This was all new country for me as we paddled East - the long shot up the Man Chain went quickly across the calm waters, but the eight portages we subsequently battled ranged from easy…. to tough. The morning mists burned off behind us on this cool breezeless morning.

Most of this day's portages lacked endless length, but made up for their brevity with steep grades, low hanging branches, tricky footing on loose rock, thigh deep sucking mud, off camber footing, extended 30 to 35 degree sloped granite inclined outcroppings and portage landings that had been so shattered by huge fallen trees that loading and launching the canoes was to be done only in waist deep water.

Did I mention the thigh deep sucking mud?

We encountered several beaver dams, I always admire their engineering skills!

We wound up this day collapsing on a pretty island site on Saganons - 14 1/2 miles and eight memorable portages later. My knees were killing me - we all gratefully jumped into the beautiful blue waters off of this island and floated our aches, sweat, cares…. and dirt away.

I sent Logan and Pete out to find us some beaver wood - they looked at me strangely and returned with suitably dry wood, but none of my favourite silver aged beaver wood. Pete indicated that it was all gone.

Huh?, I was too tired to talk about it.

Tomorrow the Falls Chain.