TO BOTTOM OF FOURS, 5 hours moving. A good half day ..... JULY 29/d

Slip down right shore 1/2 mile, being careful of swells to P. River arcs to left slightly here.

P 1.5 miles on right around the last 2 of the “Fours”. Two unloading areas: 1. Take out about 40 yards above the lip of the first pitch. Trail goes up a clay bank a few yards after the loading. Or, 2. We slipped farther down the shore about 30 yards to just above a peninsula with the first pitch dropping off there. Rock landing (this trail joins the other trail described above after about 20 yards). After 3/4 mile, turn left on road, turn right at next road junction. Follow this road to gravel pit, cross pit going slightly to the right (toward the sound of the river ) to the final 75 yards on the old trail through the woods to the river. Follow arrows marking trail.

C.S. At foot of portage. Great tent sites, but no good swimming area and C.S. is 30 yards from the water. Beautiful forest.

I used the aerial photos I found instead of the maps today. So much easier! They are 1-1 scale, and the map is 4-1. It was really a treat. Got up this morning at rising time (“5:30 am”). We found out at Oatmeal Falls that our clocks were ahead 1/2 hour, but why change them, so actually we’re get up at 5! So I got up and I could just barely see across the river, the fog was so thick. Great for shooting trouble spots-Hah! When it came time to leave the C.S. Rupert wouldn’t come. Either he ran off, or went into one of his death deep sleeps, or who knows what, but Rupert the dog is no longer with us. Hopefully Clay & Bill will find him and bring him, but that’s doubtful. Poor Rupert.

At the first of the Fours (the whole area he called a trouble spot) we had troubles finding the portage trail because the trip reports contradicted each other, and a windstorm had made an incredible windfall maze of fallen trees over the old trail, and a dirt road had been put through a couple years ago. Finally I located the old trail, which went through the maze of windfalls, so we took out further downstream and cut a new trail the first 30 yards up to the old trail. It was a really tricky landing. I was looking for the portage and so I scouted around this big point just above the falls to see if it was OK to shoot down there. The fog hid the falls. It looked OK, a nice eddy right above the falls, so I shot down and there was a nice cellar just around the point that I hadn’t seen. We shot around it no sweat -- it just gave me a little scare. That fog is really a pain. You can’t see anything. That current could have carried me over a good 50 foot drop if I had screwed up. It wasn’t even close, it’s just that when you think about what would happen if I screwed up here, it’s a very scary thought. As soon as we finished that portage the sun came out, just in time for a day of great picture taking of the Fours. Unbelievable. The second of the falls was beyond belief. I hope my pictures turn out! The last portage today 1 1/2 miles long, wasn’t as bad as I feared. 3 portages tomorrow. The last a 1 1/4 miler around Cat Falls. We’ll spend a rest day there. Only 3 more moving days. We just might make it. Made yeast cinnamon rolls again, and this time I perfected it, with just the right amount of brown sugar over the bottom- the greatest. Beautiful weather all afternoon -- sunny-ah-love-it!