BWCA Day 4 and home.
Woke up early once again, this time to a howling wind. It made me nervous so I tried to fall back to sleep. No dice. I got up and picked up the loose articles the wind had tried to blow away. I was touch hungover from the night before, but knew Greg would be feeling even worse.
We broke camp in the wind, heating water with the WhisperLite for coffee and oatmeal. I was amazed with how efficient we were this year. 2 #4 Duluth packs (1 Granite Gear original, and 1 GG Superior), 1 GG food pack(which we stuffed with a 10 Gallon bear barrel), and one #2 Duluth pack for the kitchen gear. We could have single portaged, but why? The waves were about 2 feet high with a pretty strong wind, but not too bad. It seemed like the wind was always at our backs this year.
The paddle and portaging out were uneventful. We did meet a couple of retirees who were coming out after ten days in. The 140 rod portage up and down the cliff was pretty tough on the old guys, but it looked like they had enough cigarettes to make it to the Chainsaw Sisters.
We carried the gear back to the car, and went inside for an ice cold Coca-Cola. The service was cool as usual, but expected. With all the gear loaded we headed into Ely for food, a visit to the Brandenburg studio, and presents for the wives.
The Jetta handled the load magnificently, and we were able to the 440 mile round trip on just under a full tank of diesel. We averaged about 38 MPG on the way up, and with the wind and extra canoe about 27 MPG on the way back. Not too bad.
It was a good trip, although much too short. For a first timer, Jake handled himself like an old pro, and fished his tail off. A commendable performance. No major changes will be needed for next year other than to bring more Kool-Aid and wine, and less vodka.
I'm still in a foul mood about having to leave the BWCA so soon, but the duties of a husband, father, and now sheltering 2 hurricane Rita evacuee's are filling the days and keeping my mind off the peace and solitude one can only find in the wild....
We broke camp in the wind, heating water with the WhisperLite for coffee and oatmeal. I was amazed with how efficient we were this year. 2 #4 Duluth packs (1 Granite Gear original, and 1 GG Superior), 1 GG food pack(which we stuffed with a 10 Gallon bear barrel), and one #2 Duluth pack for the kitchen gear. We could have single portaged, but why? The waves were about 2 feet high with a pretty strong wind, but not too bad. It seemed like the wind was always at our backs this year.
The paddle and portaging out were uneventful. We did meet a couple of retirees who were coming out after ten days in. The 140 rod portage up and down the cliff was pretty tough on the old guys, but it looked like they had enough cigarettes to make it to the Chainsaw Sisters.
We carried the gear back to the car, and went inside for an ice cold Coca-Cola. The service was cool as usual, but expected. With all the gear loaded we headed into Ely for food, a visit to the Brandenburg studio, and presents for the wives.
The Jetta handled the load magnificently, and we were able to the 440 mile round trip on just under a full tank of diesel. We averaged about 38 MPG on the way up, and with the wind and extra canoe about 27 MPG on the way back. Not too bad.
It was a good trip, although much too short. For a first timer, Jake handled himself like an old pro, and fished his tail off. A commendable performance. No major changes will be needed for next year other than to bring more Kool-Aid and wine, and less vodka.
I'm still in a foul mood about having to leave the BWCA so soon, but the duties of a husband, father, and now sheltering 2 hurricane Rita evacuee's are filling the days and keeping my mind off the peace and solitude one can only find in the wild....
posted by Jormundr at 10:59 AM
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