Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Listening Point - General Discussion :: Favorite and Least Favorite Portages
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scat |
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TuscaroraBorealis |
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GoSpursGo |
Dont care for the old trail into Neglige, there are two big, flat, steep, rocks and one of them has made me slip twice.... |
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icecoldmilk |
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jamotrade |
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housty9 |
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jcavenagh |
Because you are either starting a trip and have anticipation going for you...OR...you are ending a trip and know that a hot steak and a cold beer are just a few hours away... |
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boonie |
quote icecoldmilk: "Where is the Poe to Louse portage?" The Poe Lake to Louse River portage is north of Alton Lake (Sawbill). |
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ozarkpaddler |
Favorite? I really like Kingfisher to Ogish, pretty, nice little stream, and relatively easy. East Bearskin to Alder is easy and Seagull to Alpine is a thoroughfare that's easy as pie. Monument Portage from Swamp Lake to Ottertrack isn't too bad and there are some scenic and easy portages in the numbered lakes area. |
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1bogfrog |
Which naturally got me to wondering: do you have any favorites? How about ones that you never want to set foot on again? In terms of scenery, I really enjoyed the Crooked to Gillis portage. It was reminiscent of walking through a fairy tale setting, complete with the little, crumbling cabin by the stream. On the flip side, I would (and have) chosen to go miles out of my way to avoid doing the north to south Fente to Hub portage. Its not nearly as long as the Lujenida-Zenith portage, but that initial hill climb is a beast. Which ones get your votes? |
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Wables |
My favorite would have to be the entire Falls Chain. None particularly long, challenging enough, and drop dead gorgeous waterfalls. |
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Michwall2 |
Least favorite - Poe to Louse Lakes. 80 rods of sheer ankle busting torture. Every foot placement must be thought out in advance. Your route planned several steps in advance. Double portaging was a nightmare. The route was absolutely worth it! Saw a bear on Bug Lake. Snakes in the campsite on Trail. Beautiful river paddling. Close second is a tie: Sitka to Cherokee (non-stop roller coaster) and Fente to Hub (the initial climb is one of the toughest I've encountered). My favorites follow rivers - Mora to Little Sag. Fishdance to Alice. Eddy to SAK (Eddy Falls). Malberg to Kawishiwi River (canyon). Gebe to Gebe Creek along the falls. |
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1bogfrog |
quote paddlinjoe: "Good topic. I absolutely agree with you on these kind of portages, paddlinjoe! I even prefer these enchanting little stream wanders over sweeping vistas. |
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walllee |
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nctry |
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Meado |
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1bogfrog |
quote Meado: "The portage from Missing Link to Tuscarora just drags on forever. I know there are longer portages in the BW, but for me this has been the crown jewel of dread so far. It's not terribly difficult, but just long. I've heard about this one for so many years that I really feel I need to give it a shot...just as a point of honor. I'm giving due consideration to doing some of these portages, just for the satisfaction that comes at the end of any really tough portage. Bonus points if there's a beautiful lake or fantastic view at the other end! |
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Spartan2 |
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Spartan2 |
One that comes to mind immediately is the portage from Thumb to Beartrack, a 200 rod portage (and I don't usually love 200 rod portages) that isn't too difficult, but it had a really pretty little waterfall somewhere along the way. Nice enough that I carried the tripod and the camera back on the return trip in order to get a photograph. And when we got to the end of the portage, we were rewarded with the sight of a nesting loon! > People have already mentioned Beaver-Adams, which I have always said was the most beautiful portage I have ever seen. We tried to get back there a few years ago on our "Elephant trip", but we didn't end up getting that far. That is such a scenic portage, in my opinion. I actually walked it an extra time just to enjoy the ferns and the boulders. I remember enjoying a 55-rod portage on our long trip in 1992. It was from South Temperance to North Temperance. As I remember, we camped on North Temperance and then came back over the portage in the morning to continue our journey. The portage has a big pond in the middle and you walk along a narrow ledge high up above the pond. It seems to me that if there is something to photograph on a portage, it makes it more memorable. We didn't even take the portage to Ge-be, but I made Spartan1 stop at the end of the creek so that I could get out and photograph this waterfall near the portage landing. I have always been just a bit sorry that we didn't go on to Ge-be-on-e-quet. There are a