The last day of our trip. We had arranged to be picked up at 10:00 AM on Hook Island.

We paddled the 2 or so miles easily and reached Hook Island about an hour early. We chatted with a group of paddlers and their energetic dog who were setting out on a two-week-long trip west towards Ely.

Our outfitter was a little late in picking us up but while we waited Dan fell asleep on the beach and I got a chance to explore a bit of Hook Island. The campsite nearest the beach looked fantastic. It was high up from the water, provided excellent views to the south, and looked large enough for a medium-sized party.

Although the trip was wonderful, and is something I would absolutely love to do again, it was nice to see the boat pulling into the harbor. The thought of a shower, real food, and getting into clean clothes was a powerful motivator at the time.

Compared to hiking Isle Royale's Minong Ridge I consider this trip to have been slightly less physically demanding. Portaging through mud, over downed trees, and up and down the very Isle Royale-like ridges was extremely difficult at times, but none of our portages were more than about half a mile long. The bugs, much as last year, were so minimal as to barely be noticeable. We both sprayed ourselves with bug repellent, but most of the time it hardly seemed necessary. With the exception of the very strong storm on our second night, the weather cooperated with our plans. We never once even considered pulling onto shore due to weather.

Two 5 day trips to Isle Royale and Quetico and two trips with perfect weather, no bugs, and lifelong memories. Not too bad, if you ask me.