Solo Expedition Pic's

[trapshooter]

That was an awesome report. Thanks for getting it up for us to read.

 

BTW - I'd definitely buy your book.

 

Cheers,

ben.

[huntervasili]

this particular one was 31/2 months

 

Am I reading correctly 3 months and 2 weeks? just wondering cause looks interesting but the most i have done was 1 month... lastly were you flying break of dawn to dusk most days or a couple days per site?

either way must have been a great experience... Thanks for the great report.

[danc]

Well that's definitely my kind of report. Practically in my back yard to boot. I've been to Armstrong many times but mostly for work. The Albany is an awesome river for multi specie fishing. And from what I hear, the smaller tribs are the place to go for Brookies these days. You can never plan a trip around the forest fire situation these days, and it will probably get worse in the future. I respect the efforts that you put into this trip. I'll be crossing the Albany in a few weeks. I'll heading north of Pickle Lake for work. I'll have no time to even think about fishing. But every time I see the Albany, the fishing opportunities start flying through my head. Thanks so much for the fantastic report. I enjoyed it very much.

[fishdawg]

wow - thanks for sharing solo

 

please buy a better camera, put it all in writing & tell us when the book is for sale , or at the very least maybe in each monthly OFC newsletter tell us a tale

Edited January 12, 2007 by fishdawg

[solopaddler]

Thank's Louis, and hey, some things just aren't suitable for public consumption! The hotel room (which was on the eve. of one of my trips) after the K.D. incident is one of them, LOL! And yes Bill, this trip was 31/2 months. Longest I did was 4 months, and did several in the 40 day range as well....Alas I fear the days of my really long trips are over with job and a young family taking priority. From now on I'll have to restrict my time to a month

 

Sorry Bill, forgot to mention: I had no real time line on that trip, so pretty much did what I wanted. Most days I travelled, but if I was at a particularly nice spot, or if the weather got bad, I stayed put. The longest I stayed in one spot was 3 days.....Thank's Fishdawg and Dan....Must say I feel the same about your reports Dan, love them spec's!

[bpsbassman]

That's just a fabulous report Mike. It would be great if you could make it to Lakair. I can only imagine the fireside stories of your "near death" experiences!!

Thanks so much for sharing.

[Nemo]

Beauty Report. Hats off that was a trip and half. Thanks for sharing..

Edited January 12, 2007 by Nemo

[TJQ]

Yes.. very nice... remore and rugged.. just the way I like it!!

[dustink]

Wow!

 

That was awesome, and I'd love to see and read more about your trips!

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

dk

[Smokey]

Great pics and quite the adventure. Thanks

[douG]

Solopaddler's got some stones for sure. Amazing. How do you provision for 15 weeks?

[Puckhead]

Thanks Solo paddler! That was great. I would love to take on adventures like that one day...

[mattyk]

wow, some great pics.

[Moosebunk]

 

 

 

Well Solo, I took the journey in my head this morning. In your post when I saw Eskakwa Falls I knew I recognized that name and so in finding it on the map was reminded that it lies pretty close to Liddles Lodges along the Albany and it's at their website and fishing opportunities that I probably read about it.

 

You covered an area nearly 5 times the size of Nipigon Lake. Through some of the most remote parts of the province. Forest fire nipping at your heels from the very onset then going 3 1/2 months and likely well over 1000km in a canoe and across unmarked land with likely no portages. On your own!!! Geeeeeeez man, so impressive and makes me so envious. Many places I'd love to have seen, especially this one spot on the map called "Speckled Trout Rapids" on the Ogoki. Ogoki reserve where you made the turn south would have been cool, I betcha you felt along the way that you had just hit a major route marker when getting to that spot on the Albany and making the swing to start your return.

 

If you still have all the old rolls of film and there's anyway they're like Advantix and can get them all put onto disc do so. This past Xmas had 17 old rolls of film put onto 3 discs at Blacks. Now they can be touched up and reprinted perfectly anytime at home.

 

110km trip through Temagami was about the biggest trip I've done. Mighty proud with my very limited paddle skills to have made it, by day 5 when the drier food started to come out I was like, dang man, this is getting tough. Always wished for better paddle skills and trips, never had enought time. You sure showed me.

 

Look forward to you posting some more of this type of stuff.

