Hey Warpony,
Don;t know if you will see this, but I'm going to be up that way at the end of the month. We have the Mudro lake entry point. Entry on August 30th. Outfitting through Echo Lake outfitters. I think this will be my 16th trip or so. Can't wait.
I spent a summer guiding out of the BSA High Adventure base.
http://www.ntier.org/Sommers.html Got to go all over the BWCAW, Quetico Park and White Otter Park. Spent a lot of time in Ely between trips.
My thoughts:
Eat the blueberries. They are everywhere.
I strongly suggest you pack your gear so you can get it across a portage in ONE TRIP. If it takes two trips to get everything across then it takes 3X as long. Thatsa no good.
Poop in the pit toilets. Don't pee near the water. Don't get soap in the water.
Follow the outfitters instructions on hanging/protecting food, especially on the US side where they are more of a nuisance. (On US side they relocate problem bears, on canadian side they just shoot em.)
I think the best souvenier is a nice wooden paddle. Beavertail, bent shaft, whatever. They are a joy to use and a work of art you will treasure. Piragis seems to always have a nice selection, but it can vary. I'm not talking the clunker wooden paddle you can get down here at Bass Pro, but a nice working paddle meant for travel. You probably won;t find them until you get to ely.
Also get the outfitter to show you on the maps all the indian paintings that are scattered around the park. Some spots are shown on maps. Many are not. And they are harder than hell to find unless you know what you are looking for.
In Ely I always hit the Brandenburg gallery. Stunning work. I also recommend stopping by Piragis outfitter. Check out Steger Mukluks for moosehide moccasins. These things wear like iron and comfortable as hell. Check out WinterGreen Northern Wear for beautiful handmade coats and winter gear,all made by folks there in Ely. Also check out Henry's Shoe Repair, just down the hill from Piragis. This guy is the local wiseass curmudgeon. Makes knives, belts, gloves, leatherwork. Uses a lot of moose hide. Henry is a trip. Buy a knife or belt from Henry. All this stuff is within 2-3 blocks so it;s easy to do in a couple of hours.
You can see them all here:
http://www.ely.org/category/places-to-shop.html
I guess that is it for now. Enjoy yourself. It's God's country up there. Feel free to send me specific Qs.