I pulled into the parking lot midway through the afternoon. I would be entering by myself, catching up to the majority of the group already set up on Swamp Lake. We were parking our cars at Nor'Wester lodge, which was a perfect launching off point on Poplar Lake. I had a new sled setup this year: a toboggan with plastic runners used on dogsleds. There was little snow this year, so I debated bringing both usual pairs of snowshoes (a set of classics for the lakes and moderns for the portages). I strapped them and all of my gear on the sled and pulled down to the lake. The windswept snow on the ice surface was hard-packed: I wouldn't need snowshoes yet. My friends' tracks were just barely visible in the snow, vanishing in the numerous patches of bare ice. I followed them along down the lake, into the back bay, and to the portage into Swamp. The sun was setting as I made my way across, and I got into camp just before dark. The tent was well set, and the home fire was burning. It was a lovely conclusion to the first day of another winter adventure.~Poplar Lake, Swamp Lake

We knew our remaining group member would be arriving sometime the next day. With our full group present, we planned to move camp on day three. Each of us took off to our activities of choice this day. I followed the portage into Caribou beneath the bright and sunny sky. I pondered the memories of past trips as I looked across the bay towards a site I once occupied with a guided group four years prior. I followed the wolf tracks across the short portage to Horseshoe, where plenty of other memories have been made. There was nearly no snow on the lakes and thin amounts on the trails, so travel wasn't too difficult at this point. On Horseshoe, I headed south before stopping at a beaver pond on the east side for lunch. I was looking forward to checking out a few new lakes on my solo adventure this day before heading back for dinner. I set off for Prop Lake first. As soon as I left the open ice of the beaver pond, travel became exponentially difficult. In the marshy areas, it was common to have waist-deep snow where the drifts had formed. I had left my snowshoes in the sled, but I'm not sure they would have helped much this day. It was an exhausting excursion. The wind-swept snow would hold my weight with uninspired confidence until one misstep above weakened crust would plunge me down into the powder below. Step...step...crash. Drag myself back onto the surface with some exhausted muttering. Heading for the woods wasn't much easier than the marshes, as dense Balsam thickets threatened to tear me to shreds. I finally dropped out onto Prop Lake and sat down in the snow for another snack. It was a tiring retreat to the beaver pond, but at least I had tracks to follow! I crossed the beaver pond, grabbed the snowshoes, and made a hasty push for Gore Lake. As long as I'm here! Gore was more scenic than Prop, and I sat up on a glacial erratic for another snack and some water. It was a decent walk back to the group on Swamp, and I made it by mid-afternoon. Most of the group was out on an adventure, "hand mapping" the perimeter of the lake. I cut some firewood, and we had a lovely evening together with our entire crew at last.~Swamp Lake, Caribou Lake, Horseshoe Lake, Prop Lake, Gore Lake

The next day, we packed up camp and followed my tracks into Caribou and Horseshoe. It was a bright and sunny day again, making the management of one's attire difficult: too hot one minute, cold from the wind the next. At the end of Hoseshoe, we had lunch before the portage. It's a decent trail over into Gaskin. From there, we let our adventurous spirits get the better of us. We turned down the back bay in the direction of Icicle Lake with every intent of pushing to lakes beyond for the night. We broke up our gear at this point, paring down the non-essentials which we would retrieve on the return trip. As the group was finishing paring down, I crossed into the marsh to begin breaking trail for the group. This warm weather made for weak snow, and it was slow going. I was a good 100 feet ahead of my group when I hit the Tamarack tree line mid-swamp. In retrospect, it might have been easier to push through the forest, but the marshes are all so inviting without a single obstacle set to pummel one's face. I made a step and broke through, knee deep into wet, sticky mud. Not good. An attempt at crawling out got my other knee stuck, and then my hand. This is really not good. I'm wet, I'm muddy. Even in a "warm" winter, it's still well below freezing. I manage to extricate myself with great exertion and turn back to deliver the news that there would be no forward progress. The group had already come to that conclusion with enough wisdom not to need a Tamarack Swamp to teach them the error of prideful exuberance. We retreated to Gaskin, where I took stock of my situation. I switched gloves and stomped the mukluks for a while. They don't keep the water out particularly well, but they sure keep the feet warm. I would fix this problem in camp tonight. It was sure a sad sight to see my nice white mukluks tarnished with the blackened sludge of northern swampland! We headed westward on Gaskin with a few different pacing preferences becoming evident. The portage from Gaskin into Winchell is a brute in the wintertime, and it took a lot of effort and coordinated teamwork to crest the slope. On the far side, the late afternoon sun was already fading as the wind swept puffs of snow over the southern slope amid the blackened skeletons of the Red Eye Lake fire. We were nearly out of light when we set up camp on the lake, not far from a summer campsite. Getting the whole hot tent set is a time-consuming endeavor, and it would be after dark before we were all ready. I worked on drying foot and mukluk alike, and we tucked in for a cozy evening. ~Swamp Lake, Caribou Lake, Horseshoe Lake, Gaskin Lake, Winchell Lake

The next day was similar to the second, with a choose-your-own-adventure model allowing people to stretch their wings or stay close to home, whatever suited their adventurous craving. I, of course, was off to see more lakes with another pack lunch in hand. Others would be walking about the lake or going fishing. I went westward; it was a long walk down a nearly bare lake. Winchell is a big, beautiful lake that can be rather busy in the summertime. It was a unique experience seeing it in winter splendor. At the big rock face, I chuckled at the realization that my first glimpse of Winchell Lake was also clad with snow, albeit 7" of wet October slush. I marvelled at that big, beautiful face adorned with snowdrifts for its quieter season. I headed north through the back bay and the portage to Omega. Omega is also quite a lovely lake that's a treasure to behold in winter snow. I jumped on a trail well-packed by the local wolves and followed it all the way to the portage trail towards Phalanx. I stashed my sled there. It was mostly unpacked, but it's a convenient way to carry a camera and a water bottle down the lake ice. I grabbed both and headed for Phalanx. The portage trail climbing out of Omega goes straight up a rocky gulley. In the snow, it required some hands and knees crawling in spots. It obviously doesn't see much traffic. Phalanx is a nice enough small lake. The real destination lies beyond: Finn Lake. The wolves continued straight down on a predictable course to the same destination, a helpful guide in finding the portage. It's a beautiful trail with nice exposed rock. Finn is a gorgeous lake with an important role in the protection of the BWCAW. In the lead-up to the 1978 BWCA Act, an overseeing committee was deciding if the existing legislation properly protected the wilderness area. As Miron Heinselman described it, they were close to determining that they did, until a honeymooning couple discovered a freshly built road grade cutting through the end of Finn Lake - violating the laws of the time. This turned the opinion of the panel and eventually led to the advocacy work and legislative processes that passed in the BWCA Act of 1978. On this quiet winter day, I headed in the opposite direction of the historic site, sticking with my wolf guides. The ice wasn't great heading into Alpha, so I proceeded with caution. It was a very brushy excursion into Beta where I turned around to head for "home." It was a long, long walk back through the portages and back to my sled. I reached Winchell in time for sundown and had a long solo hike back to camp. The group was just beginning to contemplate coming to look for me when I popped through the door in time for dinner. Another lovely day was well and truly completed!  ~Winchell Lake, Omega Lake, Phalanx Lake, Finn Lake, Alpha Lake, Beta Lake