This really was an excellent trip. It was my second trip in the BWCA ever, and first time in 14 years, with my first as a teenager in Boy Scouts. I did plenty of preparation beforehand and knew what to expect, so there were no real surprises and everything went pretty smoothly. I was so excited for this trip, and I was able to roll with the punches and ended up having a great time despite things like wind, wind, and more wind.

I got frustrated with the guys a few times for dilly-dallying or some minor thing, but we always managed to apologize soon after a snarky comment (I wasn't the only one) and we are just as strong of friends now, if not stronger. Ultimately we all pulled our weight and no one really had to worry about anyone slacking off. When we got near a portage, we'd call out obstacles and find a good landing spot. When we got out, everyone helped unload the canoe and put gear in a sensible location (not right in the middle of everything). We traded off carrying various combinations of packs, accessories, and the canoe, and no one ever complained about having to carry the food or the main gear bag or the canoe. When we got to our campsites for the first time, we each knew what to look for (flat tent pads, widowmakers, latrine, bugs/animals) and were all on the same page for what constituted a good and bad site. Setting up camp was always a group effort and went without a hitch for the most part. Water collection was never a point of contention thanks to the extremely convenient gravity filter, and even dish duties were taken without so much as a frown (often without anyone even having to ask). We looked out for each other and I felt really confident about our abilities (and safety) as a group. The late shove-offs weren't great, but there was nothing I could do, and letting it upset me wouldn't make it any better. I learned to just roll with things out there (of course knowing I would have to compromise, before even getting up there) and make the best of it. Quite thankfully, our occasional leisurely pace didn't screw us over for campsites.

We all wish we could have done more fishing. The wind was quite strong for most of the trip and we didn't want to constantly be paddling and stationkeeping, especially in a mostly-empty canoe. The fishing we did do turned out to be productive, and all of us were pleased with our catches. No one left without catching a fish. In 2019, though, we plan to do a fishing-focused trip around Iron/Crooked around the same time. Our only concern is that wind will limit us again, and Crooked is not a small lake.

We did pretty well with food, only bringing back maybe 6-10lbs. One dinner, some lunch stuff, some oatmeal, some GORP, a few bars, and some misc stuff. We could have survived another few days with what we had for sure, if we had to. Re-bagging the Mountain House/Alpine Aire meals into a single gallon ziploc saves a ton of space and we estimated about 1lb of plastic too! We just cut the name and instructions off of one of the bags (3 bags for 3 guys) and cooked it in a 3L pot. I will definitely re-bag all of my meals going forward, if volume is of any concern.

Staying on Moose Lake with an outfitter, and waking up with nothing to do but eat and hit the water was fantastic. The showers were a godsend as well, something all 3 of us were looking forward to. I will definitely try to stay with an outfitter that has showers for all of my future trips. It's just too good - now that I've done it, I don't want to sit in a car with 2 other just-as-dirty dudes for 5 hours on the way home.

This route really was excellent and I would do it again with a different group if they wanted some distance but didn't want the portages to be crazy hard. This tour showed off a ton of the area available from Moose; I like to think we hit basically all of the highlights. It would have been nice to see Eddy Falls, and I was really looking forward to maybe seeing a moose or some beavers or otters in the Kek ponds, though. At least I have something to go back for! My favorite lake was probably Kekekabic. The rolling hills as you look east from the west campsite are so grand. I would like to get back there some day, even that same site. Not only for the views, but to slay the lakers as well!

Thanks very much for reading!!

* Bonus *

These songs were stuck in my head for the trip, with some coming back time and time again, some only rising up for a portage and then being forgotten. I tried to find a correlation between them, but all I was able to discern is that most of them can be slowed with an easy 4/4 time signature which allows them to be sang while marching on a portage. When you see the song titles I have no doubt you will be able to imagine marching on a portage to these songs (if you know them). Some of the songs were ones I had recently listened to, and some were ones that popped into my head because of something I saw out there, or something my friends and I had discussed. Songs with an asterisk (*) are ones that played very frequently in my mind!

Alexisonfire - Rough Hands

The Weeknd - Can't Feel My Face *

Van Halen - Jump

Panic At The Disco - Camisado

Panic At The Disco - I Constantly Thank God For Esteban

N*Sync - Dirty Pop *

Backstreet Boys - Backstreet's Back

The Killers - Neon Tiger

Seether - Fake It *

Captain Jack - In The Navy

CHVRCHES - Deliverance *

Kanye West - Waves

Tech N9ne - R.O.O.T.

Tech N9ne - Check Yo' Temperature