We were a bit sad to pack up camp this day as it was our final day in the park. We were not in any particular hurry as we made blueberry scones. Our outfitter was not planning to pick us up until 4 pm at the Leano Lake entry. We lazily paddled across Kilburn into Leano Creek making our way up to Leano. The 50m portage is not marked correctly on the map, it can be found past the Y in the creek.  Otherwise these portages were easy to find. Along our way to Leano we caught a couple fish for shore lunch and made a lunch spot at the furthest south campsite on Leano. It was yummy! As we paddled towards the take-out, we saw our friend Tom at a camp on the island campsite. The portage up to the parking area is on the wrong side of Iriam Creek and is approximately 300m instead of 60m. It is an easy trail and the landing is marked by the infamous orange tape! We got to the exit by 4:10 pm and did not find our outfitter. Jenny decided to sit down and change her shoes and while doing that, Chris found a note from Harlan stating one of his other groups had had a medical emergency. Our ride wasn’t coming until 6:30 pm that day. We were excited and headed back down the portage to go for a nice swim in Leano. The swim was the coldest of the trip, but I’m sure Harlan appreciated our cleaner scent on our trip back to Red Lake. We swam at a small campsite on the west side of the bay where the entry point is. We paddled back to the exit point eventually and waited for our pick up. Harlan arrived with cold beer and his dog, Kito. Our ride back to Red Lake was uneventful, but we enjoyed the company of Harlan. We swapped winter camping tips and shared with him our experiences from our trip. We made it back to Red Lake by 10 pm and fell fast asleep at the Howey Bay Motel. 

We had a fabulous time in Woodland Caribou Provincial Park and would highly recommend it to those seeking a new adventure. We caught tons of fish and didn’t see people on half of the days we were in the park. Harlan is an awesome outfitter and we highly recommend him for any of your WCPP needs.  We are already considering a spring trip next May!!! And the next countdown begins…9 months! ?