BWCA Which part of portaging do you like/dislike? Boundary Waters Listening Point - General Discussion
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      Which part of portaging do you like/dislike?     
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JimmyJustice
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10/17/2016 09:48PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
For me, the best part of portaging is that I get to stretch my legs and walk alone in the woods.

The worst part is those darn slippery planks. I appreciate their presence over bogs/swampy areas but dang they are tricky to stay upright on.
 
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10/17/2016 09:58PM  
I love the adventure of doing a new portage; the unexpected around every turn. Also, the sense of accomplishment that comes with knocking out some of the more infamous portages. I could do without the low lying, mosquito infested areas and mud to the knees.
 
10/17/2016 10:37PM  
I too like getting out and stretching and basically going for a walk in the woods. What I really like is if double portaging is on the agenda is the return walk. I also like how my mind wanders.
What I do not like is wet slippery planks mentioned by JJ. In particular-- those on the Grand Portage which my left thigh still has a bruise from. I also do not like roots and rocks which seemed purposely laid in some instances to cause a slip or twisted ankles and the odd contortions they cause your feet to go through.
 
ozarkpaddler
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10/17/2016 11:24PM  
As I primarily kneel when I paddle, that first stretching of the legs is also a relief for me. Then, the scent of pine and balsam. The tune of the white throat sparrow, "Sweeet, sweeet, Ca-na-Da, Ca-na-Da, Ca-na-Da...." Then, when you get that glimpse of blue through the trees, that virst view of your next destination. Setting that canoe or pack down, and taking in the new vista.

What I don't like? Especially as I get older and balance not like it was, the portages with lots of rocks at odd angles. And I hate the slippery planks also. But, you gotta take the good with the bad!

 
AdamXChicago
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10/17/2016 11:47PM  
Aside from stretching the body parts, I probably enjoy the smell of the forest most of all after a few hours on the water.

As for dislikes, I don't seem to mind the rock gardens, planks and twisted roots. It's the muck that I absolutely hate. Throw in some swarming mosquitos along with hot/humid weather and my nightmare is complete...
AdamX
 
10/18/2016 05:43AM  
What I like about portaging is the opportunity to stretch out the legs and loosen the lower back, and it's a nice walk in the woods with a chance to see different things. It's also when I eat lunch, snack, and drink. The more portaging I do, the farther I get from the "madding crowd". Like 1bogfrog, I also like to be able to say, "yeah, I've done that one", and "that one too".

The thing I most dislike about it is the really awkward landings with bad footing and positioning that makes it difficult, especially solo, to get the packs in and out and the canoe up. There are just so many opportunities for injury - even more so than the rocks and roots when I'm portaging and the pack is securely on my back.
 
DrBobDerrig
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10/18/2016 06:39AM  
dislike....my wife grumbling about them

another....I screwed up last summer.... way overloaded a pack..better to take 2 smaller ones than one large one that a feller can't even get on his back.....which still hurts.

like... a chance to stretch the legs and see that water waiting at the end of the portage.

dr bob
 
riverrunner
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10/18/2016 06:46AM  
Dislike The up hill part right before the end.

It is always a bugger to think you are about done only to find out you have to go up another hill to get there.

Like getting back in the canoe again.
 
missmolly
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10/18/2016 06:48AM  
Great question.

I see photos of the BWCA portages and I wish I portaged paths so wide and cleared. I don't like when the canoe gets stuck between trees or I can't make a necessary turn because there are too many trees. I don't like fallen trees blocking the way and I have to go under or over. I don't like the anxiety of getting lost, of forcing myself to pay attention even though I'm spent.

The ONLY thing I like I about portages is where they take me. Since the portages I use are rarely used or don't even exist, they can take me to fantastic lakes.
 
jeepgirl
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10/18/2016 07:05AM  
Dislike, rocky landings. Like, double portaging and the walk back to get the second load. My favorite time of the day to be on a portage is early morning. I rarely see people as early as I travel.
 
10/18/2016 07:06AM  
I have taken my last "real" canoe trip. Looking back, I miss portaging about as much as any of it.

This is what I DO like about portaging:

I like the feeling of accomplishment I get when I see the (hopefully blue, if it is a sunny day) water of the next lake through the trees at the end. The feeling that I have done it!

