I like fires especially when the weather is cold, which is a lot of the time in the West at night. I rarely do any cutting, or sawing, and wouldn't know what battoning is if you handed me a piece of it. I like to use dead wood, drag it to camp and start a fire. I jump on the wood to break up and push the ends in as it burns. It is usually easy to find drift wood on a canoe trip. We camp where no one has camped for a long time, maybe ever. Cooking on a fire has its own reward. A fire while going solo is a lot of company especially with a good dog or two.
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Happy May Ray Day! 🌞😎🌻🩳🇩
That's a hard question to put into words. I guess one of the things I've learned, both from tripping and just plain living, is that I am what I am and there's not a whole lot I can do to change that. But I still try anyway.
I've learned that when tripping I need to go in with a rough plan and go with the flow. I can't tell myself what to do, I can only obey what I feel like doing (of course I have the will power to actually make myself do something, most of the time, but I might not enjoy it). If I'd originally thought Tuesday would be a nice rest day and I wake up feeling like I want to paddle then I'm going to paddle. If I need to push hard to get to my next destination but wake up feeling lazy then maybe I'll sit in camp all day. Changing the route mid-trip is par for the course. These are some of the things that keep me paddling solo.
And similar to what Glenn said I really like being in the boat and paddling. I'm usually just as comfortable and relaxed there as I am sitting in camp so I'm more likely to put in a long day paddling and set up camp about supper time. If I want to work on skills I can concentrate on each stroke, try new strokes, and strive for perfection. Or else I can let me mind wander for hours at a time with few distractions as I cruise down a river or lake.
Every trip I tell myself I'm going to spend time in camp experimenting with different tarp setups, knots, fire making skills, and other such "bushcraft". But I never do. Like Odyssey said so well in another post I guess they just feel more like chores to me, something to get done. And once they're done so am I. When I get bored in camp and feel like I need something else to do I'm more likely to load up the canoe and start paddling.
Alan
I've learned that when tripping I need to go in with a rough plan and go with the flow. I can't tell myself what to do, I can only obey what I feel like doing (of course I have the will power to actually make myself do something, most of the time, but I might not enjoy it). If I'd originally thought Tuesday would be a nice rest day and I wake up feeling like I want to paddle then I'm going to paddle. If I need to push hard to get to my next destination but wake up feeling lazy then maybe I'll sit in camp all day. Changing the route mid-trip is par for the course. These are some of the things that keep me paddling solo.
And similar to what Glenn said I really like being in the boat and paddling. I'm usually just as comfortable and relaxed there as I am sitting in camp so I'm more likely to put in a long day paddling and set up camp about supper time. If I want to work on skills I can concentrate on each stroke, try new strokes, and strive for perfection. Or else I can let me mind wander for hours at a time with few distractions as I cruise down a river or lake.
Every trip I tell myself I'm going to spend time in camp experimenting with different tarp setups, knots, fire making skills, and other such "bushcraft". But I never do. Like Odyssey said so well in another post I guess they just feel more like chores to me, something to get done. And once they're done so am I. When I get bored in camp and feel like I need something else to do I'm more likely to load up the canoe and start paddling.
Alan
I've discovered that my style/method of doing things reflects my personality in a lot of ways... uninfluenced by a tripping partner most times (or by only a malleable offsping who does it my way because that's the way 'we' have always done it), I look around at my campsite and see myself... the single cookpot on a chain because I'm lazy... canoe drawn well up on shore and tied securely, fore and aft, because I'm careful about some things... quick-release knots on all tie-outs because I'm lazy, but I take the time to do it that way because in the end, during teardown in the rain, it's actually faster to have done it that way (vs unknotting wet knots without a quick release). A very neat stack of wood, sorted by size, each with its own 'compartment' made of stakes. I also tend to set my hammock and tarp up exactly the same way every single time... opening facing a certain direction in relation to shoreline and firepit, same gear stored in exactly the same pockets in the ridgeline organizer or pack, canoe cockpit area set up exactly the same way every time... I guess in the end, it's efficient, keeps me from losing track of gear (I can almost sense when something is misplaced or not where it belongs).
All those things make for a good trip. On the other hand, I like people around the fire at night (not so much during the day), and it does get lonely at times... still, nothing beats a solo trip.
All those things make for a good trip. On the other hand, I like people around the fire at night (not so much during the day), and it does get lonely at times... still, nothing beats a solo trip.
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Seeker, there's more value in doing things "right" than the mere practical. There's an aspect of ritual in things we do, and despite what some may say about OCD, ritual can promote spirituality, a sense of connectedness that quiets the ego. All religions know this. If canoe tripping is a spiritual experience for you, then you might like to see your rituals in that light. There's something meaningful about it that I'm not able to explain, but if we're on similar wavelengths I think you know what I'm talking about.
