Most of us us were up by 5 AM eager to get started with day one on the water. Frankly, we were rather excited to have this opportunity at all after our whole BWCA trip had been endangered by the wildfire closures earlier in the summer. As it turned out, not only did the park reopen in time for our trip, but the open-fire ban was also lifted just days before we arrived so we were going to be able to have campfires and the complete Boundary Waters "experience".

After a hearty breakfast at Britton's Cafe, CCO owner Mark Olson gave us a shuttle ride to our starting point--#32 at the South Kawishiwi River. Our first portage was just under half of a mile and while the early morning rains had ended before we got to our starting point, the trail was still wet and slippery, so the mud, rocks and roots of this long-ish portage were going to be a bit of an opening test. Our crew stepped right up to the task and after about 45-minutes of double portaging we were loaded and launched onto water as smooth as glass.

This is a particularly pretty place to enter the park and our new people were immediately impressed with the BWCA's beauty. I told them the best was yet to come once the overcast skies would give way to the sun and the stunning greens and blues of the Boundary Waters were shown in their full glory.

The next few portages were short and simple and the sun did come out as the water remained calm. This made for a great day of scenic paddling as we continued up the Kawishiwi River, targeting the northeast corner of the "triangle" as our intended camping area for the night.

At one point, shortly before we hoped to find a campsite, I was glancing at the map and lost grip of it over the side of the canoe so it sat floating on the water. This would mean a simple U-turn to retrieve it but as we pulled along side of it, both my bow paddler Sarai and I reached down for this map at the same time and the sudden shift to the side quickly caused us to capsize! In many years of tripping and dozens of individual trips, this was a first for me. Fortunately it happened in warm and calm water, our PFD's did their job, neither of us were hurt and we didn't lose any gear! The other canoes were there quickly to assist and after we got to the nearby shore, got our canoe emptied and soggy gear drained, we were on our way again, not much worse for the wear.

This little incident did slow us down a bit and that, combined with an earlier lingering lunch stop, put us very late in the afternoon by the time we were actually looking for a campsite. This meant all of our intended sites were already taken and we decided to backtrack to an open site we'd seen earlier. This was only about a mile back and with the ability to skip our previous portage by running the gentle rapids that were now downstream, we quickly arrived back at our new home for the night. I had actually stayed at this site (#1137) many years ago and while I remembered it as not the greatest site I'd ever been at, by this time of the day it would certainly do. Once again the whole crew came through to get established here for the night and we able to get camp set up in pretty short order. After we were able to finally coax a stubborn fire to life we used it to cook a fantastic steak-and-potato supper before turning in for the night from a day that had certainly presented it's challenges but had still been a successful first day on the water.

The heavy dew from the night before had left everything the following morning soaking wet but the sun that rose into a cloudless sky quickly dried it all and we knew we were in for another great day. During our bacon and eggs breakfast it was decided that our campsite was good enough for another night. That would mean we wouldn't have to strike camp or travel anywhere with loaded canoes this day and could just enjoy the whole day with some fishing, daytrips or just relaxing at camp. Doug, Amanda, Tyler and Macki voted to just hang out at camp and maybe try some fishing nearby while Sarai, Kari, Alex and I decided to daytrip to the waterfalls that were along the long portage on the north side of the Kawishiwi Triangle route. This meant about a 6 to 7 mile round trip so before we set off we were sure to pack a lunch.

As we rounded a bend to start going west towards the falls, we found ourselves paddling into a stiff headwind that was creating a good bit of chop. This meant we were digging in pretty hard for awhile but as we neared the west end of the bay, the fetch of the wind diminished and the waves were a bit easier to negotiate. Eventually, we were at the trail to the falls--a shallow and muddy landing that required us to navigate through some boot-sucking muck before we were on solid ground. About 100 rods down the trail, we saw a path that dropped down to a pond. We could hear rushing water but certainly couldn't see anything that resembled waterfalls and were worried that we were going to miss out due to low water levels. After a lunch break, Alex set off to see if he could locate an actual cascade. After scrambling across a shoreline of boulders, he reported success around a hidden corner and we followed him to find what we'd come for.

I am not as nimble as I used to be so I now try to take my time when hiking across the rock gardens like the one that stood between us and the falls. Even with doing so, a poor choice for planting my feet had me falling into the water after stepping on a slippery rock. I was able to quickly get to my feet again but not until I was reminded that not only are these some of the oldest rocks on earth, they are also some of the HARDEST! The nasty bump on my bum did not feel good but I would have to say that the waterfalls were worth it even though they came with a little soreness to my backside!

