In 2003 I didn’t want the responsibility and time-consumption required for planning a “full” (8- or 9-person) trip, so I decided I’d only do a trip if everything could fit in my car.  I decided my oldest grandson, Ethan, 8 years old, could manage the trip this year, and that his father, Steve, should be the one to take him.

I had to decide how to pack us.  I usually single-portage, but with the plan for Ethan being he would only carry his own gear, and I didn’t want personal gear in the food pack, and I figured the food pack plus equipment was too heavy, I conceded double-portaging.  We wound up with four packs: Food pack, equipment/Steve’s personal gear, Ethan’s personal gear, and my personal gear.  The plan was for us to leave the canoe and my personal behind at each portage.  I’d return for them on my second trip while Steve and Ethan stayed with the food pack to “fend off bears.”  That was the plan, anyway.

I wanted to minimize portages since we were double portaging, and to provide for a relatively easy route, but wanted Ethan to see pictographs, so we decided on the Number Lakes to Williamson Island, daytrip to Fishdance, return to “Turtle Bay” – Nibi Mocs’ name stuck – the north arm of Hudson, go up through Fire and back out the Number Lakes.  That was the plan, anyway.

Prior experience had us spending 23.5 hours getting to Ely from the Chattanooga vicinity; 18 to Eau Claire.  I figured a 4 AM departure (all times Eastern unless otherwise noted) would put us into Eau Claire at 10 PM, early enough to get a good night’s sleep at White House Inn, and up to Ely in time for a mid-afternoon departure from Kawishiwi Lodge. 

We got away pretty much on time Saturday AM, September 20, and I had no idea that not needing to adjust rest and meal breaks for nine people would save us 3 hours getting to Eau Claire!  We had time to have a sit-down meal before heading to an early bed (or watching a late game), so we could get a good start on the morrow. 

White House Inn starts their “breakfast” at 5 AM Central, so we were on the road within 15 minutes of that hour.  The sun rose while we were en route to Superior, so we got to see that beautiful view coming down into Superior with Superior in the foreground, Duluth in the background, and Lake Superior in the middle. 

Arrived in Ely at 10:40 (back to Eastern), made a quick stop at an outfitter for a Seda life jacket, water bucket, and a map, stopped into Britton’s for lunch (only serving breakfast at that time of day), and picked up our permit at the Wolf Center at noon.  Scooted on out to Kawishiwi Lodge, where I paid for parking and our exit showers (the plan was to exit next Saturday, shower, grab lunch in Ely, and head south – that was the plan), unloaded the canoe, and got the friendly guy at the dock to take our departure photo.