Have you ever crossed a portage at night, planned or otherwise and if so how did it compare with daylight portaging?

I have never planned a night portage but last year I chose to push on into darkness to make camp on the next lake. The night was overcast and the 300 rod portage was mostly through a canopy of tall trees. The portage was well traveled and with my headlamp off I was able to negotiate the trail as long as there were no obstacles. I preferred the headlamp with a low brightness setting, just enough to see a few feet ahead. My pace was slow but it was not difficult.

Due to a medical emergency and a 6 hour wait for the SAR team to arrive, we paddled back out on entry day from just south of Lake Agnes to the EP at Moose River North. We got to the parking lot at 9:15. That last stretch of water and last portage were in complete moonless black, but a calm night and some late July twilight allowed for seeing the tree line in both sky and water, guiding you to each portage. Perhaps the darkness was made even worse due to the dreadful event of the day, but I have never experienced such pitch dark. Headlamps for every person in your party are essential.

I have never had to portage in the dark,but darkness wouldn't stop me if I had a destination I HAD to get to.It would be no different then traveling to a hunting location in pitch black with treestand on my back and bow/gun in hand.Of course it's dangerous as far as tripping hazards,but in the darkness caution will prevail,during daylight is when we have tendency to get complacent and accidents happen.Overnighting at portage trailhead is always an option as long as you don't oversleep,lol.

I ran out of daylight on an October trip paddling from Ted Lake to a Mudro exit. Twilight crossing of Sandpit and then on the portage between Sandpit and Mudro I had to wait for twilight to become darkness as my pre-led headlamp did not cast enough light to portage in semi-darkness (not enough ambient light to see the trail, but enough to not allow my eyes to adjust to the dim headlamp). Portage is quite steep and rocky with heavy tree cover. Once my eyes could pick up the light it was easy. Wouldn't hesitate to portage at night with the new bright headlamps that I often use to ski at night.

The most difficult part of the night trek was paddling the creek from Mudro to the take in- I could clearly see the water in the marsh but could not see the stubby grass the marked the borders of the navigable channel.

Great topic! There are several portages I wouldn't hesitate to do in the dark, and there are several portages that concern me even in bright daylight and dry conditions. That's my position and I'm sticking to it!

TZ

Haven’t portaged in the dark other than to setup camp in the dark a number of times. This was a frequent event on many Wabakimi Project trips since Uncle Phil often didn’t start traveling for the day until 1-2pm which resulted late nights at the campsite.

But I have padded in the dark many times. Most memorable was paddling in to a campsite friends arrived at earlier, while there was lightning without thunder within clouds to the west which briefly lit up the landscape in a very brief, brilliant and surreal light.

I've never portaged in the dark but I have paddled in pitch black darkness but with a starry sky. It's the only time I've ever used the night sky for navigation. I used the North Star to maintain my direction. Scary as hell but extremely exhilarating too.
Tom

Good topic. My schedule changed and I'm considering a late evening entry for my first trip in May. Most likely I'll be able to avoid it but it is on my mind.

I've backpacked at night and carried out elk quarters in the dark, but I have not portaged a canoe without daylight. Like some have said, there are certainly portages that would be more complicated at night and deserve more caution. The animal nightlife is an additional consideration too. I assume making a little more intentional noise would reduce unwanted close encounters. Then again, I suppose there are those who might embrace that opportunity...not me!

Some of my most memorable paddles in the BW have been at night. There's something magical about being on the water alone in the moonlight. Last September I was paddling Mountain Lake in the moonlight. Campers were inquiring if I were O.K. I'd respond, " it's a great night to paddle, I think I'll go to S. Fowl Lake's island campsite tonight." It was 2:40 when I arrived. Of course I always carry 2 readily available headlamps and lithium batteries. It's more convenient to grab the spare headlamp than changing batteries in the dark.

Voyager: "Some of my most memorable paddles in the BW have been at night. There's something magical about being on the water alone in the moonlight. "

I totally agree. I have never been in a situation where I was forced to paddle at night, or portage. But on layover days it never bothered me at all to be out after sunset and have to paddle back to camp in the dark. There is something magical about being on the water in the dark. The same can be said for leaving camp very early in the morning and being on the water as the sun comes up.
To the OP, even on short day trips where I don't plan on portaging off of the lake I'm camped at I always have a dry bag with extra clothes, snacks, fire making items, rain gear, a headlamp and a small hand held light. So, if I had to travel/portage in the dark for some reason I feel I could do it safely. I have done a lot of hiking in the dark, both on and off trail. Like you, I prefer the least amount of light I need to get the job done.

