Friday, August 31, 2007 - We were up early, head lamps on, granola eaten; camp was soon dismantled and we were off. We portaged back to the entry on Burntside. this portage seems to be growing as I have seen it listed at 360, 390, 420 rods since it was rerouted. I am glad we did it before it gets any longer.

The wind had built up again but we were a little stronger and now accustomed to it; the paddle back to the public boat launch was uneventful. We found familiar landmarks so didn't have any directional disagreements on the return. We did however have a nice feeling of accomplishment.

Mitch arrived in the van, right on schedule; we loaded and took off for NCCO, with a really cold beer in hand.

Back at NCCO, we showered, changed, visited with John and then went into Ely, where we spent a few relaxing days at the Grand Ely Lodge, along with visiting the Dorothy Moulter Museum, the International Wolfe Center and just being tourists. While a weeks worth of paddling may have burned a lot of calories, we compensated by visiting and enjoying a number of Ely's food establishments.

While there, we had a great visit with "The Great Outdoors", whom I finally got to meet and thank him for previous advice. He is very informative and gave us another, more scenic route, to get us back to the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport. We enjoyed the route which took us through Finland and south towards Duluth.

A great trip for us. Our return in 2008 is ensured.

POST TRIP MUSINGS - 1. This was the 1st time we kept to 1 site (base camped); although this site was perfect for us, we would probably limit our stay to no more than 3 nights in the future. 2. While I will always prefer a camp fire for the evening, the fire ban did not lessen our BWCA experience; the lack of an open fire has become less of an issue for me. 3. The wind was a big consideration for us throughout 2007; whether in the BWCA, Vermont or the Adirondacks, we had more wind than in prior years. For me, wind is more troublesome than rain. 4. While we enjoy solitude, no one got to see the BWCA cap that Bette wore and the tee shirt I wore. 5. Finally, a sincere thanks to so many on this board for your advice and suggestions. Much appreciated!