lot of them that I didn't love. Most of the time I just puffed and groaned and endured. I don't remember loving Kiskadinna to Muskeg one little bit! I don't like the big giant-size steps that the forest service puts in to "help" at the landings, and I simply cannot walk on one log placed over a muddy hole! I'd go for the edge if I could, or just take my chances in the mud. But by far my least favorite portage of all time was a little short one--Horsetail Rapids on the Granite River trip. Just a variety of my assorted fears and dislikes all strung together. I always wanted to carry my own pack and be responsible for my own percentage of the work load, even when I had pain issues and probably shouldn't have. Spartan1 was very good about helping me get the packs lifted to my back and secured safely before each carry. He carried the tripod for me once I began taking it along, but I always schlepped all of my heavy photo gear myself, in addition to carrying two packs. Sometimes on a very long portage I would give out and drop my second pack along the trail, get to the end and tell him he had to go back for it. We were a team. When it got to where I couldn't do that anymore, the fun was gone from it for me. Because I discovered, a bit to my surprise, that portaging was as much a part of it as paddling. We didn't fish. A canoe trip was the canoeing, the portaging, and the camping. It was a package. Without the portaging, it just wasn't the same. There is, for me, a great deal of satisfaction in a hard portage accomplished, no matter how much I might gripe about it at the time. And I miss it. Imagine that. (I have no idea where this is.) |
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BuckFlicks |
I can't say I have a favorite. I don't particularly enjoy portages. If I'm on a paddle trip, I prefer to paddle. I do like hiking trips... but I have better and more comfortable gear for hiking. |
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johndku |
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Goldenbadger |
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NoService |
How about the stairway portage to rose lake? What an awesome descent, and great reward! |
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Bamthor |
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OldGuystilltripping |
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egknuti |
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fishonfishoff |
FOFO |
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overthehill |
Pond/Gratton. And Wickstead/Ballard. Already tired and raining as well. Easiest and therefore one favorite to me is the one into Splash. |
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Savage Voyageur |
Least Favorite: Cherokee to Sitka, crazy climb that never ends over the divide. |
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Jaywalker |
quote Michwall2: "The problem is that some of my least favorite portages lead to some of my favorite places. " I think there is a simple "cause and effect" thing here. In many cases, the difficulty in getting there is what makes it worth getting to. Cherokee to Sitka has always stuck with me as a bugger, but this last summer I found the Ella to Grace to be really hard. Both overgrown and boulder covered - and once at Grace it's the hardest landing and initial paddle I've found yet. |
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HighPlainsDrifter |
I have been over a number of the "bad" ones..... the climb into Hub, the ankle turners along the Louse River, Misquah to Little Trout, Muskeg to Kiskadinna........ sometimes it is just the stacking up of short portages in a single day that kill me. I hate the mud. I hate board walks that submerge under your weight. I groan and moan about the haul into Tuscarora every time I have done it. But, in retrospect, I would do them all again. They ain't that bad after you are done. |
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old_salt |
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mastertangler |
A perfect example is the "Knox Bog Trot" in Woodland Caribou that Nctry mentioned. I went across quadruple portaging on my way in last summer and thought "its not so bad, not really that tough at all". But on my way back 20 days later after 2 straight days of rain it was a whole different ball game up to my waist in muck and pretty much kicked my tail. I'm hoping for dry conditions when we meet again this summer (hoping to get across in 3 trips ;-) Knox bog trot My apologies for the fuzziness......I will have to get my editing crew to clean this up some........it gets "interesting" about 1/2 in. This was the easy trip across.......after the 2 days of rain it resembled a bit more of a lake on the way back.......best have a straight shaft wooden paddle to get yourself out if you get stuck. |
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1bogfrog |
quote mastertangler: " This was the easy trip across.......after the 2 days of rain it resembled a bit more of a lake on the way back.......best have a straight shaft wooden paddle to get yourself out if you get stuck. " If this was the "easy" trip, the return must have been memorable in the extreme! I had forgotten about the Cherokee-Sitka portage that people have been mentioning, which probably proves the point that has been made about the relative difficulty of a portage having to do with the condition of the person making it. We did that one first thing in the morning and well rested, so while the initial climb was memorable, it didn't strike me as horrid. It would have been another story if it was the last portage of the day. There was also a portage somewhere on the Kawishiwi to Malberg stretch that, while easy, we ended up single portaging at a jog four years ago because the mosquitoes were like nothing I have ever experienced before in my life! |