The red LED setting on your headlamp will and it more comfortable in my experience.

To echo others, there is nothing quite as peaceful as being on a completely calm lake in total dark. I’ve never experienced peace like that. Lying on the deck of my small tiller boat on the Canadian side of Saganaga, looking up at the night sky in near total silence and complete darkness. Absolute tranquility.

if you've been on a certain one a few times probably be fine , but an unseen portage with slippery rocks & wood/etc sounds like a recipe for a sprained ankle.

Probably not something anyone would choose, but if if the situation was to arise, of course night transit is an option. Never happened to me... yet. That said, depending on if it is an emergency vs. sites full on said lake or other, I would think most of us are good with a slow portage. The harder part is getting to the next lake and shinning a site to see if it is occupied, as you will have to get much closer than in daylight in most cases. If anyone paddled up to my site in need any time of day 100% I would help and offer my site to share. I hope most would. At least for a day. Unless they have whiskey......

3R

shock: "if you've been on a certain one a few times probably be fine , but an unseen portage with slippery rocks & wood/etc sounds like a recipe for a sprained ankle. "

I would agree. I don't think I would ever portage in the dark due to tripping on unseen rocks, etc. I would also never paddle in the dark other then near my camp site with a light lit to get back.

It might be peaceful but it has inherent risks

I have had the occasion to both paddle and portage at night several times. I really enjoy night paddling. As others have said, there is a serenity to it. It's somewhat magical, especially if the stars are out. If you are planning a first night paddle, I would encourage you to do so on a well moon lit night on a lake you are familiar with. You will appreciate the illumination and known surroundings.

Portaging at night can be tricky, but I have enjoyed that too (kinda, well maybe not really). A good headlamp, slower pace, etc. are in order. For me, there is a bit of "spookiness" to it that I don't have on the water. It might be the confines of the forest itself that gives rise to those feelings. None-the-less, I have and will again portage at night. While doing so, my mind will likely tell me I am seeing/hearing things I know do not exist - or should not exist. Oh, well. :)

Night travel has become far too common I must say. It's gotten to the point that our BW trip group jokes that every trip will end up in the dark at some point. Both times down the Frost finished in the dark somewhere around Time Lake (taking that instead of the 100 rod portage.) An overnight trip to Isle of the Pines from 5:00 pm to 5:30 am was mostly dark traveling. It's amazing how tough navigating gets when the skies cloud over! Brule in a chop mid-snowstorm was pretty dicey to paddle in the dark. An 11 pm start from Cross River EP to pull into a campsite on Cross Bay was kind disorienting. Even though you won't get lost on a river, it quickly becomes tough to know where you are. The Little Pony River and all its rocks was rough in the dark. Seagull Lake under a terrific star night was cool. And the list goes on..... the point is, way too much night travel for me! Haha

Night portaging always feels slower to me. There's something about not being able to see except where the headlamp is pointed that makes portages feel like they're taking forever! Spotting the landings from the water can be challenging depending on how well travelled of a route you're on. There's also potential for mishaps as others mentioned. That said, take it slow. I prefer sticking with my group better at night than during the day for the sake of communicating obstacles and possible challenges. It helps to avoid problems.

Night paddling can range from a magical feeling to one of terror. As other mentioned, paddling under a totally starry night is unlike anything else and is one of my favorite experiences. Paddling under the northern lights is even better! The terror comes from nights like the one I mention above like paddling chop or in bad weather in the dark. It gets kind of disorienting!

Finding campsites is one of the toughest parts of night travel. If you're too late, everyone's gone to bed. Early enough and there are campfires and headlamps to give groups away. It's pretty awkward to try sneaking into campsites to see if they're occupied! I haven't walked in on anyone yet, but the threat of that happening is always in the back of my mind. There was a time on W Pike, for instance, that I could see lights in ever campsite but the island site. We went to check it out and felt really strange walking into camp. We couldn't see anything from the water, so we were forced to land and check it out.

I've done a lot of night-time portaging and really don't consider much different than day time...other than lighting is artificial. I guess the biggest difference is it can feel like walking in a dark tunnel since sight distance is limited by your flashlight.

"Finding campsites is one of the toughest parts of night travel. If you're too late, everyone's gone to bed. Early enough and there are campfires and headlamps to give groups away. It's pretty awkward to try sneaking into campsites to see if they're occupied! I haven't walked in on anyone yet, but the threat of that happening is always in the back of my mind. There was a time on W Pike, for instance, that I could see lights in ever campsite but the island site. We went to check it out and felt really strange walking into camp. We couldn't see anything from the water, so we were forced to land and check it out."

