Monday, June 04, 2012. Montgomery to Camel. 14 miles. A very brief shower passes by at dawn. I don my rain gear unnecessarily. I am going to force myself to slow down today. To that end, I drag a fishing line and nab a four- pound pike, which I release. After an easy portage to Shelley, I have some fun with the smallies right where Montgomery Creek enters the lake. On Shelley, it’s clear that the high water and current will be a factor. There is a swift to the north of the big island. It presents no problems, but I worry about the portage landings, especially when I’m alone. It’s nice to see this historic route, but I’ll be glad to get off and see some flat water as well. The Have-a-Smoke Portage is easy, and I stop for some photos of the falls. The landing to the next portage, Split Rock Falls, is flooded; I also have to go around a sweeper to access it. I live to tell the tale. This portage is also notable for black flies and for a group of young people on their way to Cairn Lake. They’re the last people I’ll see until Basswood on Thursday.

After the easy lift to McDougal, I head for lunch and a nap at a premium site on the south shore of the lake’s “waist.” Not a black fly or skeeter in sight! What’s not so easy is the wind. Cruelly, the north wind of the last few days has turned into a south wind, now that my route has turned to the south! Thankfully, it’s light, but it’s no longer possible to putter along, resting frequently.

I paddle to the southernmost bay of McDougal. The entire end of the bay where the portage landing is supposed to be has a boggy shoreline. This can’t be good! But it turns out fine…some portage crew put considerable work into corduroying the first few hundred feet of the trail. Once it gets to higher ground, the trail is easy. Rain threatens, and I elect to stay put for over an hour, watching dark clouds slowly advance, but after a few cracks of thunder and some wind, the storm passes me by.

After Eag lake, I portage down to Cutty Creek. Paddling on a small creek is a nice break from the breezy lakes. After one more portage and a bit more creek paddling, I’m on Camel, exhausted again. Camel is beautiful. A large part of the shore is young forest resulting from a forest fire some years ago. By this time, the wind has swung to the east, and I have a rare tail wind. I pass on the first campsite, wishing I had spent a little more time researching campsites. With the wind tonight, backtracking is not going to be a pleasant option! I finally find one, a large exposed rock just before the narrows. Not a lick of shade, but the wind is brisk and should keep the black flies down. Wrong! There is no predicting the black flies. Overall, they haven’t been bad, but there’s no telling where they will turn up. I get a smoky campfire going, and that seems to take care of them. I’m in the tent by the time the mosquitoes come out.