I am once again feeling incredibly grateful to have a group of friends that put their trust in me for a trip like this. Similar to last year, there were people that were new to this type of adventure and I’m glad it was a success. Full stop. This is a great feeling.

I wonder how much different this trip would have been if the earlier weather reports of rain and temps barely in the mid 60’s came true. There would be minimal swimming, less shirtless sunbathing, and I probably would not have enjoyed jumping in the water to get our canoe off that rock. I do know that regardless of these temps; the weeks before Memorial Day or before/after Labor Day are probably what I am sticking with. Seeing how the bugs started to increase at the end of this trip, I can’t imagine how it is in June or July. Thinking more about the weather and the time of the year I am so happy the weather turned out amazing for us. It could not have been better.

I can’t believe how much leftover food I ended up with. Again, I’m glad I recorded portions but there’s so many factors. A big one on my mind is how much shorter and easier this trip was compared to last year. You add a few more big portages and it’s easy to imagine people eating more. It also depends on the group and their eating habits. Thinking about sorting out the food better, I think I’ll try to do a better job reviewing with everyone what the meals are and what snacks I have packed along. That way people know what’s available when they’re hungry. It’s easy to say that now as I know I throw a lot of information at my friends before and at the start of the trip. Maybe it's something to review the first night of camp.

Originally this trip was going to be a 2-person trip or potentially a solo one. I ended up adding 3 newbies to the 2-person trip which was the right choice. Even if my friends aren’t huge campers like I am, I know they appreciated the experience. Will any of them come on another trip? I know one of them is for sure interested. The other 2? I’m not sure. But I should be able to get them out car camping sometime.

Last year, my friend had brought 2 camp mats along that we put out by the fire. Everyone loved being able to sit by the fire with their back against a log and not having to be directly on the groud. This year, I brought 2 beach mats that my family had since I was a young kid. They worked out perfectly and will be a staple for future trips.

The trip last year we had 4 new people all of whom had some camping experience. This year it was 3 new people and while I love introducing friends to this special place, I look forward to a trip with no new people. There’s a lot to show and teach them. Tips on portaging and landing a canoe, how to use a gravity filter, how the coffee works, etc. It adds up and takes a toll on me as the trip leader. Part of me loves it, but by the end of it I’m drained.

A few gear and food changes I had listed for my next trip:

- Less fuel. We only ever used it for coffee (again). At the same time, we were able to cook everything over the fire (again). So I’ve been lucky for 3 trips and the luck has to run out at some point. Not sure if I’ll follow this next year.

- If I’m going to continue packing bigger breakfasts, I need to commit to waking up earlier. Frankly I’m not sure I want to do that so I think I’ll go with simpler breakfasts, like oatmeal.

- We brought a small plastic container of booze but there wasn't much desire to drink it. I’d rather bring beer out there. The no-can rule makes that difficult to accomplish.

- Camp shovel. I have a small packable one that would’ve helped with some fire management.

- Extra sunscreen. We ran out this year.

- Less rope. I know it’s standard to bring extra rope….it never gets used!!

- Paper plates + bowls was a nice decision to minimize the dishes.

- Last year I purchased a CCS bug shelter screened tarp. It wasn’t cheap but I know at some point it will get used. Both last year and this year we didn’t use it. I think I’ll still bring it in the future. All it takes is bad bugs or rain and I’ll be grateful to have packed it.

- I used by 65L backpacking pack for all the kitchen gear. It fit perfectly and made transporting it so much easier. This will be the standard for the next trip.

- Do a pack overview or label so people know where stuff is and what food/snacks are available. After a solid 2 days, people are pretty aware of what pack has what. But it would be nice to have them labeled somehow. I also want to have bags for snacks and each meal type to make it easier to manage.

- I always seem to pack extra gear that doesn’t get used. There’s a balance of being prepared and overpacking. It seems impossible to find the perfect middle ground. I think I just need to go on more trips :)

My final thought is that it just feels good to pass time in the Boundary Waters. There’s no place that I’d rather spend my time. A solo trip is in my future. It’s just a matter of when.