I can't imagine you would be well received "sneaking" into a camp site to check it out to find several men in their tents or hammocks. If it happened in one of our sites we would be making strong suggestions you start traveling in the daylight. We would also not be very receptive to being woke up by voices of paddlers going by in the middle of the night.

Have portaged and paddled in the dark. On my first trip in 1957 we almost got run over by one of Jake Pete's cabin boats paddling in the dark. It was an eerie sight to see those lights bearing down on you like an ocean liner. We pulled close to shore and watched it pass. There is a magic in paddling in the dark. Also carried the old Hoist Bay Four Mile at midnight before the days of headlamps. Fortunately there was a full moon. Have done many others at night including way up in Canada. With the headlamps they have now and the way campsites can fill up I am surprised more people don't portage at night. Like anything else, the key is to stay within your limits.

Last October I ended up paddling and portaging out of Kawishiwi, Ojibway and Triangle to the EP. (Note to self, just because its October don't think that you will find a late day open campsite). I had intended on leaving the next day but lack of sites caused me to leave early. And it gets dark much earlier in October. The portaging at night was not a big deal, but what spooked me was the paddling. I was solo and it was a bit windy. Navigation was not a problem, but what spooked me were the rocks I couldn't see because of the darkness. In choppy water with a solo boat, I just wasn't comfortable not being able to see what was just under the water. End result was it was a nothing burger--but I did have a bit of white knuckle anxiety as a navigated through the water.

I’m not sure I could keep my mind under control doing a long portage solo in the dark.

By the end of the portage I’d be being chased by a whole pack of wolves and running straight into a bear that was waiting for me.

I’ve done many portages in the dark and it’s not much different. A little extra caution for trip hazards, but other than that, it’s quite a nice experience. The scariest part of night paddling is if a beaver slaps it’s tail. I nearly sh*t myself every time that happens (which is quite often if you’re river travelling). ??
Tony

While I have no doubt that there is a certain amount of uniqueness and perhaps efficiency in portaging at night, to me this is an issue of "just because you can do something doesn't mean you should." There are a lot of considerations to be made to include a careful and honest appraisal of the risks versus the benefits of portaging at night.

As some previous posters have noted, I think the first potential problem is paddling at night. Even if on a lake with a minimal amount of hidden or barely visible rocks, stumps, or other obstacles, the potential for striking one goes up if I can't see what is immediately in front of me. Even on a lake I believe I know well, nighttime paddling conditions can throw off fine-tuning of spatial relations as it pertains to location on any particular body of water. Simply put, navigating at night isn't easy. Doing so safely is tougher yet.

Even if avoiding rocks on the lake, portage landings, more often than not, are rocky places with the potential of slippage or turning an ankle. In my 40 plus years of paddling, the most common scenario I've seen when people end up in the water is is by either slipping or attempting to keep their feet dry at portage landings. This would not be an issue at portages with lots of sand, such as the Pine River into Clove Lake, or the Lake One landing.

Another consideration is lighting. Certainly safety would be maximized wearing a headlamp or carrying another light source while actually on a portage. A standard "white light" would offer the most visibility, but using a red light would save the time required for the eyes to return to maximum function after a white light is turned off. But would a red light be adequate to safely see the rocks, roots, dead falls, or other obstacles that exist on portages? Certainly a bright moon would help on some level, though functional ("useful") moonlight may be reduced on a portage with heavier brush or canopy.

Though more my issue than anyone else's, I would be mortified if I made any noise portaging at night over and above the noise I might make during daylight hours (which is very little.) We try very hard to be quiet everywhere we go and everything we do, though I'm afraid of tripping or falling or dropping something when visibility is low and making a lot of noise in doing so. Sound often travels differently at night. I would be irritated if a group was coming through at night dragging their canoes over rocks or dropping their canoes onto the rocks at the end of a portage (like MANY do during daylight hours) along with loud voices that have become far too common. The same thing goes for setting up camp.

Just my two cents: I would not portage at night unless it was essential due to injury or other circumstance requiring immediate movement that just can't wait until the morning. I think that as visibility at night reduces, the risk of injury portaging at night goes up. If we are portaging at night to get a group member medical attention, I get it… Though another injury sustained because of portaging in low light conditions could quickly complicate things.

Mike

MikeinMpls: "While I have no doubt that there is a certain amount of uniqueness and perhaps efficiency in portaging at night, to me this is an issue of "just because you can do something doesn't mean you should." There are a lot of considerations to be made to include a careful and honest appraisal of the risks versus the benefits of portaging at night.


