The journey to Quetico

Sometime in late fall of 2014 while at a Chinese buffet for lunch, Bill and I were talking about fishing trips when he began another yarn about a Quetico expedition that he and other friends of mine had been on years ago. I had been regaled about this trip on many occasions, but had never been. After literally years of hearing references about this historic endeavor, I finally, out of an equal mix of curiosity and desperation, suggested that we plan another trip for the summer of 2016. That planted the seed for what now is 5 months away from taking place. There will be four of us going. Bill, Larry, Mark, and myself. In one of our planning lunches, Larry suggested someone be in charge of writing a daily journal on the trip. That sounded like a novel idea, and I actually ordered a travel journal for the trip. A lot of the initial steps have been completed. We selected and signed on with an outfitter, made initial deposits, selected our dates and options, and have purchased plane tickets. Talked some about gear and duty assignments, and all are preparing in our own way - All things that I hope to detail in later posts. Along the way, I had a personal complication arise. In July of 2015, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer - something that I am still having to deal with as I type this - even after I had my prostate surgery in September. It occurs to me that getting to Quetico is going to be just as much of an adventure as the trip itself. That will be the purpose of this blog. to outline my trip from the operating room to the outfitter.