ADAM TOUCHES GOD (White Otter Wilderness Trip)

June 20

We headed into "unknown" territory today...it was not an area canoed by the Boy Scouts and there was little information available about rivers/streams and if portages existed where needed. It was an easy paddle to Upper Doan Lake where we had lunch.
It was then on to the Gamble River where the "fun" began. Maps showed the stream to be continuous and wide in some parts. What the maps didn't show was the huge boulder fields that the river flowed through. We paddled down the stream until we hit the boulder fields. Only the most nimble could have navigated them (Zack showed it was possible, at least for a short distance) so it was then look for a portage trail. None were evident and it became a bushwhacking portage. The Boy Scout High Adventure Base promoted 1-pass portages. This requires three canoes with three paddlers in each. In addition, all personal and crew gear had to be packed into nine gear packs. The fact that we were seven paddlers in three canoes meant double-pass portages were required. The portage was about 0.8 miles long and we set out with each of us carrying a canoe or pack. At times, we had to set the packs down to help get the canoes between trees. Thus, we inched our way from the portage start to finish twice...it took five hours.
Once the portage was complete, we took the first available spot for camp. Some even had the energy to go fishing.