Saturday, August 06, 2016

I'm supposed to be picking up Matt & his daughter Grace a little after 4AM so we can start our drive to the Gunflint Trail. Problem is, less than a week ago I was getting home after a 2 week backpacking trek at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Because of this, I wasn't able to get my packing done as orderly as I'd like. Plus I only got some of the food shopping done ahead of time. Needless to say, I texted Matt at 1:30AM once I finally had the car packed & ready to go to let him know it was doubtful I'd make their 4:00 pickup on time.

I ended up picking them up a little after 6AM, and we were on our way to the Gunflint Trail! The drive itself was mostly uneventful. Still tired from my late night the night before, I had Matt drive for a while while we were going through central WI. We arrived at Gunflint Northwoods Outfitters around 5:30PM and were greeted by the one and only Mocha, as she was waiting on us. Much chatting and such ensued, she gave some tips and hints about our first day's paddle while the girls & Matt watched the video.

It was about dinner time so we headed over to the Lodge for an excellent meal & drinks. Evelyn practically fell in love with this coon fur hat they had by the front of the restaurant.

She also got a lesson in the value of real furs, however, once the price tag was found and showed to her ($400!). Evie finished her dinner a little early and went outside to enjoy & photograph the sunset. Gunflint Lake