We had been at Butch’s near Backus, MN, attending a family reunion, since Friday evening. By Sunday afternoon, everyone had pulled up stakes and headed for home except for my wife’s Aunt Patti and Uncle Bruce from Colorado who stayed an extra day to help pick up the pieces and actually enjoy a little peace while on their vacation. I think that a good time was had by all but there were a lot of people and a lot of commotion. Now, the woods were quiet, the way that they are supposed to be. Butch, Bruce and I broke down the tent city in the back yard and the kids went off on one of many wild adventures. At home in the city they hear things like “look both ways before you cross the street” and “don’t let the dog out of the gate” and “stranger danger”. At Grandpa’s they are free range with woods and pasture and prairie to explore, only limited by their own imaginations… it must be a great place to be a kid. [paragraph break]On Monday we packed. Butch, a first team, all American gear hound is outfitting the trip (he has enough equipment to outfit a Boy Scout adventure camp) so the kids and I only brought our sleeping bags and personal effects. Around 5 pm, we set off for Pequot Lakes and dinner with my good friend Jason. After dinner, it’s back to the house where I got the kids washed, jammied and in bed. Jason came out to the house for a night cap and brought along a well stocked travel humidor for Butch and I to take on our trip… what a guy.

Day 1; Tuesday, August 4th ‘09; Backus to Ely by way of Duluth

We decided to take the scenic route to Ely. The weather was post card perfect with cool temps and blue bird skys. The kids were very excited to be under way and had already started burning through the film in their disposable cameras. [paragraph break]We stopped in Duluth for lunch at the Lake Ave Café, a personal favorite, then a visit to the Duluth Pack store. Ollie found a hat that he could not live without and Butch, Emma and I all got new journals. The North Shore has always been a special place for me and my wife, we honeymooned on the Superior Hiking Trail and have spent a lot of time exploring the area. Recalling our time spent there, I was surprised by the realization that our kids had never been to the north shore; we all agree that many more trips are in our future. [paragraph break]The drive from the shore (Two Harbors) to Ely was beautiful and I added it to my mental list of future motorcycle routes. We got to Ely in the late afternoon and checked in to our room at the Adventure Inn. We did the Ely thing; at Canoe Country Outfitters we picked up our permit, a three seat SRQ 18.5 and BWCA patches for the kids packs. At Pirigas, Butch found a pair of Keen, wet footing shoes and the kids and I got a new hoodie for Mom. Supper was at DQ, then back to the room for the night. Butch and I retired to the chairs outside of the room to have a few beers and watch the parking lot fill up. We talked to an older gentleman who is headed up to Knife with his family the next day (his sons appear to be in their 40’s or 50’s). Three canoes were strapped to the top of his van, two of which were self built strippers. He tells us that he built one of the strippers in ten days out of a couple of red wood 2x4’s because he needed a boat for a trip. One of his sons tells us that he also has a 1906 Old Town in his fleet at home… if those canoes could talk. [paragraph break]I spoke with my wife, Amy, on the phone. We agreed that it felt strange for me and the kids to be on a trip without her. We also agreed that she was due for a well deserved break from familial responsibilities. We said our good buys and it was off to the sack for a restless nights sleep.

Day 2, Wednesday, August 5th ‘09; EP 14 to Lower Pauness

We all woke early; I was now on woods time so I don't know what the actual time was and could really care less. I headed to the office to check out; the Adventure Inn is a great little place and I will definitely stay here again. When I got back to the room, Butch was out front talking to the gentleman with the strippers (at least that’s how I like to tell the story). I knew that he could stand there and tell stories all day but alas, our trails must part. [paragraph break]Breakfast at Britton’s was great as usual. Ollie finished his French toast and bacon and one of my eggs and half of my hash browns and his sister’s sausage links… I fear what this kid’s appetite will be like when he is a teenager. [paragraph break]The drive to the LIS was uneventful. We made a pit stop at EP 16 for the kids to use the out house, little did we know that going potty would become the theme of the trip. At EP 14 we unloaded and portaged our gear the 36 rods to the river. The kids were troopers and were eager to pull their own weight. Our load consists of two #4 Duluth packs (one Deluxe, one Monarch) a Duluth Pack Camp Kitchen, personal (day) packs for Butch and the kids and a fishing rod tube. I talked to the kids before we left home about only packing “essential” gear or things that you think would be very important to have in the woods but in the end I let both kids pack anything that they wanted as long as it fit into their personal pack and they could carry it themselves. So, added to this years “essential” gear list were a hand knit purse and silk scarf (for dress up of course), a light saber, Luke Skywalker bobblehead, a floating orca bath toy and a ford tractor with a front end loader. [paragraph break]We met a family from Joliet, IL on the portage and exchanged cameras at the put in for group photos. [paragraph break]

