Last winter I had the opportunity to paddle down the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, alone. For 27 days and 280 miles the Grand Canyon was my world. I reveled in the solitude, played in the rapids, and was continually awed by the magnificent nature surrounding me. The resulting article and video featured by Canoe and Kayak turned out to be one of their most popular stories this year, and I finally decided to sit down and write down some tips for putting a solo trip together. This article will focus mainly on wintertime solos, as those permits are the easiest to snag. Of course most all this information will apply to kayakers looking to prepare for a self-support trip down the Grand Canyon, even if you aren’t doing it alone.