My first trip to the Quetico was as a 14 year old Boy Scout out of the Sommers base in 1971.  We did the PP, North Bay, Sarah, Brent, Darky, Minn, LacLaX, Crooked, Basswood Loop.  What a great trip!  :)  Of course the second day doing the Isabella/Side portages into Sarah nearly killed our group but after that we realized we could do just about anything.  ;D
Our charley guide paddled one of these canoes and each day one of the scouts got to paddle in it with him.  I remember the reverence with which he handled that canoe and how different an experience it was from the Grumman aluminum cans that we were in the rest of the trip.  That stuck with me and a few years ago I started to search for one of these fine canoes.  After a few got away from me, I was able to get this one and liked that it was actually one from the scout base.  For all I know it could be that same one I rode in as a kid.

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