I like walking back through the woods again on the return trip, as we have always double-portaged. I often take my camera with me and find things to photograph. Sometimes I am walking with Spartan1 and we enjoy this stroll in the woods, but usually I am alone. It is a time to enjoy the solitude of the forest and to see the things I missed when I was concentrating on my footing with a pack on my back.

I like the variety of the portages. Some are pathways through the woods. Some are challenging climbs over hills, making me puff and stop to catch my breath (many times?), some are slogs through the mud, or some are scenic and memorable, like the Beaver/Adams portage with its big boulders and shoulder-high ferns. Some are too long, some are very short. Some are rock gardens. Some make me swear, but all of them make me sing, because I have my portage songs. (I do not sing aloud, but I have particular songs that I sing within my head.)

I like seeing the portage as I approach the opening from the lake. It means that there will be a stretch for the legs and the paddling muscles. It means that we will get out and walk and carry, and that there will be another lake to explore on the other side. For me, canoe-tripping was always about the traveling. Perhaps that was because my introduction to it in the beginning was a travel-every-day trip, and I just bought into that concept. I learned to love layover days, but I could never learn to love base camping.

I like that moment when both of my packs are at the other end, and we are loading up again and the paddle hits the water on the new lake. The adventure is continuing.

This is what I DON'T like about portaging:

I don't like mud! I am very apprehensive about just slogging through mud because I can never tell how deep it is and I do not want to lose my balance and fall. So I try to go around it, and that often doesn't work well either. It is hard for me to be bold in mud.

I do NOT like those round logs that people put in the wet or muddy places for you to walk on! Especially, God forbid, if there is just ONE of them! I am NOT a balance beam walker, and even when I was in my 20's those things gave me nightmares! As I became older they would just make me freeze in fear! So you would see me clinging to trees off on the edge, or slogging through mud instead, and hoping I didn't get buried or fall over and have to be rescued.

I don't like big, tall steps. The portage crews often put in rock steps to "help" on portages, particularly at landing areas. The one at the Ham Lake entrance when you go in at Cross Bay comes to mind. Big rock steps that a man who is 6 feet tall can handle with no problem. I have short legs. I could have walked up the hill just fine, but those steps are far beyond my capacity to handle, and they kill my knees. Especially when I have a heavy pack on my back.

As I have gotten older and my spinal and foot arthritis has begun to manifest its nasty symptoms. . .I don't like rocky, tricky landings. That is actually what made me decide that my canoe-tripping days were done. If all landings were on sandy beaches I could hop out of that canoe and do pretty well. But clambering out of the canoe in mud and sharp, slippery rocks is very difficult for me. At age 71, I have become more wary of falling and breaking a bone. Rock gardens on the portages were always difficult and I took them slowly, but now they are just something that I think are too dangerous for me to manipulate.

I don't like any portage longer than 250 rods. Never did. Some of my least favorite portages were actually quite short (Horsetail Rapids comes to mind), but anything more than 250 rods usually means that I am requesting that we just plan another route. That was even in the good years.

These are all just memories now. I would love to do a few challenging portages again and be able to complain about them. But it is not going to happen. I wish you all many wonderful rocky, hilly, muddy, slippery, sunny, adventure-filled portages!

Enjoy!
 
SevenofNine
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10/18/2016 07:15AM  
I love the scenic overlooks (Tusc is one) on some portages. Coming across large boulders. The occasional all pine forest with the rich smells. Most of all I enjoy a great view at the end of a lot portages.
 
LuvMyBell
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10/18/2016 07:19AM  
Like: portaging the pack(s)
Dislike: portaging the canoe

I'd rather carry a 75lb pack than a 40 lb canoe.

 
10/18/2016 07:54AM  
Love every part of them, just another challenge.
 
yellowcanoe
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10/18/2016 08:03AM  
Noticing the small stuff and taking pix on the walk back..
Corduroy laid along the axis of the trail is terror for me. Crosswise is OK.
 
Minnesotian
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10/18/2016 08:50AM  

The only thing I really dislike about portaging is stepping into those mucky holes that go all the way up to my hip. Hate that.

I like the views, walking in the woods, but especially that first peak of the lake from the portage. Nothing better.
 
deanalika
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10/18/2016 09:05AM  
Love--------Taking the right turn at a fork in the portage.

