Northman -- You strike a cord.  I share your challenge.  My friend of 25 years who introduced me to canoe country turned 72 this year, and announced our trip last year was his last. 

Someone should set up an online "canoepaddlersmatch!" 

prouboy

Northman -

Since your profile says you live in WI, you have a great opportunity to connect to potential paddling partners at CanoeCopia in Madison every March.  More than half of the folks I have hooked up with on trips over the past ten years have been QJer's I first met at Copia.  Most years feature both a QJ luncheon AND a QJ supper.  These events are great opportunities to compare notes and experiences.

Jimbo   

I moved this thread but will leave the breadcrumb trail for posterity's sake.
Puckster wrote on Dec 25^th, 2012 at 5:27pm:

Timing is everything.

About ten years ago I did a three week trip with Tripper (basically just some stranger I met in the internet) years ago. It was a great trip! This forum was his idea a few years later and doesn't get used enough IMO. I think I first met him on a trip he did with Jimbo whom I don't think I had ever met before that either but they were easy enough for me to find downstream from Beaverhouse one afternoon.

Copia and various gatherings and organizations are good starts. The group solo idea is easy, kinda like speed dating. Trip reports, posting, PMing works better IMHO. We've all heard horror stories from folks who went with people they knew well in other situations but a trip is different. If it's more than a meet and greet or a rideshare ... you need to commit to some ground-rules, know yourself, what you're getting into and that they do too.

I still have fun seeing/hanging out with some guy(s) "I met on the internet."

What I have found to be a great impediment is what I call "projections" and "imaginations". Let me explain.

Often people will project or imagine what the other persons desires and intents are without having fully explored the perceptions verbally to find out if what they are imagining is really true or not.

For example.........One of my now regular canoe partners early on was reluctant to go with me. Come to find out through conversing was that he was afraid that he would "slow me down". That I had "agendas" that he felt he would interfere with. I had to spend some time in dragging this info out of him as I couldn't understand his reluctance since we had been friends for many years.

In our situation he was not especially confident in his abilities and foreseen that if he did not "keep up" there would potentially be tension. Add in that he is a non-conflict type person this caused considerable angst on his part and thus his reluctance.

Much of his worry was imagined. That is why it is so important to talk about expectations. A good question to ask is "how disappointed will you be if we do not make the planned mileage each day"?

Once I found out that I was putting pressure on my pal through my eager planning of routes I could put his mind at ease. He found out it was sufficient enough for me to be out there and if/when he wanted to break or stop it was fine by me.......I had no agenda set in stone. The funny thing was is that he never was the slowpoke that he had envisioned but rather gained in strength as the trip went on.........now he goes regularly without concern.......and now we are quick to discuss expectations. Beware of projections and imaginations.......do not assume what the other people in your group are thinking.......draw them out and discuss things in a frank manner is my advice. 

Wstwood...thanks for pointing out that error. Better edit my profile!!!
Thanks for all replies so far. I have some good ideas and seems like I have a plan on moving forward with this idea. Again...thanks to all.