We wanted to be up at daybreak today, but that didn’t happen. We arose at 7:00a.m., hoped to be packed up and on the water by 8:30 a.m. We achieved our goal and arrived at the Badwater to Quetico portage at 9:00a.m. The weather today was cool. The wind was gentle and the sky did not have a cloud. We silently unloaded the canoe and were now ready to begin this #$@&% portage. We both take our last gulp of “Badwater” and we were ready to go. I took my last look at this beautiful place; hoisted the huge Duluth pack on my back, and told Jody that I was going to have this portage for breakfast. I was not going to stop until I reached the end. I could tell Jody was ready to get the job done too. Things went surprisingly well. The pack was manageable, the temp was cooler, and more importantly, my attitude was where it needed to be. The trail had dried considerably since our entry which made things much safer and easier. I put my head down and covered the trail very fast. I knew the truck was closer with every step I took. I reached the end without stopping, without falling, and without swearing. I set the pack down, had a quick gulp of water and was on my way back for the canoe. I was surprised when I met Jody who was only a few minutes behind me. I was proud he made it in such timely manner! He agreed that it was easier then coming in. I quickly reached Badwater and hoisted the canoe on my shoulders and began the trek to Quetico. It was much harder with the 18.5 foot canoe then with the pack. My pack weighed in at 90 pounds, the canoe is only 49, yet the downed trees made this a real challenge but the trip back went pretty fast again. I didn’t have to set the canoe down, and made it to the end of the portage no worse for the wear. There was a group of young men getting ready to start the portage at Quetico Lake. Come to find out they were the portage clearing crew who were on a 5 day cleanup project that would take them through Badwater and some of the smaller lakes up to Jean Lake! Boy, talk about timing! If only we would have waited until tomorrow to come out….oh well! After Jody’s quick return trip, we gave each other a high five as we gulped our water. We did it… we double portaged what some consider the roughest in Quetico in less than two hours! We felt good, we were ready to go, and time for a good steak, cold beer, and a nice air conditioned room. The rest of the return trip went well. The winds were light, and the trek across Quetico Lake was beautiful. In no time we were crossing the portage into Beaverhouse getting closer to the truck with every stroke of the paddle. Beaverhouse is a beautiful lake. We landed our canoe at the put-in at 2:30 p.m. We made it in 5 ½ hours… a monumental feat, in my opinion. Not bad for a 53 year old man, and a 40 year old kid. We portaged our equipment the last 160 rods to the truck and had a warm Pepsi… man was that tasty! We then loaded our equipment in the truck, and loaded the canoe on top, the hard work was over. We did a quick change of clothes, and felt like a million bucks. As we were getting ready to pull out of the lot we were greeted by our two friends that we’ve seen three times in the last week. They are amazed that we made it out before them. They looked a little frazzled and worn out and glad to be back to the civilized world. We talked awhile, exchanged handshakes, and pulled out of the Beaverhouse lot for our trip to my house in Cook, Minnesota.  This trip was a very challenging trip, both physically and mentally. Although there were times early in this trip when I thought I made a mistake in choosing this destination nothing could have been further from the truth. We all have to challenge ourselves in life. The good things never come easy. What appears to be impossible and insurmountable can be overcome by mental toughness and a desire to succeed. What seemed to be an impossible portage was not, what appeared to be a not so good fishing lake was great. All it took was to use our minds and bodies to their upmost potentials.

I would like to return to Badwater someday. It might not be next year, or the next ten years, but I will return to face the same difficult and challenging situations again.