As some previous posters have noted, I think the first potential problem is paddling at night. Even if on a lake with a minimal amount of hidden or barely visible rocks, stumps, or other obstacles, the potential for striking one goes up if I can't see what is immediately in front of me. Even on a lake I believe I know well, nighttime paddling conditions can throw off fine-tuning of spatial relations as it pertains to location on any particular body of water. Simply put, navigating at night isn't easy. Doing so safely is tougher yet.


Even if avoiding rocks on the lake, portage landings, more often than not, are rocky places with the potential of slippage or turning an ankle. In my 40 plus years of paddling, the most common scenario I've seen when people end up in the water is is by either slipping or attempting to keep their feet dry at portage landings. This would not be an issue at portages with lots of sand, such as the Pine River into Clove Lake, or the Lake One landing.


Another consideration is lighting. Certainly safety would be maximized wearing a headlamp or carrying another light source while actually on a portage. A standard "white light" would offer the most visibility, but using a red light would save the time required for the eyes to return to maximum function after a white light is turned off. But would a red light be adequate to safely see the rocks, roots, dead falls, or other obstacles that exist on portages? Certainly a bright moon would help on some level, though functional ("useful") moonlight may be reduced on a portage with heavier brush or canopy.


Though more my issue than anyone else's, I would be mortified if I made any noise portaging at night over and above the noise I might make during daylight hours (which is very little.) We try very hard to be quiet everywhere we go and everything we do, though I'm afraid of tripping or falling or dropping something when visibility is low and making a lot of noise in doing so. Sound often travels differently at night. I would be irritated if a group was coming through at night dragging their canoes over rocks or dropping their canoes onto the rocks at the end of a portage (like MANY do during daylight hours) along with loud voices that have become far too common. The same thing goes for setting up camp.


Just my two cents: I would not portage at night unless it was essential due to injury or other circumstance requiring immediate movement that just can't wait until the morning. I think that as visibility at night reduces, the risk of injury portaging at night goes up. If we are portaging at night to get a group member medical attention, I get it… Though another injury sustained because of portaging in low light conditions could quickly complicate things.


Mike"

+1

This thread has not addressed the effect of night paddling and portaging on campers already on the lake at camp sites. As already stated, sound travels much farther at night. Our groups would not want to hear people paddling by talking and banging gear at the portage. And I can tell you there would be some stern words if someone pulled up at one of our sites and shown a flashlight into it at night to see if it was occupied.

My two sons with a friend and I were camped at site 1885 located near the portage between Beartrap lake and Thunder lake. A thunderstorm moved in just before dark so I hastily hung the food pack near our aluminum canoes and we moved into our tents. At about midnight the rain had stopped and I was a little restless when I heard the sound of an aluminum canoe in the direction of the portage. Thinking it may be a bear trying to take our food I went out to check and maybe hang the food pack in a more secure location.

Turns out it was a group of three crossing the portage in the dark. They had traveled the Beartrap river in the PMA in hopes of camping on Beartrap lake but were delayed by the storm. While attempting to locate the campsite on Beartrap they came across the portage to Thunder and decided to push on. I told them I knew the campsite on Beartrap was unoccupied but that they were welcome to stay at our site if they wanted. I showed them a decent tent pad location and they accepted my invitation. They appeared beat, they quickly pitched a tent and went to sleep.

I woke at first light and thought I would see how they were doing but found they had already packed up and moved on. They were very quiet, polite, and appreciative. I enjoyed the experience and the little time we spent together.

Tomcat: "My two sons with a friend and I were camped at site 1885 located near the portage between Beartrap lake and Thunder lake. A thunderstorm moved in just before dark so I hastily hung the food pack near our aluminum canoes and we moved into our tents. At about midnight the rain had stopped and I was a little restless when I heard the sound of an aluminum canoe in the direction of the portage. Thinking it may be a bear trying to take our food I went out to check and maybe hang the food pack in a more secure location.


Turns out it was a group of three crossing the portage in the dark. They had traveled the Beartrap river in the PMA in hopes of camping on Beartrap lake but were delayed by the storm. While attempting to locate the campsite on Beartrap they came across the portage to Thunder and decided to push on. I told them I knew the campsite on Beartrap was unoccupied but that they were welcome to stay at our site if they wanted. I showed them a decent tent pad location and they accepted my invitation. They appeared beat, they quickly pitched a tent and went to sleep.


I woke at first light and thought I would see how they were doing but found they had already packed up and moved on. They were very quiet, polite, and appreciative. I enjoyed the experience and the little time we spent together.

"

Nice job by both parties in just being decent people! Amazing how nice things can turn out when we show a little concern and a lot of respect for our fellow humans!