Much of my paddling gear is still piled in my living room from my Aug trip, I just need to pick up a few small things and I'm ready. I'm anxious to try out my new water filter... up until my previous trip I always drank right from the lake.

Planning the menu is pretty straightforward, Food for just 5 days and I'm not going to deviate much from the standards. I spend some time testing some ideas with some success. Dehydrated veggies were a hit on the last trip, so I dry and taste test a variety in preparation.

The plan is to go in THU and stay till Monday. I still don't know if this is happening or not. The weather looks good for at least the next few days, so I decide to move things up a day and do Wed.-Sun instead. There are still 13 of 14 permits left, so no worries about getting in on such short notice.

I spend spending most of the day at work Tuesday thinking, "this time tomorrow, I'll be in bwca." After work, I load everything in the truck except the boat which won't fit in with the door closed, and the "fridge food" which will keep better till the next day. The alarm is set and I go to bed by 9 to be up by 3:00am to start the trip.