Portaging = Pain

Let's face it. As Gerry and I learned last year, portaging really hurts. Whether you are carrying over from one lake to another or avoiding nasty rapids, each trail has some painful characteristic: slippery rocks, steep inclines, but-infested hollows, shoe sucking mud and wrong turns.

So why do it? Well it's one of those necessary evils that comes with canoe tripping. That brief moment of pain is the only thing standing in your way of absolute solitude. In the end, the moment you spot that bit of blue peaking through the thick canopy of green, and realize that you're alone in this wonderful place, it all becomes worth the price.