Now that I have finished my side conversation with Spartan 2, I guess I should get back on thread.  I was raised in rural Alabama, always outdoors, fishing the local cricks, ponds, and rivers, and camping out.  My mother was originally from the UP of Michigan, and we went there to visit relatives when I was 6 years old, in 1964.  After our time in the UP, we continued on into Ontario for some sightseeing.  I vividly remember stopping at a roadside rest area along a river flowing into Georgian Bay that had large granite boulders, ripe raspberries, and a river flowing by that was full of logs.  The air was crisp and cool, the scenery was beautiful, and I have always remembered it as one of the most beautiful places in the world. 

I left home when I was 18 to go to West Point and spent the next 26 years in the Army living in various parts of the country and world.  I fell in love with the Sierra Nevada mountains, especially the alpine lakes there, but I always remembered that spot in Ontario.  In 2002 I retired from the Army and settled in California to be near my wife’s family and my beloved Sierra Nevada mountains.  My son got involved in Cub Scouts, so of course I became a leader.  We did lots of camping and backpacking, and even a little canoeing.  In 2007 I got a call from my older brother, who still lives in Alabama, and who was a leader in his son’s Boy Scout troop.  He called me because they were heading to Quetico and needed another adult to fill out a crew.  So I met them at the airport in Duluth, traveled to Ely with them, and spent the next 10 days falling in love with Quetico.  We entered at PP and did a loop through North Bay, Sarah, McIntyre, Brent, Darky, Argo, Crooked, Robinson, and Basswood.  The fishing was great, but the scenery, wildlife, and remoteness really impressed me.  It matched my memories of the most beautiful spot from when I was 6 years old, but with the added aspect of wilderness. 

In 2011 my son was 14 years old, an active Boy Scout, and strong enough to enjoy a wilderness trek, so I organized a group of boys from his Scout Troop, and since we had room, invited my brother from Alabama to meet us there.  We had perfect weather and retraced much of the route from 2007, but added in Minn, McAree, and Iron Lakes.  My son caught the Quetico bug, and as soon as we got home, he started pestering me to schedule another trip.  So we are going again this June.  This time I have two crews of Scouts.  The younger group will retrace our 2007 route.  I will take the older group, including my son, and we are going on a big loop, entering at Moose Lake, through PP, seeking solitude up Kahshahpiwi, Keefer, Sark, Cairn, Heronshaw, across the poets, through Camel, Veron, Delahey, across the Death March, Conmee, Suzanette, and then if the weather and winds have been good to us we will continue west and do the loop through Brent, Darky, Minn, etc that we did in 2011. 

This summer will probably (hopefully) be my last Scout trip.  I am looking forward to the freedom to go with a smaller group (maybe me, my brother, and our sons) and explore with less of an itinerary.  I am getting older (55 now), but can still paddle all day, and can still portage an aluminum canoe or heavy pack, so I am looking forward to many more trips to Quetico, and someday may even try WCPP.  I often wish I lived closer, but I still love the Sierra Nevadas, and would miss them (and mild winters) if I moved away.