We arrived near our first nights campsite with plenty of daylight left so we pushed on to make it to our night two spot. This meant that we had to cross Deadman’s portage today. Once we made it to the start of our portage, my co-guide Kelby and I scouted the path while we let the campers eat a quick snack.
The portage was more difficult than it was last year. The path was still just as muddy and very likely to take your shoe, but this year it also had some downed trees blocking the path. At the end of the portage, the marsh had grown much bigger than it was last year. With gear on your back a step that would have been knee deep quickly became a swimming hole. There was especially one large one, and when I had the tent pack on my back, I went from walking to swimming in just a single step. After the portage Kelby said, “Yeah, I saw you go in, but then I also saw your head above water so you were fine”.
Finally, after completing the portage and getting back into our canoes, Mother Nature blessed us with a light rain to help wash away the smell of bog.
We ended the night by arriving to our campsite just as the sun set. We quickly made stir fry and set up camp for our first night on trail.