You may be right... I am a bit CDO (see, they're all in alphabetical order now!) about some things, less so about others... and being in the outdoors is definitely a spiritual thing for me. It has been, ever since I was a kid and could talk to the trees... I keep trying to get that back... I'm almost there, but not quite... my daughter had it once too... maybe you lose it with age regardless; I don't know. Will have to talk to her about that sometime. She's 20 now.
Some of my "rituals" as you call them may simply be for comfort... One rather odd 'thing' I used to do on extended military deployments (back when I was in, 1984-1995) was eat literally the same MRE meal for weeks... I'd just kinda latch onto one and go for 3 weeks, maybe a little longer, 3 meals a day, same thing. Then I'd switch to another for a few weeks. At first I thought it was just that I didn't like the menu, but eventually figured out that it was for the stability... No matter what, I was going to have X for my next meal... I controlled that... not the Army, my boss, my subordinates, or the enemy... I decided what I was going to eat... makes sense to me now.
I also realized that my gear was always laid out exactly the same way... Slept with my back to a wall, boots, running shoes, and flip-flops under the cot in a certain order, clothing laid out the same way every evening, hat in the same place with the same pocket contents in it, flashlight hung up in exactly the same place, TP, mosquito repellent, tissues, earplugs, pistol, ammo, body armor, helmet, etc... all of it provided a sense of stability in a very unstable environment...
Some other things, however, fall into the spiritual realm... I think the way I actually set up my tarp... the knots I use and the orientation of the tarp, with its one reflective cord always in one particular corner... The fire setup, with how I lay in the firewood stock, sorted by size, etc... I think those things, which came about as a result of experience, practice, research, or were taught to me by another, which maybe fall under the category of "fieldcraft" or "woodcraft", those things might be more spiritual to me... they have real meaning... I know WHY I do them the way I do them, vs the other things from the previous paragraph, which, while there was purpose behind them, were more practical than nostalgic or spiritual, simply enabling me to react quickly to any situation in the dark, after being awakened from sleep...
Food for thought. thank you.
Some of my "rituals" as you call them may simply be for comfort... One rather odd 'thing' I used to do on extended military deployments (back when I was in, 1984-1995) was eat literally the same MRE meal for weeks... I'd just kinda latch onto one and go for 3 weeks, maybe a little longer, 3 meals a day, same thing. Then I'd switch to another for a few weeks. At first I thought it was just that I didn't like the menu, but eventually figured out that it was for the stability... No matter what, I was going to have X for my next meal... I controlled that... not the Army, my boss, my subordinates, or the enemy... I decided what I was going to eat... makes sense to me now.
I also realized that my gear was always laid out exactly the same way... Slept with my back to a wall, boots, running shoes, and flip-flops under the cot in a certain order, clothing laid out the same way every evening, hat in the same place with the same pocket contents in it, flashlight hung up in exactly the same place, TP, mosquito repellent, tissues, earplugs, pistol, ammo, body armor, helmet, etc... all of it provided a sense of stability in a very unstable environment...
Some other things, however, fall into the spiritual realm... I think the way I actually set up my tarp... the knots I use and the orientation of the tarp, with its one reflective cord always in one particular corner... The fire setup, with how I lay in the firewood stock, sorted by size, etc... I think those things, which came about as a result of experience, practice, research, or were taught to me by another, which maybe fall under the category of "fieldcraft" or "woodcraft", those things might be more spiritual to me... they have real meaning... I know WHY I do them the way I do them, vs the other things from the previous paragraph, which, while there was purpose behind them, were more practical than nostalgic or spiritual, simply enabling me to react quickly to any situation in the dark, after being awakened from sleep...
Food for thought. thank you.
hmm feng shui for campers
Odyssey's post about the difficulty we have in our culture with being idle is really important. It is an American concept of being useful all the time. People don't take vacations because it creates guilt. If I can't relax on a canoe trip and be content doing nothing some of the time, I might as well just give up. It is the pace which is so appealing. To find that perfect campsite at 1500 is not a difficult sell to anyone. Maybe the weather causes a rest day. Maybe this spot is too perfect to leave and we spend two nights right here. The older I get, the less impetus there is to "get home on time", stay with the plan, or stay on schedule. I have never had to meet a pilot at a given place and date. If we run out of food on rivers, there is often a town somewhere we could walk or hitchhike to for more supplies. Turning off the devices is my one hard and fast rule. To get people out of their daily routines, to show them the rhythm of a canoe trip done correctly is one of the greatest gifts I have ever given to my family and friends. It makes backpacking seem Spartan and a lot of work. It makes car camping around other people seem like there is no privacy. It makes the people I go with better friends.
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