Monday, May 22, 2021

We awoke the next morning to a picture-perfect boundary waters morning: blue skies, calm breeze, and bird song from as far as the ear could hear. It was chilly but definitely warmer than yesterday. I was so grateful to have gotten a good night sleep with a full day of travel ahead.

We again sent a check-in message home with the Zoleo unit and learned later that our messages were received and appreciated. This turned out to be a successful test of a nice purchase for us . With five trips planned this year, it'll definitely get used to provide some peace of mind back home. Hope we never have to use the SOS, but it's there in case we or others we encounter need it.

We heated water for another breakfast of oatmeal, coffee, and cocoa, and broke down camp. Fortunately, after a rainy start in camp on Saturday, everything was nice and dry Monday morning as we packed up, which always makes packing up a bit more pleasant. As I loaded the canoe, Josef eagerly took on site-policing duties, searching out any bits of trash we may have missed. By now, as the temp warmed, the black flies and mosquitoes reappeared, and we donned our head nets and picked up our pace.

Once we were satisfied that we were leaving a clean campsite (except for that darned Rapala in the tree), we shoved off for our 3-mile paddle down Crocodile, our portage back to East Bearskin, and our 2-mile paddle to the car. We were in good spirits, chatting a bit and scoping out fishing spots we missed hitting yesterday because of the windy conditions.

About a mile in, Josef exclaimed, “this was so much fun. We *have* to do this every year.” Not sure if sweeter words have ever landed upon these ears. It was heartwarming to know he had a great time and it was awesome to hang out with him one-on-one. So, for us, this trip has now officially become known as our *1st annual* father-son trip.

I have to hand it to Josef, at every turn where conditions could have dampened enthusiasm or derailed the trip for some, Josef didn’t bat an eye and instead offered alternatives. Can’t fish? Hey, let’s go play more cribbage. Too cold? Let’s hang out in the tent or collect firewood. Turns out we didn’t really *need* to catch and eat walleye (though we really wish we had!), nor did he *need* his long-awaited wilderness ramen. We just really needed to be together in the woods. And I do believe he's got a heart for the wilderness. What an awesome trip partner. We had so much fun together. I look forward to many more years of tripping with him.