Day ONE Got up and ate breakfast at the lodge (French toast was amazing by the way), the old guys left at 6 before breakfast but we needed our permit. So after the refreshing video we were off to the races. The old canoe has a listed capacity of 700 pounds. I’m 203, Captain BS is 195, 100 of dry ice, my pack (including deer stand and rifle and associated junk) 80, food pack (yes I know its way to much) 75, Captain BS “CBS” pack 50, Big Bastard (in honor of HC and Mr. Johnson) was 65, BS accessory pack 10, little bastard 40. That’s right over 800 pounds loaded into the barge, she paddled like it also. Officially on the water at 8:30am. In planning we had discussed lots of portage options, but we settled on the following. I take my pack and the canoe in one trip, little bastard and the food second trip, share the ice on a stretcher trip 3 (hard work hunting bears in the outback). CBS takes Big bastard on trip one and his pack with the accessory pack trip 2. Round to West Round is great, playing He-man is fun. West Round to Edith isn’t bad either. Find the creek between Edith and Brant will let the barge through with minimal effort. Hit the portage between Brant and Gotter at 11 am. Now the adventure begins, big bastard doesn’t have an internal frame like our other packs so it is taking its toll on CBS, new plan I take that instead of the food. Up the trail we go, first real hills we hit. This really wears on CBS and he utters for the first of 20 or so times that day “This is some Bull S#@$!!” The landing in to Gotter is an 80 yard mud flat but the portage is extended another 20 rods to the openish water. A rest and were off at 12:30 (first poor sign). 6 paddles later were on the SW of Gotter there is a small stream that lead to a pool of open water 60 yards away. It’s going to be close but we can make it. Up the creek we go. 10 yards in were stuck, remembering the creek between Edith and Brant, I’m wearing water shoes so figure if I hop out and pull us along well be fine. Push my paddle in and the mud appears to be waist deep. So being the genius I am I strip down to nothing but the shoes and hop in. The barge sails along for another 20 yards and sticks again. CBS finds a long to get out on and only gets slightly muddy. 5 more feet and the bottom of the mud falls out from under me, next thing I know I’m nipple deep in thick mud with a 2 inch layer of water on top. Flailing my legs I find a log to get myself waist deep again. With another blind search I find another log, so I’m off for another 15 feet dragging the barge the whole way. Then it happens, up to my armpits and no bottom or log to be felt. I hoist my body up and fling it over the mud one length forward never letting go of the boat, in a desperate hope to find another sunken log. No joy. I’m stuck. Another hoist and a reverse swing to find the last log and out I come from the swamp leaving the barge for a strategy session and another round of “This is some Bull S.” So the strategy session leads us to a rope to the front of the barge and pull it across the mud in the far puddle. Back out the muck for me. The weather has now changed and the wind and periodic wind gust has started. Attach the rope and time to try and tow the barge across the muck of “GUTTER LAKE. “ Well needless to say it didn’t work, were more stuck and a long way from nowhere puddle land. Still naked and semi covered in mud mind we it is time to free the barge and start over. Just as we start heaving it in reverse another couple tries to come up the same creek. Nothing like cold naked muddy white guy to make you believe them when they say turn around. The other couple find a landing site on the swamp pad that covers the better part of the north side of the lake. And start to portage to the “west puddle.” We finally meet up with them on their last trip and I am now freshly bathed and clothed. The gentleman inform us he found a path and laid down some logs to get across a muddy bit by a rock ledge to set out on the west puddle. He thanks us profusely for being the idiots to first try the creek or they would have suffered an up the creek moment. Handshakes and the other couple are never seen again. Well we start our triple portage and before the end of it we meet up with the poodle people. Very nice couple that have older poodle which can’t walk very well, they also are 3 to 4 tripping each portage. We help them cross the bog and the swamp log cliff walk and get ourselves put in, paddle 3 strokes and there is the end of the west puddle around the other side of a rock cliff. CBS and I laugh a little and holler back to the poodle people. Off we go on another portage, well worn by the way. About 60 rods CBS utters his name sake line and says were going the wrong way. I tell him that this is where we watched the first couple disappear to but agree it doesn’t seem right. Well a check of the compass and the GPS shows us were on the way to Craig, a dead-end lake with no supposed portage. I collapse and rest a few and CBS turns around. Meeting back at the end of the west puddle CBS is slightly rejuvenated, I’m just cold. We load the barge and stop the poodle people from landing and back we go. I explore and find that the west puddle is actually the south west puddle and the portage is off the North West arm of the bog. A sweet little portage and were on to Flying. Well grab the junk and help the poodle people with their canoe and were off on flying. It’s now 6 pm at the start of Flying to Green portage; Mackenzie map has it at 88 rods, Fisher 100. Regardless its 100 feet up and across than 100 down. The he-man thing is officially wearing on me. Just before we start heading down the female member of the poodle people informs me that there is a tree across the trail a foot in diameter, she starts hacking at the small limbs so we can go over or under it (waist level). Drop the canoe and my pack and back for more, CBS is wearing and it is one pack at a time for him. We get everything up but the ice. Its 7pm and now we still have to head down to green. I’m exhausted and agreeing this is BS. I kick the log and it moves. I drop the shoulder and it’s out of the way. Now it’s getting dark and I am losing hope. I tell CBS that we should camp right on the rock were on for the night and start fresh in the am. He has gotten his sprit back and reminds me there isn’t enough room on the rock for us and the poodle people. Just gotta get across green and get to bat and small portage stands in the way. I agree reluctantly and we drag the junk down the hill. It is decided to leave the ice at the base of flying and will get it tomorrow. As for my big pack it will lay where it is until the am also. CBS tries to get me take some dry clothes but I can’t do anything but convince myself to move. The clouds are over so its 7:30 pm and dark. Waves are up on Green and CBS keeps us to the south shore we hit the far end and my heart sank, another freaking stream leading to a portage. To dark to see if there is an alternate landing. I’m head strong and cold. I just jump in and drag CBS and the barged up the mud stream. 20 yards from the portage it waters out and CBS can paddle. At least I’m wearing clothes; we worry about the poodle people. So after unloading the barge CBS is gonna move all but the canoe and big bastard, and I’m gonna go after them. Sure enough stuck at the start of the creek and I yank them down the mud until they can paddle. I wade out of the water and realize after doing all the portages in my water shoes that have slowly disintegrated that I now have sacrificed my right one to the mud gods, oh well at least I can’t feel that foot right now. CBS was a champ, he cleared the short portage of a downed tree and humped all the junk over so I only had to make the one trip with the canoe and big bastard, and he even helped the poodle people to bring a load or two. Finally on Bat, a lake with a campsite and its only 8:30 pm. We paddle out hugging the shore, first campsite taken and second campsite not visible in the dark. Across the lake we go to the old burn and it’s time to set up camp in the dark and have dinner about midnight. I did my best but couldn’t feel my hands or feet at about 11 pm so CBS did the brunt of it. 12:15am- Good Night!!!