Monday, September 07, 2020 We all woke up at 5 AM and broke camp. We were on the water by 6:30. It was really windy when we woke up at 5 AM still but when the sun came up, the wind calmed and we had a really beautiful paddle back out of Knife Lake past Isle of the Pines. I have to say that Knife Lake truly is one of the most scenic lakes I have been to in the BWCA. I would go back for sure, but probably earlier in the year when the fishing is better. We actually made it back through all the portages ahead of schedule. Our tow was set up for noon and we were at the tow pickup by 11 AM so we made two pots of coffee and relaxed. Our good time was helped by further consolidation of our gear and only double portaging each portage. We got a lot better as a group as the short trip went on. We all agreed that it was a great trip and that each of us had a great time. I met with Andy to exchange some gear on Tuesday after the trip, and even though he said his camping days were done and he wouldn't likely go back again, he was so happy to have gone and had the time he had. We went over his maps and mapped the areas we went, so he could have them framed. That was really meaningful for me. Four of the guys who went on the trip were 58 or older. While that's not old, there is going to be a last BWCA trip for all of us someday and in a way, I think it was a passing of the torch from my dad and his buddy to me. This was the first trip that I had planned and they had gone with me. I have so many great memories from all the trips we've done to Canada, this one added to that list in a sentimental and meaningful way. (I'm still going to try to convince Andy to go back again someday!)

Lastly here is what we learned - what we would sustain and what we would improve:

Sustains - Absolutely the group we had. We had 7 very different personalities and age ranges and we got along AMAZINGLY. Everyone contributed in great ways and we had a blast together. - Inviting new people. My Uncle Tim or BIL Andy had never come on a trip with us, and they were awesome additions and the trip would not have been as good without them. - The gravity water filter. So light and easy to use. I will not backpack or canoe without it anymore. - Basecamping. We had a short trip and enough new guys, that not breaking down camp everyday was the right call. - Blackberry Brandy. Just because you can drink whiskey for every meal, does that mean you want to?

Improves - Bringing two stoves was a bad idea. We only ever used one. That was a lot of weight. Plus I had my MSR Pocket Rocket, so we would have been fine without the second stove. - Bringing two 6 man tents. Again, we only used one so it was a lot of extra weight. - We should have packed everything the morning of or the night before instead of sorting it out at camp/at the portage we were dropped off at. That would have helped us be a lot more efficient. - Knowing now that the fishing was as poor as it was (everyone we talked to had really tough luck also), I could have picked a lake that was easier to get into and smaller so we wouldn't have had to combat so much wind. It was pretty windy everyday and that made fishing hard. - My canoe trolled a lot, so we should have brought rod holders. That would have been a game changer.