Tips to Help Plan Your Solo Canoeing Trips In Ohio

Something about being by yourself in nature is so immensely tranquil. When people ask why you like traveling alone, you frequently use terms like "healing," "calm," "relaxing," and "rewarding" in response. In recent years, solo canoe trips have grown in popularity, and it makes me pleased to hear that more people are attempting this incredible experience. 

Nonetheless, it is undeniable that solo canoeing trips in Ohio require far more preparation. Many people ponder the question, "Can I accomplish this?" Despite the fact that not everyone finds solo canoe journeys appealing, if you do some research beforehand, you might discover that solo paddling was intended for you!

Please remember that solo canoe outings are inherently riskier than trips with a group and should only be undertaken by persons who are comfortable with their abilities. The purpose of this essay is not to serve as a comprehensive training manual but to offer some valuable suggestions and tips. Please consider your current skill set to decide if you feel comfortable going on a solo canoe journey.

Plan a Realistic Route

Even though this advice applies to all canoe excursions, we wanted to emphasize it for solo voyages in particular. The cumulative fatigue of the entire day is usually greater when you're on a lone canoe journey. It will exhaust you to portage (especially if you double carry). Camp setup and breakdown might take many hours.

Choosing a realistic approach is selecting a task that you can do while finding enjoyment in it. If you over plan your journey, you might have to camp without a permit, which would hurt other people's travel plans. An overly ambitious itinerary might deplete you and detract from the overall enjoyment of solo canoeing trips in Ohio, even if you can follow it without camping outside of permitted areas.

Create Sounds During Portaging

On a solo canoe journey, you will be by yourself most of the time. You have nobody to chat with, so unless you like talking to yourself when you're traveling, you'll be pretty quiet. You should always create noise on the path while portaging. On occasion, you'll have some soft music playing. 

Making noise during portaging is mainly done to alert any surrounding wildlife to your presence. You don't want to startle a moose or unintentionally run into a bear during the rutting season.

Be prepared for rain.

The wind has already received a lot of attention, but what about the other feared element, rain? When it starts to rain while you're out on a canoe trip with friends, you may talk, play games, and keep each other entertained. But when you're alone, you're essentially confined to your tent or a tarp, which is equivalent to solitary confinement. Although rainy days are always dreary, they might be incredibly damaging to your mental health when you're on canoeing trips in Ohio.

Bring some solo activities with you as a precaution against the weather to help keep you occupied. Writing in a notebook, practicing tying knots with a rope, reading a book, and carving wood with a knife are some solo activities you can do in your tent or beneath your tarp. There are many possibilities available; it's just a good idea to make plans in advance so that you can keep busy if it starts to rain.