Hate--------Taking the wrong turn at a fork in the portage.

 
ozarkpaddler
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10/18/2016 09:24AM  
quote LuvMyBell: "Like: portaging the pack(s)
Dislike: portaging the canoe
I'd rather carry a 75lb pack than a 40 lb canoe.
"


Heheheh, I "Resemble" that statement! I'd rather double pack, one front and one back than a canoe. I've portaged so many 80 lb canoes over the years they ALL seem heavy (LOL)!
 
northallen
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10/18/2016 09:57AM  
Likes:
1) Finding the portage. Feels good to finally confirm that, 'yes, this is the right spot'
2) Standing up after a long paddle
3) Walking fast while taking in the scenery

Dislikes:
1) Unloading and loading
2) Having to spend 10 seconds to take one step (rocky, muddy, washed out trails)
3) Down trees
 
ozarkpaddler
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10/18/2016 10:10AM  
quote DrBobDerrig: "dislike....my wife grumbling about them
another....I screwed up last summer.... way overloaded a pack..better to take 2 smaller ones than one large one that a feller can't even get on his back.....which still hurts.
dr bob"


I came to that conclusion a few years back. With a moist eye I sold my big #4 Duluth Duluth Packs here and used the proceeds to buy a few smaller packs to supplement my old Superior #3. No more "Monster" packs clinging to this old back (LOL)!
 
10/18/2016 10:24AM  
Like:
A walk in the woods
Standing up and stretching

Dislike:
Unloading/loading

Overall, I'm enjoying this new found mode of wilderness travel more than hiking.
 
Savage Voyageur
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10/18/2016 10:40AM  
For me the best part is getting out of the canoe and stretching my legs and back. I would rather be back in the canoe but a portage is a way to another lake. The best part is when I can see a dark blue of the next lake.

Worst parts are bugs, hot humid, no where to set the canoe down half way on a long portages. Also steep climbs over boulders, fast decents, not spending enough time just looking around the woods.
 
SaganagaJoe
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10/18/2016 01:22PM  
The best part for me is getting out in the woods, stretching my legs, conquering some territory and moving on to a new lake.

I don't like it when the portages are wet enough to be slippery. Getting muddy isn't the issue, it's the risk of slipping while carrying sixty or seventy pounds of gear.
 
BnD
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10/18/2016 02:45PM  
I would say I like the adventure and journey of portaging but, the best part is arriving at the other end of the portage. My son and I travel for effect to reach our destination and don't waste anymore time than necessary on portages observing etc..... We kick back and slow down while fishing and camping after we travel.
 
lundojam
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10/18/2016 04:37PM  
Likes: catching the first glimpse of blue through the trees at the end of a long one.
Dislikes: steep uphills and slippery stuff. I don't wanna slip and fall at all.
 
Schu4MU
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10/18/2016 05:38PM  
Like a lot of others I love that first glimpse of the blue of the next lake through the shimmering green leaves of the trees.
Not a big fan of rocky landings.
Picking a little nit because I will take it all to be in the BWCA.
 
10/18/2016 06:24PM  
Always double or triple portage. The only part I can say I remotely "like" is the return trip when I am carrying "NOTHING" that's when I can enjoy the sights and sounds. That being said, it gets me to the fishing grounds, which is my true love.
 
10/19/2016 08:30AM  
I like...
The feeling of accomplishment in finding the correct portage or finishing a particularly hard portage
The feeling of getting deeper into the wilderness
The usual quiet
The welcoming sight of the portage opening
The empty handed hike back for the next load

What I don't like...
Getting in and out of the canoe
A series of short portages or even one short portage
Finding a faux portage
Long slippery slopes
Seeing the blue of the next lake and finding that it was not the next lake but instead a puddle along the side of the portage
Narrow turns with the canoe
People who loiter in the middle of the portage. I don't mind folks taking a break, but do it off to the side. Kinda like people stopping to chat at the end of an escalator.
People who drop their canoes in the loading spots and then go back for the second load
 
BlueSkiesWI
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10/19/2016 11:03AM  
I like the challenge of single portaging and working up a good sweat while doing it.

The mosquitoes always seem to be a little worse while portaging, but that's just part of the fun right?
 