[solopaddler]

Doug, provisions aren't a big deal (for me at least), as long as you don't mind bland and monotonous! Basically I subsist on rice, fried fish and oatmeal. Drink is water (obviously), and instant coffee. A few nalgene bottles of peanut oil, a few zip-lock bags of fish coating, instant rice and spices, and instant oatmeal don't take up that much space in the pack even on an extended trip. That means catching fish everyday is a necessity, but up there that's never a problem. Mind you, I've been pretty ravenous on occassion. One time while setting up camp in a nice grassy clearing on the Albany, a small, very plump and juicy looking groundhog literally followed me around the site right at my heels while I set up. This creature was so (seemingly) unafraid and curious...I couldn't believe how close he came to me. Anyhow, I believe I was entering my 9th week in the bush at that point, and hadn't had any meat of any kind the entire time. After a while that little groudhog began to look pretty yummy to me! . While setting up and with the critter still nosing around my heels, I casually picked up a baseball sized rock and slipped it into my pocket. Figured once I was done my chores I'd quickly dispatch the little varmint and cook him up. (for those that are grossed out by this, don't judge 'till you've walked a mile in my shoes ). Anyhow, when I was ready I turned around slowly with the rock and he was gone! Never saw him again . Just goes to show you what kind of instinct animals have: I could have stepped on the little bugger 10 times in the previous 1/2 hour, but when I finally did have malice on my mind, he sensed it! LOL

[camillj]

Wow, now that is something you reallllllly need to document ... even if only for your (now) young family to enjoy later on in their life.

 

Only a VERRRRRRRY small percentage of the world gets a chance to spend 30 days doing exactly what they want, where they want and when they want .... thats worth more than anything material and I am sure you already know that, but dont underestimate how much people like us will enjoy sharing your experiences ... and dont wait till later to write it all down cause it just wont hapen if you do and it willl seem alot easier task if you write it as you go ... and dont worry about quality ... the quality is in the exerience ... and we can see that even in the picutres ... sign me up for the book.... oh and pm me the GPS locations for those awesome brookies ! (j/k)

[solopaddler]

Yep, that's the route Moosebunk. Believe it or not (at least IMO) that area isn't what I'd consider truly remote. There is of course the native communities on the Albany, but beyond that pretty much every single lake of substance up there has a fly-in outpost camp on it...The longest I went without seeing another human being on this particular trip was 20 days. On average every second day or so you'd run into someone. The Ogoki WAS awesome, although the Brook Trout fishing, at least for me, wasn't that great. The only thing about Speckled Trout rapids that sticks in my mind was how freakin' hard it was to line up! Bear in mind, on the bigger rivers like the Albany and Ogoki in the middle of the summer the trout really congregate in spring holes. If you're lucky enough to stumble on a spring hole, then it's easy. It's not a simple matter of reading the water and casting to likely spots. I do remember one small falls on the Ogoki however...There were so many walleye packed into the base of the falls (hundreds for sure) that their backs were literally out of the water. They were literally stacked like cordwood on top of each other!

[Guidofisherman]

My hats off to you Solopaddler. That was some canoe trip. The pictures show the power of the water and the beauty of this pristine waterway. I use a small "point & shoot" Canon camera in a waterproof case. Great around water. As another post suggests, trips like these with some photos would be worth publishing.

My buddy has a small float plane based near Armstrong and several times a summer I get to fly/fish the area. I have flown over a few of the lakes you mentioned and have only seen the Albany far in the distance. That is one huge area. I keep trying to talk him into flying up there for some of those brookies. I traced your route using my Fugawi map system and am truely impressed with the magnitude of this trip. Can't wait to hear of more.

Alan

[Rich Clemens]

That truely is one awsome report and looks like a fantastic trip. May be a bit to warm for comfort in a couple of those shots.

[glirw]

You my friend are a true outdoorsman , and I can only wish I was wearing your shoes . Keep living your dreams and the dreams of thousands of others !

[solopaddler]

There's something I have to point out...This trip was taken a few years back and the pic's are from the archives. While I've done a few subsequent expeditions since, with my age (42) and a really young family (3 yr. old daughter, 31/2 month old son), it's highly likely that those major trips are behind me now. I'm even (shudder) a cottage owner now.....How can I put this into fishing terms.....I feel like a scuzzy old drop-back drifting slowly back to the lake....my best days are behind me.."that's right, all you feisty young chromers just swim on by me..I'm DONE!" LOL!

[Carp]

Amazing trip solopaddler.

 

Those brookies are beautiful.

 

One of these days.......

[setomonkey]

3.5 months, on your own in remote country. Maybe not so remote to you but for a city-dweller like me it's an amazing adventure.

 

You wouldn't be boring us with more stories if you have time to type them up here, think of it as practice for that book you might write some day!

 

Mike

[ravinerat]

Now that is one great trip. You definatley have more B@#ls than me with the fires. I've done a bunch of Solo trips on Northern rivers but that has to top it. Something elese running the white water solo with no one around for days. My last solo was on the Nagami R near Hornepayne. Still haven't paddled the Missinabi to Moosenee yet even though I had lived so close. I'd like to read some more of your trip reports.

 

RR

[lunkerbasshunter]

very nice trip!!!!!