Greg & Scott were up & headed back early this morning. We thanked each other, and bid them farewell & a safe trip. As we finished up our oatmeal breakfast, Mark made a proud confession. For the first time, he had taken an empty container to bed with him & now it was full.

Slowly, we began the process of tearing down camp. Somewhat surprisingly, we were able to leave behind a fair amount of firewood. It's always a bittersweet feeling having to leave a place that served us well as our home for the past several days. Of course the wind was starting to gain some momentum as we neared departure time.

Remembering the icy trail back to Round lake, I put my yak traks over my boots to provide some extra traction. All things considered, the trip back across the portage went surprisingly well. Once back on Round lake everyone marveled at the fire damage (from several years back) along the western shore. The traverse across was quite windy but, we all managed to make it without serious complaint.

From there it didn't take long to get loaded up. We wished each other safe travels and were on our way. Soon after getting back to the Gunflint trail, Mark & I had a pine marten slink across the road in front of us. We then motored to Trail Center for burgers and a few drinks. Mark had a couple of Flat Tires in homage of his brother Keith who was unable to join us on our adventure this year. We even found out that the official low for the morning of the cold feet was -34 F at the end of the trail.

All and all this was a great trip. Unfortunately John & Shawn had to miss a day. And, their having to spend the coldest night at the Radisson in Duluth did nothing to earn any points with Mark or I. But, we eventually forgave them. Greg & Scott were also a fun pair and were definitely welcome additions to the campfire banter sessions & overall enjoyment of the trip.

For the most part I was very happy with the way my new toboggan performed. And, the CCS bag did exactly what I wanted it to do. But, sometime in the near future, I think I'll have Dan add a few more lashing straps to keep the bag better centered. It should go without saying that we ate quite well, Mark & John did a superb job of planning & executing the menu. And, more importantly, we had no really serious issues come to the fore front. At times it was a bit too windy & fishing could've been better; but, in the final analysis, we were able to enjoy some quality time in God's country. So, I thanked the 3 men I admired the most, (The Father, Son & Holy Ghost) for being such gracious hosts. The day, the music died.......

Missing Link Lake, Round Lake