Ready to Canoe in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Northern Minnesota Friday September 16, 2022

We left Greg and Brenda, my brother and sister-in-law’s, house in Fridley MN at 8:30. All the weather forecasts were calling for showers through Sunday.

Just before leaving I read a blog about a party of five men paddling the same route we were heading for. They had rain from day one making for a cold wet journey fraught with serious mud and treacherous negotiations of the many steep portages. Hence we drove the 200 miles from Fridley to Ely in a solemn mood. We did discuss leaving a couple of days later then planned. That prospect cheered us a little, but I was pretty sure that would be impossible. They have a quota system that allows a set number of people each day to enter the BWCA.

Just after our route veered away from Duluth, the rain began in earnest. It was the first time we praised the result of our earlier mishap of having our tire blowout before we reached Sacramento. It happened 140 miles into our 2000 mile journey from Santa Cruz to Fridley. Five hours after the event, we had four new tires. Now heading for Virginia MN with the rain dumping and our wipers madly slapping, we both recognized the security brought by new tires.

We were at the outfitters in Ely MN by 3:00. Terry asked about us moving our entry date from Saturday to Monday. We were informed we could do what we wanted once we entered the entry point on the date of our permit at the entry point we requested. Here we go!