Great trip report - thanks for sharing. Getting to Boot is on my bucket list.
My own experience on Godda was a little different than yours. I was with a friend on that same westernmost campsite. My friend was on his first camping trip. We got on that site, and had a hard time getting the tent staked in because the the ground two inches of pine needles covering rock. It was a beautiful day, and then...behind us, over the top of the hill, came a mass of very dark clouds. It was blue sky being consumed by dark as evening came, and it didn't take long for things to get cooking. Massive thunderstorm, and we were right under it, in the tent, getting illuminated and feeling the concussions of thunder all around us. Robert asked if we should get out of the tent and into the woods, and I told him I figured we were as well off in the tent as we were in the woods, but I wasn't sure that was true. Good times.
Relative to the aluminum canoe....I did the Dickson-Bonfield portage under a 78 pound Grumman....but I was 16 and more fit than fat. Still, it was like walking through the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance.
The last time I portaged an aluminum canoe was in the 90's as well. The stern deck got clogged with mud, so every time I picked up the boat, water was getting trapped in the back end, under the deck. Took me several portages to realize why the boat was so heavy and imbalanced.
In spite of having a change of plans, your trip sounds like it was a successful one, and you sure had some nice weather for it. BTW, your photos were fantastic. Your photo of the heron was a dandy. With so many great photos, that one stood out to me. The reflection was really well-captured, and isn't something you always notice at the time.
