Yes, we awoke to another sunny day. This is the best week of weather we have ever experienced in the BW, it adds a lot to a trip as your time is really open to choose what you "want" to do rather than what you can do. We quickly realize that we are not motivated to pack and leave, so start with a leisurely breakfast. I then choose to fish with leeches from shore and quickly catch some smallies in the 14" to 16" size. As we slowly break camp, we save some snacks for a break when we get back to Poplar Lake. The packing is begrudgingly accomplished and we paddle away. Would you believe we are making plans for 2010? What a wonderful hold this special place has on us. As we get to the portage to Liz, another group is right behind us, it is the father and his two sons from Wisconsin, that we met yesterday. As we say Hi, I ask how was the fishing was on Meed. They smile and reported that they finally found the elusive Walleye and have had a good trip. Well as we were slowly moving our stuff onto the portage along comes two groups coming in. Yes, our procrastination seems to mean that everyone is coming and going at virtually the same time. This thought becomes a reality as we meet two more groups coming in at Liz to Caribou as well as a day tripper and a Guide with 3 clients all converging at the same time. Everyone was cordial and polite and we were on our way without too much fanfare. As we hit the end of Liz and the portage to Poplar, we come upon another group of 7 coming in with more fishing rods than I can believe. I jokingly note to one of them that is holding over 10 poles that the fish should be warned. He replies that they may have over done it. As we hit the end of the portage we put the canoe and packs way off to the side so that they are out of the way while we grab our snacks and a nice spot for a break. We see no one else coming in and actually realize we saw 5 groups and 1 day tripper going in, on a 4 permit a day Entry, Hm-mm. Two more groups come by us as we are sitting, even though they are leaving, everyone is in good spirits with some fine back and forth banter and much good natured laughter shared. Our time to take our final paddle back to Rockwood is here and we shove off and get the final leg going. I note to my Bow Partner that all the traffic came thru during a 45 minute span, thus showing how important timing is. Eventually we are alone with the snacks gone and start our paddle on Poplar Lake back to the shore at Rockwood Outfitters. Poplar Lake which is entirely outside of the BWCAW is very quiet, we see very few people here, and this is on a Friday afternoon of a holiday weekend; this is a far cry from what we would experienced back home. While paddling at least 50 yards off an island we strike a submerged rock. This surprises us as it was a harder hit than anything we had while in the BW. You just have to be constantly on the lookout, even if only minutes from the outfitters. We beach and unpack the canoe and start putting our gear aside. Lin sees us at the equipment building porch and comes over where we share some of the great trip memories quickly with her. Mike shows up from some chores he was doing and is equally pleased to hear of our great trip.

We have the equipment separated and ours boxed and ready to return by UPS to our home. We take our showers, put on fresh clothes, boy does that feel good. We settle our bill and say our good bye's with a "hope to see you next year" and we really do, in fact I have a couple of plans in the works...But for the moment, it is off to Grand Marais!

POST NOTES and THOUGHTS: Again, a concern we had going into this entry was, would the exposure to more canoe trippers diminish our BWCAW experience? It has not, although I will admit that the people we encountered were for the most part "like minded" in what they were there for. I guess we could compare it to the fire bans that we have gone in under the last two years. Did we miss not having a fire, absolutely, but is it a "deal breaker", no way, it affords a slightly different experience and for us that is always worth it. It is the quiet sounds of nature, not solitude that we enjoy most. There were always campsites available and options to consider, for these reasons, this time, this entry was a winner and will be considered again. After more years than I am comfortable to admit, there are a few absolutes: 1) Portages vary a lot. Length alone is not the the most important criteria. Steepness, rock/boulder strewed, put ins, take outs, loose gravel or firm surface along with wet or dry conditions are often more important than length. 2) The single most consistently difficult attribute to find at most camp sites is more than one level tent pad with little or no ground obstructions. We count ourselves quite lucky in that we only require 1 pad. 3) We have in the BWCAW, The Adirondacks and Allagash, to mention a few, gifts from past generations and often the foresight of a few special individuals. We need to continue to support, protect and cherish with sacrifices, if necessary, to ensure there longevity. 4) Equipment continues to improve, often while getting lighter. Food's taste and variety continues to make advances. 5) This site and its members, more than any other source, has contributed to our overall tripping knowledge. Doing so while often providing laughter and enjoyment, we are beholden and grateful to you all, but especially Adam for creating this special site. Thanks,

Boppa and Bow Partner