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Kahshapiwi to Kawnipi

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Date/Time: 04/29/2024 04:53AM

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Kahshapiwi to Kawnipi

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Author	Message Text
Pinetree	10/09/2015 10:00AM Mocha did they do their trip?
marsonite	09/20/2015 03:14PM quote Ho Ho: " Mocha - Sounds like a great trip. Marsonite - Which portage out of Trant are you talking about? At first I assumed you meant the portages from Trant to Kahsh, which we did this year - two portages separated by a stretch of "paddling" (actually walking the canoe and falling into muck periodically) on a very shallow creek that would have been easier when the big beaver dam at the end of the creek section was functioning, which it is not any more. But then I thought you might be talking about the first portage heading east out of Trant through the series of unnamed lakes going back to Silence and Agnes. We did that one last July and it does have a big beaver pond at the east end that cuts the carry roughly in half (although after paddling across the pond, you do have to unload again at the east end to lift over into the unnamed lake). " I was talking about the Trant to Kahsh. I don't recall the portage going into Trant from the unnamed lake to the east having a beaver pond. My memory is far from perfect though.....
Pinetree	09/19/2015 10:12PM Years ago I know they talked about a beaver dam between Trant and kashipiwi,like I mentioned earlier it has been 10 years since i been that way and it was one flat portage to kashi with the creek about dry. I thought that was the one being talked about?
Ho Ho	09/19/2015 08:45PM Mocha - Sounds like a great trip. Marsonite - Which portage out of Trant are you talking about? At first I assumed you meant the portages from Trant to Kahsh, which we did this year - two portages separated by a stretch of "paddling" (actually walking the canoe and falling into muck periodically) on a very shallow creek that would have been easier when the big beaver dam at the end of the creek section was functioning, which it is not any more. But then I thought you might be talking about the first portage heading east out of Trant through the series of unnamed lakes going back to Silence and Agnes. We did that one last July and it does have a big beaver pond at the east end that cuts the carry roughly in half (although after paddling across the pond, you do have to unload again at the east end to lift over into the unnamed lake).
Mocha	09/19/2015 01:10PM they have been to chatterton in the past so hopefully they remember the water flow you describe. i'll be getting SPOTS daily.
dentondoc	09/19/2015 11:29AM quote Mocha: "so this is their plan, for now: cut up through bayley bay toward isabella then to kahshapiwi, keefer, cairn, chatterton falls, back to kawnipi, falls chain, saganagons to sag landing." Keats Lake (on the route to Chatterton Falls) has falls at both "ends" ... Snake Falls on the east and Split Rock Falls on the north (which spills into Chatterton Lake). Suggest that your party gauge the volume of water spilling out of Snake Falls and let them know that that same volume of water is exiting through a comparatively small slit at Split Rock Falls. You want to bear RIGHT as you approach Split Rock Falls. The portage is on the right leaving Keats Lake, so its a natural choice ... but under no circumstances do you want to put yourself in a position where you go over that waterfall. Its kind of like Kennebas Falls on steroids. There are two take-out points above the falls. If you choose the first, you'll be doing a bit of rock hopping to reach the actual trail. The second is obviously closer to the lip of the falls ... something to consideration if the flow rate is up. The landing at the bottom of the falls poses no particular issues. dd
Pinetree	09/19/2015 08:57AM quote Mocha: "so this is their plan, for now: cut up through bayley bay toward isabella then to kahshapiwi, keefer, cairn, chatterton falls, back to kawnipi, falls chain, saganagons to sag landing. i think this is do-able in 13 days. all wind dependent of course. some strong south winds predicted the next few days." Very doable with a few short travel days in between. We done like from Sark to North bay in one day before. That trip has a lot of beautiful and wild country.They have a lot of long lakes if weather is good you can travel a long ways in a day.
Mocha	09/19/2015 08:49AM so this is their plan, for now: cut up through bayley bay toward isabella then to kahshapiwi, keefer, cairn, chatterton falls, back to kawnipi, falls chain, saganagons to sag landing. i think this is do-able in 13 days. all wind dependent of course. some strong south winds predicted the next few days.
billconner	09/18/2015 12:04PM I did Kahs to Trant in 2013 and water was too low to paddle far. Was a tough slog and hard to find the portage from Kahs end. Also, I had an early Chrismar map and a number of the portages had switched sides of streams - as I saw by the newer edition when I stopped at the ranger station on the way out to ask about this. It was a drizzly day and I would like to return to explore more of Trant. We were hurrying a little and just made camp on Silence with enough time to get a tarp and tent up before the cloudburst.
marsonite	09/18/2015 11:24AM quote Pinetree: "Been a decade since I done the Trant portage and no beaver dam than,just one flat portage. Marsonite when did you do it?" 2011.
Pinetree	09/18/2015 10:27AM Been a decade since I done the Trant portage and no beaver dam than,just one flat portage. Marsonite when did you do it?
