Light rain is predicted to end soon, so we didn’t move in hurried fashion. Have breakfast in town, then stop by TGO for leeches and advice. Rain stops. We’re at Slim Lake entry point around 10am. Portage canoe 1st half, then return to parking lot. The other group entering today are here… 2 dads with young daughters. They ask where we plan to go, and I respond with “maybe Slim… maybe further”… which is true. What we have in mind is to camp beyond Slim for a night, but if we pass a beautiful and empty site on Slim... we might just stay there. There are 2 cars in parking lot, 2 permits per day, and 3 campsites on Slim … so it occurs to me that there may very well be 1 open site on Slim and it’s either us or them.

As we enter Slim ahead of the other group, we choose to head straight north; if the south campsite it open, we’re leaving it for the dads-n-daughters.

Overcast and with barely any drizzle… the paddling is great.

Both of the north campsites on Slim are occupied. I’m guessing dads-n-daughters are on the south site. We look for portage to Rice… but can’t find it; we find it; it’s hard to see from the water, with no typical wear pattern/scar to see.

Rice campsite is occupied; yep… 2 cars in parking lot, but 3 groups already inside. Yes, Rice is shallow and has rice emerging. We portage to Hook.

Hook campsite is sweet, with a big rock face; Scott states that it is the prettiest approach to a campsite that he has seen. I agree. We set up camp… fish a bit… eat supper (Gnocchi). Hook is a pretty, serpentine, narrow lake; it suits me.

We portage to Kenau just to see it. Water is somewhat low, which makes portage longer than stated; it is a rocky one too. Kenau is pretty… fairly small… with rocky shores. The (empty) campsite is on a big slope; unusual and cool.

We portage back to Hook and settle down for the night. No critter problems, no weather problems… just campfire and a very good night sleep.