After spending a bit of time admiring this beautiful scene we started back to the trail and to our canoes for the paddle back to camp. This was much easier than our earlier paddle as we now had the breeze at our backs and the one short portage on our way could be skipped again with another downstream run of the gentle rapids.

When we arrived back at camp, those that had stayed behind reported no fishing success so that gave me a reason to see if my luck was any better. I quickly hooked into a northern pike that looked to be about two feet long but I was not rigged for northerns so Mr. Esox chewed through my line before I was able to land him. After re-rigging, I did manage to land about a 1-pound smallmouth bass but this fish was quickly put to shame by the beautiful smallie that Macki landed--a fish that was a good 3 to 4 pounds. That turned out to be all we caught for the day so the way these fish found their way to our bellies was as a part of Doug's delicious fish chowder, which complemented our freeze-dried entrees quite nicely. After supper, cigars and a few sips from our flasks around a lovely evening campfire put a nice finish to the second enjoyable day on the water.

We started day 3 with another gorgeous, sunny morning and a sky that had a few puffy clouds reflecting onto still, blue water. Adding to the scene was just a hint of fog that hung on before the day warmed and brightened. This was the perfect backdrop for enjoying a leisurely pancake breakfast before striking camp, loading up and heading off towards our entry point, which is where we would also exit after one more night in the woods.

One could hardly imagine a better day for paddling with pleasant temperatures, calm waters and the perfect mix of blue sky and white, cottony clouds. Again, since we were headed downstream, were able to run the easy rapids around two of the three portages we encountered this day. Our goal was to get within a mile or two of our exit point so we would have a quick and easy paddle out the following morning.

We got to this area just in time for a later lunch, which was delayed just a bit more when the initial campsites we checked out were either not acceptable or already taken. We did find an awesome open site (#1699) near the portage that goes from this section of the Kawishiwi River over to Bruin Lake. This site had everything we needed with lots of room for a large group, several flat tent pads, a great landing for multiple canoes, a good fire grate area with ample sitting logs, and lots of open and elevated shore-line rock for sunning or enjoying the stunning views. This site was a winner and once we finally got there our hungry tummies made lunch priority number one!

Next, our team once again went into high gear to get camp set up, after which most of us were eager to try some more fishing. Sarai and I decided to go out in the canoe to try our luck at a spot that looked promising. Indeed, we had barely arrived before she hooked into a nice-sized smallmouth bass. This fish gave her quite the fight but she did manage to successfully get it into the canoe and onto the stringer. This was not quite as big as Macki's catch from the day before but was still an admirable fish that went at least a couple of pounds. We were very encouraged at this point that we'd be feeding the group a supper of fish fillets but after that initial bite, we were not able to get even another nibble for the next hour or two! When we returned to camp, Tyler reported that he'd hooked into one from shore but was not able to land it and all anyone else was able to do was a small rock bass that Doug caught and released. Sarai's one fish was it for supper! Kari proposed that we chop this one up to mix in with our freeze-dried broccoli and cheese. This turned out to be an excellent idea and once again, the perfect compliment to the rest of our freeze-dried menu.

After supper we decided to take advantage of the fantastic fire area at this site and soon had some nice crackling flames around which we all sat mesmerized, staring at the fire in silence. After being further relaxed by a few sips from our flasks, Amanda pointed out how brilliant the Milky Way was becoming along with all of the other bright stars that were now showing themselves after the western horizon had lost it's last hint of light. We figured it would be hard to top this moment to end the day so about that time everyone turned in to the tents for our last night in the wilderness.

The next morning we achieved a perfect 3-for-3 for exiting our tents to awesome weather at the start of the day.

Our last-morning breakfast was a quick get-away meal of instant oatmeal before striking camp one more time. Once loaded up, it was only a 20-minute paddle to our final portage and the planned pickup from our outfitter. This last portage was the one trail that had any significant length of the whole adventure. On this return trip it was not bad at all! The trail was in drier condition than when we entered and we were more seasoned now, operating as the team we'd become. Our driver from CCO was there right on time for our pickup and the soft seats of his air-conditioned van made for a really relaxing ride back to town.

Once we were done loading up for the trip home and got cleaned up with some showers that felt little short of miraculous, we ended things in Ely with a tasty lunch at the Frisky Otter.

Upon returning home that evening, I think we were all saying our goodbyes with a new level of friendship and a new bond from what we'd experienced as a group. That's part of what I like most about taking these trips: bringing people together in a new way and watching the group chemistry develop over the course of just a few days in the outdoors. I would have to say that I saw that happen with this group as much as any when the veterans stepped up with their experience and the newbies quickly adapted, jumping right in as well.

A successful trip like this sure makes me want to go again and the thoughts of "next time" are already coming together!