The last night and final morning of the trip came quickly, and once again overnight Jaden didn't disappoint. I went to bed thinking that a ninja rabbit almost jumping on top of me would be my most vivid memory of the trip. I was wrong. Jaden woke me up in his normal way sometime afer midnight- "Dad, Dad, Dad" followed by "I think there's water in the my sleeping pad". I tried to ask him what he was talking about. He was now sitting up, eyes open and headlamp on next to him on the tent floor. "I think water got into my pad from the nozzle you use to blow it up". I asked him how that could have happened. He responded "I don't know, but it did and I'm sleeping on water". With that, he laid back down and went to sleep, his headlamp still on in his hand. I didn't even have time to respond. It was a fitting final memory of our short time on Wood Lake.

We paddled out and got onto the portage out of Wood Lake. Jaden had not been looking forward to this as it is uphill the entire way back. We made it up the final hill after our double portage, and all I hear very loudly is "FINALLY!" as he walked to the edge of the parking area and dropped his pack. He even asked if he could go hug the car.

The drive back home was long, but judging by the conversations we had, Jaden will be back to the BW in the future. He may not come every summer, but he did enjoy things enough (fishing, campfires, and food, in his own words) to come back again. It was a great trip with a great kid, and I hope the extra time I spent with him over our 6 days away from home helps ease the life transitions he's going through.