[paragraph break]Immediately following push off, we saw a doe in the tall grass to our right but we were eager to paddle and missed the photo op. [paragraph break]Butch and I quickly found a rhythm and we are at the 60 rodder in no time. Though doubling, we made quick work of the portage. On our second trip across we stopped to explore the rapids and take some pictures of the little falls; Ollie sighed and told me that he could “look at that water fall all day”.

[paragraph break]The second stretch of river provided more spectacular scenery; the LIS is really a beautiful paddle. It was time for a potty break so we stopped at the first camp site on Upper Pauness. Emma’s first experience with the dreaded “thunder box” went off without a hitch; I could tell that she was proud of herself. We checked all but the northern most site on Upper and decided to move on to Lower Pauness.

[paragraph break]At the take out for the 40 rodder to Lower Pauness, Emma’s foot slipped off of a rock and she fell and banged her knee up. Based on her reaction I was expecting a shattered knee cap, broken femur or a severed foot but upon close inspection we decided that it was just a scrape, treatable with love from her dad and brother. I carried Emma over on my first trip and headed back for a load of gear; half way across I realized that she was right on my heals ready to help… I say again, what a trooper. [paragraph break]We saw another deer as soon as we pushed off from the portage. [paragraph break]Both of the northern sites on Upper Pauness were occupied so we headed south through the rice filled channel. Camp site 42 was open and we found it to our liking so we set up our base for the next couple of days. [paragraph break]Lunch was summer sausage, smoked salmon, cheese and crackers. We spent the bulk of the afternoon getting set up and settled in. Dinner was brats and mashed potatoes over wood fire and not a morsel was left uneaten. After dinner, Butch and I cleaned up and the kids busied themselves exploring camp. Before long Butch and I heard Ollie’s voice from behind us; “look guys, I made my own thunder box”. We turned around to find my boy at the edge of camp, shorts to his ankles and a grin from ear to ear. We buried his mess in the woods and had a talk about the importance of using the latrine provided… this is a fear that he would have to face. [paragraph break]A little later, a storm blew in. It did not last long but the front was pretty powerful with high winds and sideways rain. We huddled under the tarp the best we could; the kids were pretty scared for a minute but it moved through quickly and the sky’s cleared. The kids and I ended the evening with a paddle

[paragraph break]...arriving back at camp in time to take in a rose colored sun set. Exhausted; we retired to the tents… a campfire will have to wait until tomorrow. [paragraph break]

[paragraph break]We left for Crane Lake around 11:00 a.m. so we could catch Zup’s last jet boat tow to La Croix. We stayed overnight at Zup’s Resort so we could get an early start the next morning. After a nice breakfast, we left the resort in a towboat around 8:00 a.m. In less than 30 minutes we were at our drop off point on the Canadian side, at Island 45 (on LLC they number the islands). Checking the map and my compass, we figured out the right direction & followed the shoreline south around Island 41 and to the 80 rod portage into Gun Lake.[paragraph break]Gun is a very scenic lake with large peninsulas with high cliffs. It is also 140 feet deep, has lake trout & smallmouth bass and has a nice campsite on the east side (about 10 years ago we camped here with Lynn’s brother & a friend of his). During that trip I was able to take a very nice sunset picture and it is the one we use for the backdrop for our booth at sport shows. We paddled through Gun to the 85 rods portage into Eugene Lake. This trail starts up hill out of Gun and then levels off to a good trail. I started to feel my back aching on this portage, most likely because I had thrown my back out in August & it was still healing. I also realized that when I carried a pack & the canoe, it didn’t hurt but when I just took a heavy pack, it did. What actually made the difference was that when carrying a canoe I stood up straighter. Once figuring that out & changing my posture the rest of the time, it was just fine.

