Enjoyed your trip report. Actually you took a trip like I always wanted to take but I seem to lose steam part way thru it and end up base camping and taking day trips. Never have I taken a trip that went the way I planned it. Keep up the good work while you can and I will keep looking for your trip reports. Thanks for posting!!!
You're right about Bottle Portage. The lower trail gets really muddy - the only portage where I've sunk up past my knees while on the trail. Didn't find out about the upper trail until I got across and some folks at the end of the portage told us. Thank goodness, cause I still had one more trip to go.