Monday, August 15, 2022 8.76mi, 208 rods of portaging With the sleeping bag over my head, I was able to sleep until 7:30, well past sunrise. I quickly made breakfast, broke camp, and hit the water by 8:20. My goal was to tag Mueller Falls, turn around, and camp on the E side of Gab. I decided to take the northern route, paddling up Gillis and through French and Peter lakes. The easy portage to French was followed by a grueling 121 rod mosquito-thick trek to Peter, though the blueberries atop this portage's high point were exceptionally sweet. After Peter, it was a corkscrew-like portage into Gab, and then a big open-water crossing. The portage into Agamok sat alongside a short creek where water from the big lake spills northward. It was short, easy, and scenic, and I had a close encounter with a strutting grouse. Once on Agamok, I slowed my roll, stopping to check out all of the campsites. Rounding the lake's very shallow second bend, my fin caught a rock and sent me sprawling on the board. No injuries and no splash, just an adrenaline rush. When I got to the Mueller portage, I left the board behind and headed up the trail to the falls. The trail closely paralleled the outflow of Agamok and offered great views of its many riffles and drops. Much of my paddling trip passed through areas that had burned within the past 30 years, and this trail was the first place that I encountered some truly large old trees that had survived the fires. Nearing the falls, I encountered my first humans of the day... a couple of naked hikers on the Kek. The falls were bigger than I had expected, and made for some beautiful pictures! At this point, storm clouds were rolling in, and there was a strong south wind. Figuring it a bad time to cross Gab, I decided to set up camp at the least mosquito-y site on Agamok.~Gillis Lake, French Lake, Peter Lake, Gabimichigami Lake, Agamok Lake