Thursday, August 31, 2023 Carp, Birch, Indian Portage tow out, Duluth

Up at a reasonable hour. I had a rotten hang and ended up with my butt on the ground when the little tree leaned in. We packed up and headed to the portage. We wanted to get to Birch and be ready for our pick up. We got to the portage to see a group of four canoes headed in the other direction. We portaged to the other end and saw another group of two with their dog. As we were finishing, another group of three canoes approached from Birch. And finally, after we launched, there was another group of two canoes approaching. Welcome to the wilderness highway! We headed down Birch. Out the little arm where the portage was and into the main part of the lake. Guess what? HEADWIND! Not horrible but noticeable. We passed so many canoes going the other way that we loss count. It was the Thursday before the Labor Day weekend and the commute was on. There were many groups and one cargo crew. The cargo crew was three canoes. All aluminum tandems. Two of them with a crew a two with a huge pile of gear. The one guy in a tandem with a kayak paddle and completely loaded with more gear than I though possible. We made good time and decided to stop at a campsite for some lunch. We found the perfect site at #1282 with a awesome grassy area to hang out. We pulled out the chairs and sat around to reminisce on the trip. Then over to Indian portage to meet our tow back. The van was waiting for us and we were back at the outfitters by around 2:30.