My wife and I are planning on checking out some of the easier parts of this PMA on our trip this summer (we already have a two-night permit for the Contentment- Brigand area). I'm reading that some folks have old maps that show portages when they existed for some PMA's. I realize that there may be nothing left of them now but as I love planning and looking at maps I'm just wondering if anyone has an old map that shows portages? There must have been a portage into Nahimana at one time because the online map still shows a campsite there? And, yes I've seen the trip reports and the photos of the campsite on that lake. I'm pretty sure I've dug up any and all information available online but there are no images of old maps showing the portages. Anybody have such a thing and are willing to share a photo of the area?

Thanks for any help!

The old portage and campsite locations are in this book

Here is a picture of my Fisher book dated 1980. Sorry but it shows no portages. Looks like a bushwhack of about 1/2 mile. Maybe follow that small river?

crap Gary!....you are right!....my bad!
I thought that's where I got them.
Anyway.....ops.....I printed out all the PMA maps and drew in the old portages and campsite locations. If you would like a hard copy, I will mail you copies of them. I have some info scribbled in the margins too.
Don't recall now where I copied them from......thought it was that book.
Side note.....I think a beaver dam blew years ago that really changed the portage into Nahimana. The portgaes into Contentmant and Brigand are still not too bad from what I've heard.

The beaver dam blowout makes perfect sense. If you look at Bing maps birds eye view you can see how if what looks like marsh, or dry grass was flooded you could float most of the way in.
Nahimmana Aerial View

I would love a copy of the maps. Just let me know what I owe you for a copy and mailing costs.

I really have no plans on trying for Nahimana. My wife and I like the additional adventure of the PMA, but we're not up for a hard-core long distance bushwhack (besides my canoe doesn't even have a scratch on it yet!). But Brigand, for some reason Brigand is calling me...

I use the Bing maps alot to look at PMA's.
Don't worry about any costs...no biggy. My email is pfrost@brodheadvets.com , just tell me which PMA's you want and I will make some copies and give me your address.

I use the Bing maps alot to look at PMA's.
Don't worry about any costs...no biggy. My email is pfrost@brodheadvets.com , just tell me which PMA's you want and I will make some copies and give me your address.

Thanks! Email sent.

Maps arrived in the mail today. Now I just have to wait until we can go exploring this summer!

Thanks!

quote onepaddleshort: "The beaver dam blowout makes perfect sense. If you look at Bing maps birds eye view you can see how if what looks like marsh, or dry grass was flooded you could float most of the way in.
Nahimmana Aerial View


I would love a copy of the maps. Just let me know what I owe you for a copy and mailing costs.


I really have no plans on trying for Nahimana. My wife and I like the additional adventure of the PMA, but we're not up for a hard-core long distance bushwhack (besides my canoe doesn't even have a scratch on it yet!). But Brigand, for some reason Brigand is calling me...
"

If there ever was a portage going into Nahimana, I didn't see any sign of it when I explored the area. I hiked through heavy brush, and stood on the dam that was likely holding water when they installed a camp site on the lake. What I could see from the dam was lots of grass clumps, with water between them. If you can drag a canoe 60% of the way toward the lake, you will hit float-able water. I did find remnants of the portage into Contentment from Thumb. Both go uphill fairly steep through the brush. The drainage's into Thumb are right near each other. I didn't find a way to Nahimana from Contentment, so I hiked through without a canoe or pack. The bog near the lake can be walked on, if that helps at all. The camp site on Nahimana has never been used. No one would want to, as it is on a hillside with no place for a tent. The best place on all the lake for a tent, is on the small island.
Brigand (thief), looks like a good destination. I saw Beaver's photo from the elevated site. It sure looked like a nice view.

So did you camp on Contentment then? In the old campsite? I have thought of taking a hike to the Nahimana from Brigand (if we manage to get in there). But, to reach the old campsite it would appear that we would have to do a short swim across the channel. Your photo on the campsite information link looks as though it was taken directly west of the old site though, pretty much where we'd arrive if we hiked east of the old Brigand site. Did you cross the channel?

I had my hammock, and I camped on the north side of Contentment. I couldn't recall where the camp site was on Contentment, and my map didn't show it or I would have checked it out. I did slowly paddle the perimeter of the lake, yet didn't see what would have been the old site location. This usually means that it wasn't too good of a site. Funny that the sites are still on Nahimana and Brigand, but they apparently removed/closed the site on Contentment.
Correct, you would arrive at about the same location as I did. I walked across the bog, then jumped into the channel. It was only about waist deep, and it was a nice warm day, so I didn't really care.
If you go, I am certainly anxious to see photo's, and hear about your trip!

quote PortageKeeper: "I had my hammock, and I camped on the north side of Contentment. I couldn't recall where the camp site was on Contentment, and my map didn't show it or I would have checked it out. I did slowly paddle the perimeter of the lake, yet didn't see what would have been the old site location. This usually means that it wasn't too good of a site. Funny that the sites are still on Nahimana and Brigand, but they apparently removed/closed the site on Contentment.
Correct, you would arrive at about the same location as I did. I walked across the bog, then jumped into the channel. It was only about waist deep, and it was a nice warm day, so I didn't really care.
If you go, I am certainly anxious to see photo's, and hear about your trip!"

Thanks. That's some great information. If everything goes as planned there will be a trip report with photos of the area. Got the new canoe out for the first time but didn't manage to put a scratch on her. I'm pretty sure we can take care of that trying to get into Brigand. :)

They have upgraded the Google Earth photos since I have been there, and it looks like the beaver are starting to build dams in the area again. Maybe in a year or two much of this will be float-able again.