Hi all,

I’m thinking of possibly heading up to the Gun - Gull area through the Mudro entry in late May (the week before Memorial Day weekend), assuming I can snag a permit first thing on the 25th. My question is in regards to the set of 3 portages leading up to Fourtown. I’m 65 and in reasonable shape but my knees now remember every injury they’ve ever sustained and it makes really rugged portages a challenge. For reference, last year I did the Zenith-Lujenida portage and it was a true struggle.

Should I be concerned with these portages and make different plans? I’ll have a Sherpa or two to help with the loads but I definitely do not like to have anyone “carry my ass” if I can avoid it.

TIA for any advice you can offer.

I've done those portages a few times the last five years, always in late May. I'm 56 and not in great shape. I carry a Wenonah Champlain (46-48 lb). And while I don't look forward to those portages, they are no where near the top of my list of bad portages. If you don't have to carry a canoe or two packs at once on them you should be ok. In my opinion the worst part of those portages are the take outs and put ins - they tend to be rocky. The two longer portages are somewhat goat hill in nature - up and down.

I'd suggest you take a look at the Maps and Entry Points sections on this website and locate the reviews on the Mudro to Fourtown portages to get a feel for their difficulty. My read is they are nowhere near as difficult as the Zenith - Lujenida portage (at least based on the reviews given for that one).

That middle portage is a bear… narrow and up and down…

July 2022 my partner 72 and I 66 had no problem negotiating the portages between Mudro and Fourtown. We single portaged it, my carry weight was about 100 lbs and his was about 45 lbs.

It is a little rocky with a few slippery steep rock faces. It was raining on and off the day we portaged.

John

I've been through there many times and honestly the hardest part of the portages are (in the order I would place them):
1) the people, SO MANY people on these portages. it's a high traffic area used by alot of newer people that don't know how to portage yet that it can become congested. plan longer than you think.
2) the middle portage is the hardest for the reasons stated, longer, up and down, rocks, did i mention people.
3) the entry/exit at the very end. You "can" choose to use the steep rock incline going back down or the newer part that goes a little longer. Use the slightly longer part especially if the steep rock is at all wet. Seen way too many people slide down it.
4) the first portage is the shortest but trickiest for footing, lots and lots of rocks, go slow and don't miss a step.

These portages seem to be pretty rocky but not particularly long. The first portage is short but is bolder strewn, especially at the end. Take it slow and you should be fine.

Have done these portages 3 times. If you're in a hurry, they are a bear and will eat you up. If you go into it and don't care how long it takes to get through them, the long one (albeit up, down and fairly long) is actually a beautiful portage. I'd say take your time getting through them and double portage if you have to. Might take an hour and half, but I've found them to be quite enjoyable if you take your time rather than race the clock to get through them. So in short: take your time. Your knees should hold up and I think you'll manage through them just fine. ESPECIALLY if you have a couple younger pack mules with you.

Darin

As mentioned, just take it at your own pace.

Wow! Thanks for all the insight! The members of this board are generous with advice and it makes me happy to be part of this community!

I feel much more comfortable with my ability to negotiate the three Mudro-to-Fourtown portages, with help from some younger legs and backs.

Now, for my follow-up question:

Will I find much solitude in the Fairy-Gun-Gull area? I realize that the Mudro entry can be a zoo at times, but is the crowd likely to be moving into and/or through the series of smaller lakes to the north of Fourtown?

Our group has used the Mudro entry seven of our last dozen BWCA trips. Solitude is where you find it and never on Fourtown. We’ve camped Gunn, MooseCamp, Friday Bay, Horse, made the loop through Basswood camping at TableRock and Thursday Bay… always saw someone after a day or two. I soloed into Gull (best campsite ever!) and had folks passing to/from Beartrap.
The initial portages are busy, most likely because we’re all trying for the best weather, fishing conditions, departure time, etc..
That said, I’ve never felt crowded, ever. It does get annoying to wait at portages for large, or sometimes small, groups, but I think that’s just an indication of the popularity of this resource.
Hope to see y’all out there!

If it's dry, that route isn't too bad. If it's rained in the last 12 hours it gets slick on some of those rocks.

Honestly I think the 2 short ones before and after the middle longer one are the worst. Full of randomly shaped milk jug sized rocks that are waiting to claim an ankle. Take your time and it'll be fine.


As for solitude, the main "loop" route goes up Fairy/Gun and into Friday Bay of Crooked. You will notice a drop in traffic once past Fourtown and another drop in traffic if you get off that main loop route...either west or east.

I agree that the two shorter rock strewn portages on the way north from Mudro are almost worse than the longer portage. I had read much about the goat track of a portage that went up and down on a narrow path - when I took it I was definitely underwhelmed. Just nowhere near as bad as its reputation. Now the put in at the north end...horrible.

Although Mudro is a very busy entry I believe that a high percentage of the folks who put in here head NE towards Horse and beyond up to Lower Basswood Falls. Consequently the route to the west and north may not be as busy as it could be. When we went we didn't see many folks at all. In fact we took a daytrip from our site on Gun up to the 5 star campsite on Beartrap for lunch and back, and did not see another canoe all day. Maybe just lucky...

The southern lakes(Boot and Gun) are nice with good fishing and lots of campsite but they are spread out enough to have peace and solitude. Fairy is a really cool little lake with 2 sites but I would be surprised if they are both taken very often. The eastern site is a gem and the lake had a mystical feel to it. Gull Lake was nice too, the peninsula site is amazing. There is anoter site on the lake but I don't think you can see or hear anything from it. Thunder and Beartrap are almost guaranteed to be quiet. I would lay good odds on Moosecamp too - I have not been there but would love to go based on what I have seen and read.

I would consider the two short portages north of Mudro the most treacherous due to the rocks so if you are very careful on those I think the rest would be very manageable.

A couple shots:







The landing on the south end of the longer portage north of Mudro. Absolutely gorgeous and a good spot for a dip in the water to cool off. The next portage is just across this small body of water, about a 2 minute paddle.







The view from our very nice campsite on the East shore of Gun.

lindylair: "I agree that the two shorter rock strewn portages on the way north from Mudro are almost worse than the longer portage. "

+2

Beautiful magical photo! Thanks! Where was this taken?

Gun Lake, site 1083. Great campsite on a very nice lake.