I've had many moments before I became a solo paddler but PJ's pic of him fishing in the front of his canoe brought back one particular maddening moment.
I was in Maine and we were headed into a particularly nasty headwind on a big, long lake.
Shoreline was steep and rocky and after we committed to paddle, the only option was to get to first campsite available.
About 45 minutes in to paddle, it seems to me we were literally dead in the water. I was the lightest, so I was in the bow.
At some point I turned to see how my partner was doing and found him not paddling, laying back in his seat with his feet up on the packs
I assumed he was taking a short break?
Turns out he had stopped paddling about 15 minutes after we started, because his arms were tired.
IF I could of reached him without capsizing, I would of choked him to death.
I started yelling and he made a half (*) attempt at helping and we finally made land.
I was still mad as hell and got even madder when he informed me that the reason he switched places with my usual bow paddler, was because he knew I was the strongest of the 4 and could do the lions share of the work, while he rode in style
There was so many of them over our paddling days together, I look back and wonder how I out up with it.
I guess time does heal some memories because every year I/They convinced me it would be different this time. Shame on me

I always thought I was a pretty good bow paddler and did my share up there.  I try.  But we just returned from a trip with Ho Ho and David and I learned that I am a weak paddler, and that Spartan1 is quite at a disadvantage with me in the bow, since it means that we travel quite slowly, at least compared to younger, stronger folks.

However, (and this is very important) Ho Ho and David didn't care at all.  They made it very clear that there was no hurry and that they were happy to do the trip at our speed.  We had a great time for seven days together (two of them very, very short, easy days) and we only tripped from Sawbill to Cherokee, then up to Frost and back again, but it was a great trip!  They had their 8-month-old puppy along and that added a real element of fun to the adventure, too.

Since Spartan1 has only had one trip partner in the last 41 years, I suspect I am his worst ever.  I would also hope that I am his best, and since he isn't going to come on here (probably) and say either, you'll have to just judge for yourselves.

The only people I have tripped with who would fit that moniker are those who really did not want to be there anyway.  Unfortunately, I did not learn of this mentality until we met at the Minneapolis airport.  In hindsight, her statement upon arrival at the airport, "Don't get used to this, because you'll never see me up here again" was not just exasperation at flights and travel stress, but an overall attitude that would only become worse as conditions fell off from ideal.  I should have put her friend and her back on the next flight home!

mastertangler wrote on Oct 2^nd, 2012 at 8:08pm:

Hmm...  my strategy was to keep MT talking and serving the delicious grouper and all the sides.   Fair warning about MT -- if he serves you food, prepare by fasting the day before so you can savor all the delicacies!

prouboy

I first started taking these trips with my brother in law. He liked to fish and so did I. Everything went ok, then my sons  came along one year. They love to fish too and were catching way more than my B-in-L. The weather was rough for a few days and towards the end of the trip he started in with unrelenting insults of my sons (in their face and getting very personal), focusing mostly on one of my sons. The other son defended his brother and so did I, then things deteriorated from there. We were actually considering leaving him with a canoe and the 3 of us would paddle out on our own in the other. But we sucked it up and finished the trip since he didn't really have much of a clue how to get out on his own and if he when he did make it out, he'd have no car to return home. Leaving him there by himself probably would have caused serious family problems on the wifes side. I've been going with one or both of my sons ever since, when they can make it. He has never been invited again.