My son and I took this trip the first of June 2008. For me, it was probably my most enjoyable voyage in Quetico. If you're looking for a remote trip that few people choose to travel, this would be it. The first two days were pretty brutal. This is one of those trips where you continually ask yourself why you are choosing to abuse yourself, but when you have survived it the memories are far better than real life ever was.  We were on the water in French Lake at 6:30 am (with the requisite 1 hour thrown away looking for the way into Baptism Creek) and made camp on the island in Cache Lake at 7:30 pm. The killer portage took us 4 hours double portaging. Early in the season it was very wet and muddy. Day two we were on the water by 7:00 am and spent the day on the Cache River, ending up in Kawnipi 13.5 hours later. The river was spectacular, with abundant waterfalls and lots of wildlife including several moose with calves. Many, many portages on the river (and on day 1 as well!!) The rest of the trip was a loop back through Russell and Pickerel. We saw not a soul for the first two days. Like I said, if remoteness is what you're looking for you will not be disappointed. The main key to this trip is to travel light. Of course with any wilderness travel, but especially on this route that is so remote, you really need to be prepared for everything since it is not likely that someone will be coming behind you to help out. In retrospect, we should have had a sat phone for this trip.

Hey SD, 
Beautifully told! Great! I'll be thinking about it all day!