I set my watch alarm for 5:00AM. When it went off I rolled out and quickly knocked down my small camp. Keeping an organized set of packs is far easier with one or two people than it is with a group!

I paddled West to Big Knife Portage, and moved towards Carp Portage – I spied a deer drinking in the calm shallows.

As I moved along the international boundary, I noticed that my GPS started acting up – it seemed to lose accuracy and occasionally the Topo map, reverting to the almost useless built in base map.

This happened only when nearly straddling the International boundary and the problem went away completely as I moved a couple of hundred feet into US waters. I did not observe this problem on the same route in May.

Fortunately it’s hard to get lost on this well worn and travelled route.

I was pushing off from the portage heading into Birch and noticed a guy about my age with several ‘just past middle aged’ women. These gals were game and doing it, their pink nylon jogging suits and bright white sneakers still pristine. A ‘tad out of shape’, they needed assistance in getting out of their canoes, but they gamely shouldered packs and started off down the portage.

I wondered what these outfits would look like after the four portages to come. Anyhow, it was great to see some first timers experiencing this for the first time.

I reached Prairie Portage and stopped by on the outside chance that I could hitch a ride on a returning jonboat. There was a family from Kentucky there with two beautiful Border Collies heading up to Emerald Lake in Quetico. The dogs were well behaved but fascinated by the commotion… and the occasional Crayfish they could dislodge by moving small rocks with their paws.

We chatted for a few minutes – I told them about the ancient grove of Cedars on the Eastern shore of Emerald – and I headed South realizing that the odds of a tow showing up this late in the day were slim.

I paddled uneventfully back to the EP and parking lot, loaded up and stopped by Cranberries in Ely for my ceremonial exit meal (and a couple of beers). I’d covered 15 miles with six portages this day.

I then headed up to Canada for the balance of my vacation joining my wife and another couple at their remote cabin in Ontario.

Observations and gear reviews.

Jet Boil. An excellent system for solo canoeing. I used less than ½ of one cartridge of fuel, and made daily coffee, occasional eggs and bacon on a small frying pan using their pan adaptor, and made boiling water based meals every night. Two cups of water are brought to a boil in a matter of 80 seconds or so. The fuel usage is so small that I was amazed. Two Thumbs up.

Crazy Creek Lounger. Great for lounging and useless for just sitting and trying to eat. Sturdy, light weight and well designed, I’ll not hesitate to take it again for painless campfire lounging – but will also take a folding stool for meals and cooking purposes.

One Thumb up.

Hennessey Hammock. This is my third or forth trip with this, and I can honestly say that I sleep more soundly in this rig than I do in my own bed. Occasionally finding two of the right diameter trees placed the right distance apart can be difficult, but IMHO worth the effort.

Two big thumbs up

Garmin 60CS loaded with the Topo software for the BWCA (US Topo 24K) and the BWCA portage and campsite overlay from Quiet Journey is slick. I team this with a Fisher Map and always know precisely where I am (except when straddling the International Boundary without the Canadian software loaded.) Battery usage is negligible – 2 ½ days for a pair of AA batteries. The additional functionality of tracking elevation changes and so forth makes this a fun and useful tool. I place it in the canoe by attaching a handlebar mount to the foot brace, thus securely positioning it for easy use. I just left it in place when portaging.

Two thumbs up

Bell Canoe Footbrace. I saw this in the Piragis catalog and bought it to solve a comfort problem with my stripper. Telescoping aluminum tubes and carbon fiber/foam braces make this easily adjustable, strong and very light. Teamed with the CVCA Tractor seat back band – which BTW works fine with the caned seat in my stripper – and my paddling power, endurance and speed got way better.

Two thumbs up