Thursday, June 10, 2021 We got an early start from Ely on our entry day, June 10, and made it to the EP14 parking lot by 7. With all the reports of how busy it has been I wanted to ensure an early start. The summer of 2021 has turned out to be brutally dry in the BWCA and we were concerned about the dry conditions. Fortunately, in the three days before our entry, the area got two separate storms that delivered more than 1” of rain each. The overnight rain made the rocks on the first portage very slick! We met several groups coming out but only saw one other group going in. Coincidentally, we would travel out with that same father daughter couple. Travel was smooth with calm, clear weather and we made it to an open campsite on Shell by lunchtime. We got the second campsite to the right, #48. Not the best campsite I have used but we wanted to make sure we had a place and we were tired. If you have more than two tents I would not recommend this site.