Early breakfast at Britton’s then a shuttle ride at 7:00 AM with Piragis to EP 16, Moose River North. Pretty adventurous start to the trip with our fast driver. Started to rain before we got to the entry point. We’re good at making it rain. Need rain? Just call us. Nanette and I were in Montana in May, in an area that gets about 12 inches of rain annually, and at least half that amount fell while we were there. Anyway, back to the trip. We made our first portage, the 160 rods to Moose River, without too much trouble. We were glad later that none of the other portages were that long. And let it be acknowledged up-front, that the two girls in our group carried their share when it came to portages. We managed to get all of our gear transported in two trips. We planned to go to the far side of Lake Agnes for our first camp, but 4 portages and a lot of paddling, along with cold wind and more rain, made us take the first campsite we hit on the SW side of the lake. Fortunately, the site was excellent and was well sheltered from the wind. Also fortunately for us, the burning ban of the previous few weeks had just been lifted, so we were able to light a fire. I brought along a small bundle of Georgia fat lighter (heart pine with a very high resin content), and used a stick of that to get a good fire going in no time. After several adult beverages, a good supper of grilled bratwurst and more, and a few Advil, we were ready for bed.

Quote of the day (from me after the arduous start to our adventure): “We’re gonna need more liquor.”