Skip makes good points.

In soloing you have twice as much to do as compared to going with a partner. You do all the paddling, all the cooking, all the water hauling, all the wood gathering. You set up the tent by yourself. You have no one else to blame when you swamp (very important! :-) ). You also don't have to decided who's paddling bow, which direction is right, or when to have supper.

Even though you have to do it all on a solo trip, the down time with nothing to do is tremendous. You may be amazed at how much socializing you do with your partner even though you both may be the quite types.

The loneliness may be good or bad depending how you are prepared for it and the type of person you are. Personally, I prepare for it well with books to read, things to think about, things to do (hike, fish) or other things I may want to accomplish. Still, I am the social type -- two nights alone is my max. Then I go stir crazy wanting human contact.

Posted by Ken E. Brown on October 22, 1999 at 12:12