: , . . . We can portage around anything, miles if neccessary, will have tent
: (and single malt Scotch/Guiness). The kayaks are Cape Ann Strom Exeditions
: (in progress), the canoe is a finished 16' prospector. Or I have several
: other kayak choices.

Portage miles. Yeah, right. You may be the exception, but I'd buy a ticket to see how most people look after a quarter of a mile portaging all their gear and a kayak.

The portages in this area can be challenging. Use a canoe. It is easier to grab and easier to transport on a portage.

Please remember that these are lakes which sit in bowls carved by the glaciers. You have to climb uphill to get out of the bowls. The elevations of the lakes are listed on the charts. That is just the surface of the water. The rims around them could be another 50 to 100 feet up. Some are lakes are 30 to 50 feet higher than their neighbors. So you might go 100 feet up, and then down, between lakes. Personally, to me "portage" is a nasty word.

With two people and a canoe, typically one carries the boat and personal gear, the other carries their personal pack, and the communal gear (tent, cookware, food) in the second pack. The loads are heavy but you make just one trip. Unless you go ahead to scout out the route the portage takes. Usually it is not a straight line. You swap boat and gear pack at the next portage.

With two kayaks each kayaker carries their own pack, boat, and half the communal gear. If carrying the kayak over your head limits your visibility, then scouting ahead is a great idea. So you do the portage twice. If the terrain is really rough, then you do one trip with the packs, and another trip with two people carrying each boat. One grabbing the toggles at each end.

We had a Klepper kayak with our three canoes, and it was the most difficult boat of the 4 to portage. With just grab straps at the ends, which cut into your hands, and a cockpit coaming, you were limited at times in where you could grab the boat to carry it. Several times the owners considered whether it would be faster to fold it up and carry it folded, then reassemble on the other side, but each time the canoeists finished their portages and came back to help. I had a cedar strip canoe--the lightest of the group by far. It partly compensated for my overpacking.

Pack light, then leave half of what you packed at home, and take extra drinking water. Paddling in July you can go through a gallon a day. Water is about 8 pounds a gallon to carry. If you drink about a pint before each portage, there is only 7 pounds on your shoulders.

Wear shoes with good, hard soles which you can get wet. You'll want them on when you jump out to land the canoe. I wore neoprene "water socks", which would be fine on a river trip, and got a bad surprise. No sandy beaches, or grassy meadows, and too many sharp rocks.

Last time I saw the rules: No wheels allowed in the boundary waters, so portaging carts are out. No firearms, no liquor, beer, or other alcohol, and no glass jars or bottles. (You drop anything of glass and it will break, leaving sharp pieces to cut the next camper.) You pack out your garbage: used aluminum cans and foil, empty plastic bottles, etc.

One tip on mosquitoes. There are prevailing winds. Pick your campsite so the wind blows at it over a stretch of one to two miles of water. Most mosquitos blowing at you will end up in the lake. If the wind blows the mosquitoes out of the trees, you'll have mroe to deal with.

Hope this helps. Enjoy your trip

PGJ