My wife and I have been married 14 years.  We took our first trip to the Q only three years ago.  I had been up there with "the guys" a few times, but always wanted her to go with me.  Finally, our children were old enough to leave with the grandparents and we took our first trip.  She is now addicted, and swears she will never go a year without at least one trip to the Q or Boundary Waters. 

We also paddle around here now all the time.  We took our children (three girls ages 10,7,4) to the B-dub this past summer for their first trip.  Has it changed our family?  You betcha!  One of the best things that ever "happened" to us.

my wife and I have always enjoyed our time together in the bwcaw. we have gone on three 2-3 day trips a year together for the past ten years. she loves the solitude and the beauty, but wants to be back to her hot shower after a few days. I prefer the 9-10 day trips but wouldn't give up my time with her for anything. When longer trips are needed my reliable paddle partners come to the rescue.

this past April we had a baby girl and missed our annual trips together. it's amazing how priorities change. I still managed to squeak in some trips but missed them both dearly.

We will be back in the canoe together come May.

This topic reminds me of Bob Carey's book "The Adventures of Jackpine Bob."  The book is worth every penny for the final chapter.  But do yourself a favor and DON'T skip to the last chapter.  Read it all.

In the book he talks a lot about paddling with his wife.  That's all I'll say so I won't ruin it for you.  It is a MUST for those who enjoy paddling with their spouse.

I've done several trips with my wife.  Our 1st together was just the two of us and trips since have been with other couples.  I firmly echo what db said about couples trips being lots of fun.  My wife and I have very different paces.  Mrs. Snow Dog goes on vacation to relax  while when I head into the woods I tend to be a little more "driven".  Oddly enough, this is the opposite of our personalities at home where she's the Type A and I'm more relaxed.  Also, while she likes to fish, she's not quite as hardcore about it as I am.  Going with another couple allows us to each to enjoy the vacation a bit more.  When she wants to relax or lounge around camp, generally the other wife is of the same mind so us guys will go out and do a little more fishing/exploring.  Also, she's ready to head home after 4 days or so and I'm just getting warmed up good by that point!  We have agreed that any future trips will be a bit shorter than our usual 8-9 days.

Unfortunately it's been several years since Mrs. Snow Dog and I have tripped together.  She went yearly with me until we started our family, but hasn't been back since.  Someday I will get her and the kids out there again, but it will certainly be a very different style of trip than my usual.

It is interesting to hear of others' experiences, and to contrast those with ours.  My husband had gone on one trip with a group of guys (camp counselors at the end of camp session) the summer before we were married.  He kept urging me to go with him and I was very reluctant.

On our first trip (6 days) I was green as grass.  When we headed out onto Lac La Croix in what was moderate chop, it looked like high surf to me.  I was scared to death!  I refused to wear a hat, had had my hair cut short for the trip, and totally cooked the tops of my ears on day 2!  That was a long, hard day and by the time we camped I was tired, sunburned (this being in 1971, the days before sunscreen) and very angry when we camped on a sandy beach and I had sand in my food.  I still remember sitting on the beach crying and saying "Why did I ever let you talk me into this?"

34 years and 24 trips later, I am often the one who first starts making plans for a trip, and I love it as much as he does.  We also have different energy levels and styles, although I will say as we have aged we have both slowed down considerably.  We used to break camp every day and paddle most of the day, now we often make camp at noon or 1 PM and do occasional layover days, perhaps 2-3 on a 10-12 day trip.  He has type 1 diabetes and diabetic kidney disease with resulting anemia, and I have tender knees.  At 60, we are just glad to still be going to the BW and each year that we can still go is a precious gift.

Instead of traveling with another couple, we just give each other a lot of extra space and alone time.  We don't fish, but I go off into the woods for hours with a camera, or we will sit alone and read our paperback books.  I am "type A" myself, and would agree that the wilderness experience needs to be relaxing for me, but that doesn't mean I won't do a long day or a long portage when needed.  It is really the peace and quiet that keeps me needing to return.

At the end of the 22-day trip in 1992 we made our last portage and I still didn't want the trip to end, so we paddled half the length of Poplar lake just as "extra", pulled in at Trail Center and had lunch, and just paddled around some more before heading back to Rockwood for our car.

My husband takes great pride in sharing my trip journals with narrative and photographs to the people at work.  They think we are quite daring and probably more than a little bit crazy.

The time will come (dialysis) when we can no longer do this.  We don't like to think about it.

I am glad to know that some of you are paddling with your spouses.  Thanks for all the responses.