station and see if I can bounce a signal somewhere or talk to a friend of mine. Breaking camp and setting everything up is a lot of work and time. It is nice to have something to do that is not always moving or packing. There are a bunch of guys who camp out with radios all over the world and it is always a bit of challenge to figure out how to get a signal to bounce to a particular spot, rather than just transmit and hear someone at random. I think I go out on more trips too since I started using a transmitting radio.

Still, I rarely stay more than 2 nights in any one place.

curious as to the radio, make, weight etc.