marsonite	09/18/2015 09:06AM quote Ho Ho: "Here's my take summarizing the above - Billconner is right - from Knife they have to go through Carp to Birch to Prairie Portage. (There may be some slight variations to choose among for going from Knife to Carp but following the border would probably be easiest.) Marsonite is right about there being several choices from PP to Kahshahpiwi. I agree that his option 3 is best - currently the south route into Kahsh is pretty easy (comparatively speaking) and ultra scenic. Maronite's choice 2 is not bad - both Yum Yum and McNeice are scenic and somewhat more challenging though rewarding routes into Kahsh. I would not recommend Marsonite's choice 1 unless your friends are looking to lengthen the trip by a couple days and want to go on some of the toughest shorter portages I know PLUS slog through some crazy drained beaver ponds - but like the other routes, it is scenic. I agree with dentondoc about the route from Kahsh to Kawnipi - go north through Keefer, Sark, and Cairn (Cutty is not part of the route), but from Cairn go through Heronshaw and then back into the north end of Kahsh Creek instead of following Kahsh Creek the whole way north from Cairn. Beautiful route, good camping especially on Sark and Cairn. " Ho Ho, I did the chain of lakes to Trant a few years ago and those were some rugged portages. I remember lots of boulder hopping. One thing I am curious about is the portage out of Trant. When I did it, it was greatly shortened by a big beaver dam which you could paddle. I'm guessing that is no longer the case?
billconner	09/18/2015 08:40AM I think the reason to enter Kahs through Agnes is weather on the day you want to do it, because Bayley and North Bays can be a frenzy. In which case go through Poacher to Sunday, and I'd probably head into West to Yum Yum but Trant is pretty. There's a Q site at west end of west island in Birch I like for early into Bayley days to avoid rough weather.
Ho Ho	09/17/2015 10:13PM [sorry this one was an unedited version of what I posted just below]
Ho Ho	09/17/2015 10:13PM Here's my take summarizing the above - Billconner is right - from Knife they have to go through Carp to Birch to Prairie Portage. (There may be some slight variations to choose among for going from Knife to Carp but following the border would probably be easiest.) Marsonite is right about there being several choices from PP to Kahshahpiwi. I agree that his option 3 is best - currently the south route into Kahsh is pretty easy (comparatively speaking) and ultra scenic. Maronite's choice 2 is not bad - both Yum Yum and McNeice are scenic and somewhat more challenging though rewarding routes into Kahsh. I would not recommend Marsonite's choice 1 unless your friends are looking to lengthen the trip by a couple days and want to go on some of the toughest shorter portages I know PLUS slog through some crazy drained beaver ponds - but like the other routes, it is scenic. I agree with dentondoc about the route from Kahsh to Kawnipi - go north through Keefer, Sark, and Cairn (Cutty is not part of the route), but from Cairn go through Heronshaw and then back into the north end of Kahsh Creek instead of following Kahsh Creek the whole way north from Cairn. Beautiful route, good camping especially on Sark and Cairn.
marsonite	09/17/2015 06:02PM Like Bill implied, they will have to go through PP. Options from there are 1. heading to Agnes and going to Silence and heading west through small lakes to Trant then to Kashawapiwi 2. North Bay through Grey to Yum Yum (or even McNeice) 3. North Bay through Isabella, Side, south end of Kashawapiwi. Of these, I like number 3, just because I love the massive line of cliffs on the south end of Kashawapiwi.
dentondoc	09/17/2015 10:13AM quote Goby: "Once on Kahshahpiwi head north via keefer, cutty, sark, and cairn, then you're at Kawnipi falls, and head to where you want to on the lake. We made it from the fart south tip of Kahshapiwi to McKenzie bay in one very long day. Its mostly paddling and the portages aren't bad at all. PP to Kahshapiwi can be a bit of a bear, especially if you take the Yum Yum portage." I'm not certain why Cutty is on this proposed route. I don't recall any difficulty going directly from Sark to Cairn. However, you might want to consider going into Heronshaw from Cairn and skipping the Kahs Creek section ... and going north the portage from Heronshaw back into the creek is easier to find than heading south. The flow out of Kawnipi into Kahs Creek can be significant, so one should be paying attention as they approach the cascade coming out of Kawnipi. dd
Pinetree	09/17/2015 09:52AM I love the Kashi-Keefer-Sark-Kawnipi route. Especially if you can reverse it and go north to south. You have he whole Kawnipi chain all the way to the east. One big wild area and many little side trips if desired. It is definitely my favorite area. They can always cut thru Burke-north Basswood-Side lake etc.
Kiporby	09/17/2015 09:47AM Going up the K Chain through Keefer, Sark and Cairn to Kawnipi is probably the easier way to go than Trant, Hurlburt and Keewatin. Plus, they are more traveled lakes up the K-Chain with better and more campsites.
Goby	09/17/2015 08:58AM Once on Kahshahpiwi head north via keefer, cutty, sark, and cairn, then you're at Kawnipi falls, and head to where you want to on the lake. We made it from the fart south tip of Kahshapiwi to McKenzie bay in one very long day. Its mostly paddling and the portages aren't bad at all. PP to Kahshapiwi can be a bit of a bear, especially if you take the Yum Yum portage. If you want to skip Kahsh, enter Quetico at PP and just go straight up Agnes into Murdoch and then Kawnipi. The wind is your enemy there, but once you clear the meadows portages its just a lot of paddling and 3 portages from Agnes to Kawnipi (maybe 4 bc of the river).
Mocha	09/17/2015 08:38AM okay, Bill, that makes perfect sense! how about from kahshapiwi to kawnipi, looks like there are a few ways to get there.
billconner	09/17/2015 07:52AM Besides Birch and through PP? I don't think it's worth bushwhacking across the ridges.
Mocha	09/17/2015 06:28AM i have 2 friends, experienced trippers for trips this time of year, entering Sag, heading down ottertrack, knife, and eventually want to travel kahshapiwi to kawnipi, return via the falls chain to Sag. they have 13 days. any ideas of some route options heading north once they get closer to the west end of knife?