I was first up as I set an early alarm. This was to be our last day in the bwca and I was hoping to land at least one more fish. I woke up E, with “You can sleep in Ohio, you can only catch pike in MN!” He was soon coming toward the water’s edge after me. I decided to check D’s pike and pulling on the cord it felt very light. Soon I was presented with the jaw bones of 3 northerns, and nothing else. My ornery side swelled and a plot to capture the moment on film when D checked his line hatched. E would ask D to teach him how to fillet while I took a picture. Eventually D was getting out of his hammock and E asked him for a lesson. D, being a great and generous guy, said “Sure.” I offered the use of my fillet knife, as it was handy but D declined feeling more comfortable with his own. I almost pushed him too far with a comment of “Pansy”. He just looked at me quizzically and proceeded to make some coffee while I quickly made an exit to the latrine. Eventually, he headed to the water and, well a picture really is worth a thousand words, so see the attached photo.

That really was his first response. Then, being a great sport, he burst into laughter. The morning continued with pancakes and whatever else we could choke down with all of the extra food. The sun was out and we decided to leisurely break camp and have Mass just prior to lunch and then leave after lunch for our afternoon pick up. Too soon we were paddling down the Moose river to EP 16. We passed several groups coming in, some of whom were nice young ladies who had a pleasant aroma as they walked past. I couldn’t help but laugh to myself thinking that we were not likely returning the favor! Sadly coming to the last portage we brought all of our gear to the parking lot. There was a small scout troop who used the same outfitter we had. We were two hours early and the outfitter managed to get all of their gear, our gear and both crews into his van and trailer. Cool beverages hit the spot and we were headed back to showers at VNO. I don’t have to tell anyone on this site how good a hot shower feels after a trip. After cleaning up we ate dinner again at the Boathouse, many of us opting for the walleye that we weren’t able to catch on our own! After that it was goodbye to Ely.

Our first driver, E, was determined to stop at the first Dairy Queen on the way home. D was in the seat in front of me and when his bench partner decided to move up to watch “The Incredibles” playing on a laptop he got the whole bench to himself and stretched out with a Cheshire cat grin as I said, “That’s not fair!”, being more than a bit jealous. D fell asleep quickly and I was leaning over the back of his seat to watch the movie. So, I had a perfect view of D as he rocketed forward when E made a sudden turn as he almost passed the Dairy Queen. D, following the laws of inertia, stayed in motion as the van turned beneath him and expediently became wedged between his seat and the back of the seat in front of him. The shocked look on his face and flailing arms made me incapable of assisting him as I found myself once again in an uncontrollable fit of laughter. I hadn’t laughed that hard in years and now had two episodes in less than a week. This truly was a fantastic trip and we all felt greatly blessed.