(Little did I know I would not see another soul for the next 3.5 days)

Awoke at 5 am had the same normal cocoa, butterscotch schnapps, and today made powdered eggs and precooked bacon. Powder eggs suck will NEVER eat that garbage ever again. Took off at 7:30 am headed West from Mexican Hat to Nutria Lake. The West end of Mexican Hat is all swampy and tall grass and shallow water with a VERY narrow 3-4’ wide creek 8-10 inches deep that flows through the grass. I had to pull the paddle hard through this in a couple spots. I ran into a beaver dam got out, back in and started paddling and dropped my paddle right into the water, and the current was flowing away from me . Other paddle lashed on front of canoe (now what), so I grabbed the portage yoke behind me and paddled with it for five minutes to catch my paddle floating away from me. (Phew finally grabbed it). After the beaver dam there was easy paddling. Nutria Lake is Narrow and sits in a bowl to the south it is hills and trees and to the North is Granite Cliffs spiraling into the blue sky. I paddled two feet from the granite observing every color and formation. I loved this little lake. It is a short lake ½ - 1 mile across and NO WIND. The West end of Nutria Lake is swampy, (did I mention the west end is swampy?) Yes it is and the next portage is 600 m (2000 ft) and it was a NIGHTMARE of a portage. I knew it would be bad when I stepped out of canoe and went up to middle of knee in muck. Then I got on the trail with big pack and 100 yards of Muck went into knee and almost sucked shoe off. Then up a little 12’ hill and down a steep rock, and then back into muck and rocks, and roots for 100 yards, then up a 70’ hill at 60 degree grade and I rested on top and then back down to muck. I was hot, sweating, and mud from knees down. I decided I would rest at end and was going to 2x this no matter what. So went back and got food pack and canoe and headed off. Rested on the big hill and made this portage in 1 hour and 10 minutes. Not bad for a 53 year old out of shape fat man. ( I rested here at 9:10 am and felt like I had worked a 12 hour day already) There was a Merganser bird at the start of the next lake AMBER Lake, and I thought of Tim (Merganser) Then I headed across Amber…high granite again and a really nice lake narrow and long. I Lully gagged across Amber and pumped water. At the West end of Amber Lake, I had a short portage onto STREAK Lake and turned South onto AGEAN Creek. That was a cool little ½ mile or so of granite on the right and woods on the left. It was real narrow and shallow through here and I was paddling against the current a little. (Water was flowing North here, me headed south) Oh did I mention the wind now came up as I turned South. Nothing worse then paddling South into a South wind, and it never quit the rest of the day. 15 – 20 mph.by the time I got to the two little 20 m portages in a row into AGEAN Lake I needed a break so I had lunch there. Ritz Cheesy Crackers, Wimmers Beef Sticks, Scooby snacks, and Gorp ( I hate Gorp, it will not make food list AGAIN) I was getting short on water and decided when I got south further I would pump H2O. This was a beautiful place to have lunch by a little trickling steam. I headed onto AGEAN Lake. It is BIG. Lots of huge islands and turns and I got a little off once on AGEAN. The wind was taking its toll on me. I was determined to get to the end of AGEAN and camp by the 450 m portage. I rolled into the campsite on the south end of AGEAN 100 yards across the bay from the portage. It was a 5 star site. I loved it. Some rum dumb left a propane canister there and I carried it with me the rest of the trip. (We have to maintain the wilderness a wilderness) I had a nice little island out in front of me and a beautiful slab of rock like a patio out in front of me. Some person built a nice granite bench two rocks underneath and a slab on top about two feet long, became my table and my bench. The canoe also became a table and bench. I set up my tent facing the lake and my island and gathered wood. It looked like real thick bear woods behind me (I had visions of bears bothering me now). I could see where they scratched up high on the trees and it bothered me (a lot) I decided a real big pile of wood would be needed tonight. I drank some liquid courage (Vodka) with Gatorade and made Chili soup. There was a little burrow some creature made that sat on the side of a rock made out of mud. I crushed it in cause I did want what ever inhabited it to come around tonight and think it could bother me. I sat on my new borrowed bench and took some pics of sunset. Then I had a blazing fire and read the bible. I was thinking of those bears, and whatever lived in that burrow. (I prayed a lot on this trip)( a lot) Went to tent to sleep about 10:30 pm and was about a sleep and I heard footsteps outside. Something walking around the tent and it scared the heebee jeebee’s out of me so I turned on the headlamp, and yelled (LOUD) and then unzipped the tent and then the vestibule, and out I popped. Headlamp blazing into the dark and looking to scare whatever was out there, out of here. Well as you can imagine I was a little shaken, so I found some wood and started the fire. I sat there till 12:30 and my wretched bones couldn’t stay awake anymore. (You know what I mean, when your so tired and your body says hey fella it’s time for bed and your physical stamina ends and you have to sleep. I crawled into the tent and said a prayer for the Lord to protect me, and went to sleep.)

Statistics 4 portages about 142 rods (10+ miles of canoeing)