Boundary Waters, Trip Reports, BWCA, Stories

Father and Son BWCA trip
by Hueyav8r

Trip Type: Paddling Canoe
Entry Date: 08/01/2017
Entry & Exit Point: South Kawishiwi River (EP 32)
Number of Days: 6
Group Size: 2
Trip Introduction:
I’ve been to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area a couple times, Quetico and Algonquin but I never taken any of my adult children with me except for a week in a cabin in the BWCA. I’ve have taken them on a long weekend trip to the Ausable River in Michigan and the Current River in the Ozarks. My son John is a PhD candidate in Electrical Engineering. He spends his days in the Clean Room doing research or in his office, sometimes seven days a week. I planned the trip in early August to be a route that would be a circle and end up where we started. With advice from Voyageur North Outfitters figured part of the route would be too dry in August to paddle and it would require a long possibly bushwack portage. The revised plan was to enter #33 Little Gabbro Lake and paddle up the South Kawishiwi River to Lake One, possibly Lake Two and back again to take out. That was the plan, stuff happened.
Part 1 of 6
My drive from Indianapolis thru Champaign IL to pick up John and onto Wisconsin the first night was non eventful. We didn’t want to push it all the way through. We did stop at the Cherry Valley Café in Cherry Valley IL Friday night for their all you can eat Walleye dinner. I would recommend if you can plan that into your drive. This drive was an opportunity for some Father and Son time. We arrived in Ely on Saturday midday, gave us time to visit the tourist sites and show him Piragus. We stayed at Voyageur North’s bunk house. Very affordable way to spend a night just before you hit the water.