We arose from our slumber at 0500 and my pal proceeded to brew the muddiest cup of coffee I've ever experienced. It was perfect. It was a short run over to Ely from Buhl, however, we were hampered by the construction between Tower and Ely. I'd say it took approximately 90 minutes. We made a quick stop at Scubes to get a full pound of leeches and our dry ice, then over to Voyageur North to sign off on our permits. The anticipation is palpable. We hit the fernburg towards the Wood Lake portage and enjoyed the sunny morning with the windows down. The wind seemed to be up, but I can't remember ever having a calm paddle across Wood Lake. This seems par for the course. We get to the portage hoping to find few cars. There were 7. I suppose this is a good time to mention that my pal and I are dead set on staying on one of Good Lake's two campsites. The campsite to the east is actually our favorite to use as a fishing base camp, and also provides adequate fishing opportunities from shore.

We say goodbye to our modern transportation vessel and trudge down the portage. My pal and I each have 1 pack on our back and take turns shouldering the canoe. (We have a 42lb Boundary Waters). We've each packed 2 rods and have secured them inside of the canoe for portaging. Seems to be working well. The Wood Lake portage is not a difficult one, however, it is long (I believe over 1/2mi). We basically scream down that portage without stopping and put the canoe in. The water seems higher than the previous year. As the lake opens up out of the narrows, we experience some stiff wind from the north and approximately 1-1/2 foot waves. We noticed that 3 campsites are occupied on Wood (good sign), and we were also followed by a phenomenally large snapper turtle on the north end. - Beautiful. The portage through To Hula is a breeze, and we're off through Hula. I always feel as though I will see a moose on Hula, but nothing today. The portage through to Good is much narrower and has a good deal of elevation. We're fairly sweaty and starting to tire, so we did take a few breaks on this one. As the trail opens, we notice that Good Lake is very rough. By our estimation, rollers were reaching nearly 3 feel tall. (Maybe an exaggeration) But, the good news is that our favorite campsite is visibly uninhabited from the portage. We high five and tentatively put the canoe in. The plan is to paddle into the waves towards the middle of the lake then quickly turn and ride the waves into shore at the campsite. We did have 4 waves go over the bow, but the plan worked without a hitch.

Once on land, we begin inspecting our site. I was fairly disappointed to find that someone had left rope hanging in a tree, some small fishing lures on the ground, and minor garbage around the fire grate. We cut the rope down and tidied up. (All junk was packed out). Our site now looks good as new and we set up our camp. We have (1) 2-man tent, (1) hammock and a tarp to shield the fire area during rain. We spent the remainder of the day fishing from the site and relaxing as we intended. The solitude is welcomed with open arms, and the fish were as well. My pal and I enjoyed fishing success from the site throughout the evening and fixed our first dinner from camp - cheesy broccoli pasta and (1) walleye. Delicious.

As the day turned towards evening, we giddily took in the beautiful sunset. This is what the BWCA is all about.

We retired to our tent and game-planned our fishing attack for the morning. I haven't thought about work for a second and it feels great. Goodnight!