Sunday Comes, we pack up and hit the trail. When we hit the stairway portage, reality sets back in. Making several trips, we had to muscle our packs and sleds up this steep and slippery slope, which seemed almost impossible at times. This was hands down the most strenuous 15 minutes I have had in a while. After fighting the force of gravity, we take snack break and head back down Duncan to the portage. Travel is easy on the packed trail and we make it home without any issues, just as nightfall sets. We pack up the truck, and head to Sven and Oles for pizza. Wild Rice. Wow its good on a pizza, who would have guessed? We catch the halftime show of the super bowl- what a joke- and then proceed home.

All in all I must say that for never fishing lake trout and/ or winter camping in the bwca, we did pretty well for ourselves. We had a blast, stayed warm, and caught some fish! I would do this trip again in a heartbeat, however I wish we had more than one day on rose. It’s a strenuous trekk to get there and more time would have been nice. During the winter I would rate the stairway portage as a 10/10 in difficulty and only the truly adventurous should attempt this one. Looking forward to next year!