[paragraph break]Eugene is divided into three parts. There is a small channel connecting the first part of the lake with the rest. There are 2 campsites on Eugene and you can fish for northern pike & smallmouth bass. On the southwest side of the lake is a 60 rod portage to Fat Lake, which is your typical portage trail. Fat Lake is a small lake, just about 100 acres and 100 feet deep, full of lake trout. I hoped to be able to see the campsite from the end of the portage to see if the one & only campsite had been taken, but couldn’t spot it from there. After we paddled around the first point we could see the site was open & we were the only ones on the lake. In fact, we hadn’t seen anyone all day once we got off the towboat. The campsite is small but quite comfortable. It had a smooth granite hill which was a good spot for setting the pots & pans and other cooking stuff as well as being a good wind break for the fire pit and a great place to relax.[paragraph break]After setting up camp, we got the fishing rods set with ciscoes (frozen dead bait, much like smelt). Unfortunately, during this project I got my hook snagged and then broke the tip off of my heavy fishing rod while trying to get it loose. What a bummer! Lynn had built a fire and we cooked our steaks up for dinner. We still had ice in our Nalgene bottles (we freeze water in them before we go out), so we made up a lemonade & vodka cocktail afterwards.  

The lake was blanketed in mist and the sky was overcast so we stayed in our sleeping bags just a little bit longer than we otherwise would have. I asked the kids if the still felt homesick and they both replied “home-what… can we go fishing today?”

[paragraph break]Breakfast was oatmeal with strong black coffee and tea and after clean up we set off to fish our bay. I set Ollie up with a 3” Gulp minnow and Emma with a 4” Gulp smelt. Gramps brought his fly rod and was throwing a Dahlberg Diver at submerged timber. In short order, Emma added a feisty 15ish sized walleye to the stringer.

[paragraph break]We stopped to check out the 8 rod portage and adjacent camp site and did some more fishing from shore without luck.

[paragraph break]Back at camp, goofing off was on order. Fishing from shore, lying in the sun, lounging in the hammock and “hunting beavers” with bow and arrow. [paragraph break]Ollie has completely overcome his fear of the thunder box and visits even if just to pee. The Luke Skywalker bobblehead and ford tractor with front end loader both found their useful places in our routine and a care could not be found with a magnifying glass.

[paragraph break]Much later in the afternoon, Ollie and I went on a fishing excursion and added a 20ish” walleye to the stringer.

[paragraph break]Dinner tonight was mac and cheese and fried fish. Butch, Ollie and I all had three helpings. Emma, always the responsible diner, was full after one. Another camp fire and cigar and a few more sips of whiskey. We all retired to the tents under overcast skys and light sprinkles. I read the greatest book ever written (an illustrated review of construction trucks) to Ollie for the third night in a row… Emma tolerated it, have I mentioned that she’s a trooper.

Day 5; Saturday, August 8th ’09; Lower Pauness [paragraph break] The dawn came in shades of gray; heavy air and no wind necessitated the use of bug dope for the first time this trip. Breakfast was Nutri-grain cereal bars. We broke camp and pushed off in short order. The trip out was much like the trip in… Butch and I found our groove and the rest was history. [paragraph break]The sun broke the weather’s monotony about the same time that we rolled into Ely. We squared up with Mark and Bob at CCO; both Butch and I have had nothing but good experiences renting from them. Lunch was at the Ely Steak House and could not have been better. I honestly believe that it was the first time that I have ever seen four plates wiped completely clean at a restaurant... I cant even tell you if there where garnishes on the plates; if there where, we ate them. [paragraph break]We stopped in Tower for coffee and ice cream cones, then onward to Backus for a hot shower and a warm bed. Amy was there to greet us, what a sight for sore eyes. [paragraph break]I asked the kids what they liked best about the trip; Emma said catching a walleye, Ollie said fishing for walleye (the nut never falls very far from the tree now does in), both agreed that we need to come back next year.