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mastertangler |
I was toast by 5 p.m. that day as my body said "enough already"! |
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paddlinjoe |
I don't think I have a single favorite portage, but there is a type which I categorize as "Hobbit Portages". They tend to be shorter but it isn't the length that makes them a favorite. My so called Hobbit Portages typically occur along streams between lakes where there are cedar trees, lots of moss on rocks and plenty of ferns. The air in the middle of these portages is cooler and fresher, evoking thoughts of the Shire described by Tolkien, hence the Hobbit reference. Regarding my least favorite portage, as a rule I appreciate portages for the challenge and variety. Length, hills, overgrown, muddy, I don't care, but the portage between Little Trout and Misquah was another level. We crossed it on a sunny day, but it had rained quite a bit the previous week. Hoping from boulder to boulder, to start, never being able to take a normal stride, always stepping up, onto over rocks on the hills, and the swamp in the middle with submerged boards that were slippery and shifting.... We were just happy so survive without any serious injuries. I look forward to doing it again someday, but not with kids. |
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HowardSprague |
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Frenchy19 |
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Bdubguy |
I fondly remember a portage between Agnes and Stuart as being very nice... |
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landoftheskytintedwater |
Favorite: Hard to pick one...Keefer to Kahshahpiwi, portage along the Moose River just south of Agnes, Pocket to Finger, long portage along North Kawishiwi River. |
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hiawatha |
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boonie |
Worse than that is the section of the Muskeg to Kiskadinna portage known as "The Wall". That's preceded by an ankle breaker with down tress from Long Island to Muskeg that is flooded at the Muskeg end by a ~5' beaver dam. You put in from the muck below it. It's followed by the Kiskadinna to Omega portage, which angles up a steep slope on a very narrow path. And even worse than that . . . the portage from the north arm of East Bearskin to Alder. I'll never do that one again. I did the last two solo, too. At least they were all done when it was dry. Otherwise they could be downright dangerous. Beyond that, I generally don't like bushwhack portages and bad landings that you sometimes get around beaver dams and flooded out sections. I can recall a very awkward beaver dam on Little Isabella, and flooded out sections from Malberg to Little Sag and from Snipe to Tuscarora via Copper. Almost forgot about the Crooked-Tarry boulder garden ending at an awkward landing, at least for the soloist on a windy day. Favorite ones . . . I liked Mora-Little Sag, Finger-Pocket, Beaver-Adams, Mudro-Fourtown, the ones from Alice to Thomas, Cap-Boulder, and the whole thing from Boulder to Adams. |
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1bogfrog |
quote boonie: " I was poking around on Beaver five years ago and never managed to find the portage into Adams. I'm guessing it doesn't get much traffic. I know where I think it should have been, and if I'm correct, I'm guessing it is beautiful! Is it between some very big rock hills with no real, defined landing on the Adams side? I'm thinking of perhaps soloing out that way this August and would like to see if I can locate it. |
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1bogfrog |
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maxxbhp |
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gymcoachdon |
The least favorite is the 280 rod out of Stuart into Fox, on the way to Iron Lake. Long, wet, some hills, a mid thigh water crossing in dark water, and 4 trees down that required unloading pack or canoe to get over or under. That day kinda kicked my butt. I heard that the trees have been cleared, that would have made a big difference, at least mentally. My favorite is the portage to the Dahlgren River from Stuart Lake. The week I was there was very wet, and this portage was the only one without a puddle. Not even a soft section to leave a footprint. Pine needle covered trail through the largest pines I have seen. (There may be bigger ones to see, but I was impressed!) The end of the portage follows the river as it goes over a couple falls, and ends at a beautiful fall. If you are ever on Stuart Lake, do yourself a favor, and at least walk this one! |
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boonie |
quote 1bogfrog: "Oops, I meant no defined landing on the Beaver Lake side." Yeah, it's just a jumble of rocks in front of a cliff, but it's there. Here's a link to some photo albums - picture #36 of my 2013 album. Pictures Once you've seen the picture, you'll know when you are there. |
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boonie |
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bassnet |
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Northwoodsman |
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mastertangler |
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