Monday, May 25, 2015 Time to head home. We woke up, had breakfast and pulled down camp. The boys spent time playfully throwing pinecones at us as we packed up and Colin even told me to "step it up a notch". That got a laugh out of us. It was raining lightly as we packed and played one more game of euchre (keeping with tradition. Alex and I were partners). We decided to leave early in the day and fish our way home. At the south end by the river mouth we picked up a few fish and then a few more at the portages north of Nina Moose where the river is wider and the flow conducive to fishing. We even got a few on topwaters, which was fun. The portages were very slick and muddy. As we pulled up to one portage, Colin playfully told me to get up out of the canoe, gave a sharp tug on the canoe and proceeded to wipe out in the mud. We hardly stopped laughing the whole way, even as the rain fell harder and we got more and more soaked. After packing at the entry point and stopping back at the outfitter, we hit Sir G's and ate way too much pizza and pizza fries followed by DQ blizzards. Stuffed with food and fully satisfied, we made the drive home while daydreaming about our next trip. My heart is so full after these trips. My friendship with Mike is great, I love spending time with my godson, Alex, and my son has become a full-on partner in every adventure. Everything about it is special--the planning, the packing, the drive up. I savor every step of the journey, love the cooking, sitting on the rocks overlooking the lake with a cup of coffee in the morning and playing cards all night. When I was young, I always dreamed of going to the bwca but never knew how to get started. Luckily, Mike invited me to go with an experienced group about twelve years ago and not long after that Colin and I started making trips together.

Thanks to everyone on this site who willingly share so much advice and insight. I've gained a lot through these trips and believe that they have been formative for me in many ways. I can't wait for August so I can go again because a few years ago Colin said, "We need to start going twice a year." If only it could be three times.

Nina Moose River, 2015. A perfect trip all the way around.