Poplar-Winchell Loop
by Pjmeyerii
My youngest and I drove the 8 hours from Chilton, WI to Rockwood Outfitters and arrived around 4. We stowed our stuff in the bunkhouse and hung out at the waterfront (me reading and my youngest swimming) while we waited for my eldest, who was coming from Minneapolis. They arrived around 5 and we got their gear stowed and headed to Poplar Haus for dinner. That was a great meal before going into BWCA. After dinner, we got our gear squared away among the 3 of us. We used backpacks for our stuff, along with 2 bear-proof barrels and a bag that we would hang. Since we were doing a loop with 17 lakes, we traveled light with a MSR Reactor 2.5 camp stove and DIY dried dinners (pasta, couscous, mashed potatoes and ramen). One comfort we brought was a 1/5 of Glenlivet 12 scotch in a metal water bottle and some good chocolate for desert—both much appreciated!