We left the Twin Cities at around 1:30 PM and made a stop to get Matt a rain suit and some snacks for the drive up. We got to the outfitter (VNO) in Ely at around 6 PM, and they immediately took us through their orientation. We first went over our planned route with the owner, John, and he pointed out some recommended campsites along the way. We weren’t doing any fishing, so much of his knowledge and skills were not applicable to us. Next, we went through all of our equipment and food with “Dave” who was vastly knowledgeable and set our minds at ease. We had three packs: One for our food and kitchen utensils, one for our camping equipment (tent, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, stove, and fuel), and one for our personal stuff. Talking to Dave and getting our questions answered put our minds at ease regarding a lot of the equipment. No one seemed to look at us and think, “Man, these guys should NOT be doing this,” so that also set our minds at ease a bit. We brought our stuff up to the bunkhouse and went to get dinner in downtown Ely.