10/19/2016 02:30PM  
Like others, getting out and stretching is great. I also enjoy the occasional "find" of an old logging or mining site.

What I really dislike is when a group decides to eat at a portage takeout/put in. Th is happens rarely, but did twice last summer. I also get frustrated when portage are busy and groups pay no heed to portage protocol.
 
bapabear
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10/19/2016 08:46PM  
I like the physical part of portaging for the sense of accomplishment. I like the first glimpse of the next lake or hint of arriving at the end of that long portage. I like being able to explore that rapids or waterfall that we had to get out and walk around. I've gotten some really nice pictures on the walk back.

I can deal with the rocks, roots, mud, ups and downs, skeeters, narrow spots and poor landings because, honestly, I look forward to those challenges.

Dislike that agonizing pack strap or canoe pad digging in and I know I just need to gut it out or when I have to stop for a break and then resume with the same problem coming right back. Dislike portaging in the rain and when the large rocky areas turn into slippery walking "on ice" feeling. I dread falling and getting seriously hurt because I don't bounce like I used to.

Hey, portages are part of the trip and part of the fun.
 
10/20/2016 07:58AM  
dislike the black moss on rock landings, so dangerous for footing, put me down this summer, and i saw it and was being super careful.

Like the stuff already said, and basically all things portaging, because it means progress to/from some goal.
 
ockycamper
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10/20/2016 12:45PM  
After 9 trips to BWCA. . .some with 6-8 portages. . .the last 3 we have done "no portage" trips to the base camp. From there everyone portages empty boats into the smaller lakes with only day packs.

I have polled the group (about 19 men) and they like the no portage approach a lot better. They like the hikes down the portages, but don't like the ferrying of the gear.

19 votes for no portage to base camps.
 
10/20/2016 12:59PM  
The part where I get to the parking lot. I hate that part.

I'm also not real fond of mud (I'm talking serious mud here, I don't care about little puddles).
 
10/20/2016 02:30PM  
I hate the cloud of skeets that hangs out around your head in the overturned canoe. I like to take photos on the way back. Camera goes over on the first load in an underseat bag......then I pop it out and take pics as I walk back empty to get the pack.
 
fraxinus
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10/20/2016 03:41PM  
Amen to the cloud of skeeters, no where to hide, hard to swat em and balance the load. The other thing that someone else mentioned is balancing on a rocky landing and swinging packs out of the canoe. I do enjoy the trip back for the 2nd load, you miss a lot of nice scenery with a canoe on your shoulders.
 
Basspro69
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10/21/2016 08:49AM  
Theres nothing I dislike about portaging unless the mosquitoes are bad, then I really dislike it .
 
bottomtothetap
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10/22/2016 10:58AM  
Spartan 2, your post above was very eloquently written from a perspective of one whose canoe trip-days are concluded.

As we are starting to ease toward retirement age, my long time tripping partner and I were having a conversation, on our most recent BWCA outing, about if we were "getting too old for this". Your reminder of how much there is to enjoy despite the challenges--even on the "longer" portages--inspires me to keep going for a number of years yet as you did into your late 60's and 70's.

Like you, I have never really enjoyed the portages of over 250 rods though I have done them when the route intrigued enough that they were required. THAT is a change I'll likely make going forward: Long difficult portage? We're picking a different route!
 
murphylakejim
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10/22/2016 12:42PM  
Starting out on wood lake you have to portage a half mile, for me the real enjoyable part is finishing one niche enviorment and transitioning to another. The wood lake portage offers an interesting transition from trail, to creek, to wild rice flat, to open water.

Portages represent transitional areas along a route. Crossing a lake is sometimes very consistent, switching from open water to land and fallowing a stream to another lake offers up interesting variables that lead to enhanced scenery. This isn't inherently true of every portage, as we all know some very plain portages. I especially like the portage landing at the west end of cattyman, the color and formation of the rocks were interesting to me. Another stand out portage landing is at the south end of Ima. I have a soft spot for rocks.

The downside is no fishing :(
 
10/22/2016 12:43PM  
Thank you, bottomtothe tap.

There are many wonderful BWCA routes that don't require portages of over 250 rods if you just look! :-)
 
10/23/2016 03:40PM  
I like the "hiking" part of it...

I hate loading and unloading.
 
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