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Trip Planning Forum

Friday Bay to Mudro

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Date/Time: 05/02/2024 04:01PM

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Friday Bay to Mudro

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<quote>timatkn: "I've done it a few times, always single portaging, we stop for lunch though. I never timed myself but I want to say 6-7 hours? It can vary by weather and the group I was with I know we left around 8:00 AM had a shower in Ely, early dinner/late lunch in Ely, and back in MPLS by 8 PM. So I think that fits in with what others are saying.

We do this to re-enter from Quetico on a BWCAW day permit to avoid tow costs, plus after a week in Quetico you become a snob and the business of the BWCAW is off putting...we just want out :) Don't get me wrong the BWCAW is great but it is just a change in perspective after you spend a week in another area.

We go from Friday through Fairy, Boot, Fourtown, Mudro. Don't let the mile long portage near Wagosh scare ya. There is an elevation but otherwise it is like a gravel road. Just takes awhile. If you are trying to do this in a day you won't run into the "goat portage"...going that way would add significant time to your journey unless ya want to break it up into a 2 day trip and head over to Horse, which might be nice too.

It is definitely do-able. Plan on a full day and you will be fine.

T"</quote>

Previous Messages:
Author	Message Text
timatkn	05/27/2017 12:27PM I've done it a few times, always single portaging, we stop for lunch though. I never timed myself but I want to say 6-7 hours? It can vary by weather and the group I was with I know we left around 8:00 AM had a shower in Ely, early dinner/late lunch in Ely, and back in MPLS by 8 PM. So I think that fits in with what others are saying. We do this to re-enter from Quetico on a BWCAW day permit to avoid tow costs, plus after a week in Quetico you become a snob and the business of the BWCAW is off putting...we just want out :) Don't get me wrong the BWCAW is great but it is just a change in perspective after you spend a week in another area. We go from Friday through Fairy, Boot, Fourtown, Mudro. Don't let the mile long portage near Wagosh scare ya. There is an elevation but otherwise it is like a gravel road. Just takes awhile. If you are trying to do this in a day you won't run into the "goat portage"...going that way would add significant time to your journey unless ya want to break it up into a 2 day trip and head over to Horse, which might be nice too. It is definitely do-able. Plan on a full day and you will be fine. T
GetNorth	05/27/2017 11:54AM Similar to others on the thread, it's doable but also a really long day if you are double portaging. We went Friday to Fourtown and stayed there to make it easy on the way out. We had 8 guys, 4 canoes, single portaged everything and paddled fast. Leaving sucks enough already, no reason to kill yourself trying to do it, at least that's my motto.
brux	05/26/2017 09:36PM Yes, it's doable, but you'll need to leave camp early (before 8:00 am) and won't be at the EP till mid afternoon (if you don't stop for lunch).
Frenchy19	05/26/2017 08:28PM What is the hurry? Plan another day and enjoy rather than busting your hump.
DougD	05/26/2017 08:04PM Crowds on the four town to mudro portages can really slow you down. The one time I exited by this route we lost a couple hours due to the bottleneck of groups on these portages.
stevedug	05/25/2017 12:42PM thanks for all the responses and info.
mirth	05/25/2017 09:47AM The portage into the North end of Gun will take a couple hours out of your paddle time, especially if you're double portaging. It's not impossible but I would echo others' suggestions that you look for your last night's camp on Gun, Fairy, or Boot to have an easier exit the next day.
jwartman59	05/25/2017 08:25AM i've done it several times single portaging, it's doable. days are getting shorter by mid September, something to consider.
BobDobbs	05/25/2017 07:27AM It's a long trip, so some things to consider: How much are you carrying? Are you double portaging because of the load, or because its just a lot more enjoyable? Aluminum boats or Kevlar? How early can you start? Do you stop for lunch? How long? what's the margin of error? If you wake up to some big wind can everyone afford to take a zero for work on Monday (or whenever). Do you have a weather radio? do you need to be back to the outfitter before they close for the day? The mountain goat portage from 4town to Mudro isn't long, but man its gonna be epic at the end of a day like that! All of the portages in that area are easy to find, and not terribly hard (xcept mountain goat). I'd be comfortable planning it as the last day with me and the wife as we have light gear/boat, don't fish, slam breakfast and lunch, budget a zero day for the trip, AND if the forecast for wind was light, AND we were both feeling good physically. If any of those variable don't line up, we wouldn't attempt it. hope that helps - tight schedules probably cause more mishaps in wilderness than any other variable.
canoe212	05/25/2017 06:54AM That is too far for my group trips to do in one day. That might take my groups 12 hours or more.
Wables	05/24/2017 10:38PM Having done this before, I'd plan on Fairy, Gun, or closer for your last camp. FWIW, I like to be out before noon on my last day.
stevedug	05/24/2017 10:00PM If I'm exiting Friday Bay on Crooked, what's the time to get to the Mudro entry point? Adult group, double portage but not slow. Is it doable in a day? We may be on Crooked in mid September and are just wondering if we can plan our last night to be on Crooked or if we should shoot for Gun or Moosecamp the last night before we head out