DAY SEVEN (9/11/12): a wake-up and back to the entry point

and. . . .and. . .suddenly it was morning. Neil and Bill said that there was light rain at 4 A. M., but I didn’t hear a thing. I was up at 6 on a pleasantly warm morning, took one quick mist shot on the lake.

We had a relaxed breakfast. For Neil and me that meant more Ova eggs, this time scrambled up with a slice of foil-wrapped Spam. (the bacon was better.) More oatmeal and peaches, some Tang because Neil’s blood sugar was running low. Squirrels were up in the trees teasing Piwi. Bill counted out our final rations of Werthers for this short, easy morning.

I had to take a photo while sitting on the “biffy” at this campsite. It is unique, in that the biffy trail winds around in back of the fire grate area, but not very far at all, and not uphill very much either. The brush cover isn’t dense, and from the “throne” you can see people sitting at the fire grate area. There was a fine view of the tents as well. There isn't a great deal of personal privacy in this particular campsite for your toileting needs!

Of course Piwi had to get a good chew in on one last big stick!

We tried valiantly to get a good group photo. This is easier if you don’t have a dog that you want in the picture. Piwi was not at all interested in posing for a camera that didn’t have a person behind it, and after about six tries, this is the best we could do.

And we paddled out of the BWCA at about 10:45, in bright sun, warm temperatures, with a light breeze.

Sawbill landing was busy with canoes, people and dogs coming and going.

We loaded up our gear, checked in briefly at the store, and were on the road.

NOTES ABOUT GEAR:

While it is often said that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, we had several innovations in our gear and supplies for this trip.

1. We replaced our old food pack (an external frame backpack with many zippered pouches) with bear vaults (one large and two small) carried in a Granite Gear Quetico pack. This resulted in a major reworking of our packing system--still a work in progress.

2. Neil started out hanging one pack with our auxiliary box of food, and later on it was “stashed”. We used to hang ALL of our food!
3. I had purchased a packet of “Fresh Bath Travel Wipes” at REI, and we found these handy for whole-body cleanups on cool days instead of a full wash-up with soap and water.
4. Neil’s diabetes care was simplified by the use of the insulin pump and continuous blood glucose monitor, instead of bottled insulin and syringes or insulin pens as in the past.
5. We made use of the Steri-Pen, a piece of equipment we had bought a year before, but hadn’t used until this trip. Time will tell if it was effective against giardia.
6. Bill had a GPS and a SPOT along on the trip. I will let him comment upon those in his trip report, since I didn’t really pay much attention to either of them.
7. We needed more fuel for our stove. We ran out. The colder weather seemed to affect the amount of fuel needed, but we are also cooking less on a fire as time goes on. Going in September, with the shorter days, rather than in June as we used to do is probably the primary reason. There is just less time to gather firewood, and probably less firewood readily available close to camp.
8. We forgot to pack several items when leaving home. Some were replaced at outfitters in Grand Marais, and some we just got along without. Even with comprehensive lists to check, sometimes items get overlooked when two people are packing. (or there are senior moments.)