The Totogatic is as high and fast as I’ve seen her. Bogan and I decided to run her despite some trepidation. This was the first time for the Swift Prospector 14 on this stream. We launched at the cabin and proceeded down, fishing a few holes. Caught a crappie, lost a whopper plopper. The beaches were covered, so leg stretches were near impossible, and very buggy.The Swift ran beautifully. Much more nimble than the P15 I swapped for her. A good thing because I had to wind through several obstacles (trees). Don’t think the bigger boat would have been easy to navigate given the speed. About 3 gallons in my jug trimmed her out well. I started with 6 gallons and soon realized I was stern heavy. Mathematically, it should have required more water but I think the seat placement and my Backsaver assisted with the trim. I carried my cart in the stern too. We portaged the 3.5 miles back home, taking a wrong turn and adding 1 mile to the hike. Bogan was a big help towing the cart. He is a very smart boy.
Water was not like pea soup, a refreshing change.
This paddle usually takes about 1/2 hour longer than today. I used my BB Explorer the entire trip, although it may be a couple inches too long for this canoe.
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