BWCA Worst Portage in Quetico Boundary Waters Quetico Forum
Chat Rooms (0 Chatting)  |  Search  |   Login/Join
* For the benefit of the community, commercial posting is not allowed.
Boundary Waters Quetico Forum
   Quetico Forum
      Worst Portage in Quetico     
 Forum Sponsor

Author

Text

Eyedocron
distinguished member(506)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
04/20/2013 09:07PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
I wish to open this discussion as to the nastiest portages in the Quetico. I do not mean a temporary change due to a tree fall or fire. I have done the Yum Yum Portage (twice) in 21 trips, and I have not done the Death March Portages.

I will vote for the portage out the north side of Ferguson Lake to the Cache River. It starts with a short portage to a pond, then fools you with 500 meters of dry slow hill climb. The entire portage is 1700 meters long, and the north 1000 meters is thigh to waist deep muck. I have done it twice (foolish slow learner) and all you can do is crawl and slide your canoe a few feet with each pull. What else is like this?

 
Reply    Reply with Quote    Print Top Bottom Previous Next
04/20/2013 09:48PM  
My vote goes to the Cache Lake Portages, especially the northern one from Baptism to Cache.
Very tough.

I've done the Death March, Yum Yum, and Memory Lane Portages, as well the one from Ferguson to the Cache River. None of them come close to the Cache Lake Portages.

I've heard the one into Badwater Lake is also tough, but I haven't gone that way yet.
04/20/2013 10:32PM  
To me the worst portage over the years is where the mosquitoes carry me away,otherwise I can put up with a little mud and sweat.
04/21/2013 01:05AM  
portages? so subjective. our memories of them all rely on when when hit them. full food pack? depleted food pack? first portage of the morning? last portage of the day? that said...THE yum yum did kick my ass. thats a tough one. depends on air temp too.
04/21/2013 01:07AM  

I don't think I've found it yet!

Hans Solo
04/21/2013 07:01AM  
quote arctic: "I've heard the one into Badwater Lake is also tough, but I haven't gone that way yet."

I didn't think this was that bad, just long, and many sections quite beautiful. we went in a low water year so the entrance to the portage was MUDDDD! had a great time!

04/21/2013 07:16AM  
The Side Lake to Sarah one known as "Heart Attack Hill" did me in but it was hot, I was low on water, and I had too much gear. I remember laying down at the top and seriously thinking that I could die. It's rough.
Primitiveman
distinguished member (341)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
04/21/2013 07:26AM  
I have done the Cache lake portages, Meadows, Memory Lane and Death March multiple times. I did the Death March last year with 4 19 year old women and we ate lunch on Conmee. The Ferguson to Cache river is tough but the toughest is definitely the Poohpah straight north to the Maligne river portage through a small lake. It is on older Fisher maps and although not maintained it is well blazed, you just have to find the next blaze. There was an article about it in BWJ a few years ago. Far tougher than any other portage I have been on in Quetico.
Primitiveman
distinguished member (341)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
04/21/2013 07:26AM  
I have done the Cache lake portages, Meadows, Memory Lane and Death March multiple times. I did the Death March last year with four 19-year old women and we ate lunch on Conmee.

The Ferguson to Cache river is tough but the toughest is definitely the Poohpah straight north to the Maligne river portage through a small lake. It is on older Fisher maps and although not maintained it is well blazed, you just have to find the next blaze. There was an article about it in BWJ a few years ago. Far tougher than any other portage I have been on in Quetico.

04/21/2013 07:29AM  
quote TomT: "The Side Lake to Sarah one known as "Heart Attack Hill" did me in but it was hot, I was low on water, and I had too much gear. I remember laying down at the top and seriously thinking that I could die. It's rough."


Its one no one forgets. I hate going down it when it is wet. After you make tho either way,you feel wow,I am good.
GraniteCliffs
distinguished member(1981)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
04/21/2013 06:31PM  
quote Primitiveman: "I have done the Cache lake portages, Meadows, Memory Lane and Death March multiple times. I did the Death March last year with four 19-year old women and we ate lunch on Conmee.

The Ferguson to Cache river is tough but the toughest is definitely the Poohpah straight north to the Maligne river portage through a small lake. It is on older Fisher maps and although not maintained it is well blazed, you just have to find the next blaze. There was an article about it in BWJ a few years ago. Far tougher than any other portage I have been on in Quetico. "

I looked hard for that portage a few years ago and could not find it. When were you last on it?

Primitiveman
distinguished member (341)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
04/21/2013 07:16PM  

I looked hard for that portage a few years ago and could not find it. When were you last on it?


1989 or 1990. I don't have accurate records but I could find out from others on the trip. Some of the blazes were huge and they were on big trees. I suppose some of them are now laying on the ground. The first blaze on the shore of Poohbah was on a really big tree. We would ferry everything to a blaze and then search for the next one, once found, ferry everything forward. The little lake in the middle had a floating bog on one side of it and several in the group became completely submerged in swampy water leading to some temper tantrums. It was a great adventure
Chicken
senior member (88)senior membersenior member
  
04/22/2013 06:29AM  
quote
I've heard the one into Badwater Lake is also tough, but I haven't gone that way yet."


Badwater in the 90's was a beast. This portage was my introduction to Canada, as a skinny 13 year old the bogs and length absolutely killed me. A few years after I did this the courdwalk was greatly improved, I have done the trail a few times since, just long but no big deal.
RC123
senior member (96)senior membersenior member
  
04/22/2013 08:02AM  
quote TomT: "The Side Lake to Sarah one known as "Heart Attack Hill" did me in but it was hot, I was low on water, and I had too much gear. I remember laying down at the top and seriously thinking that I could die. It's rough."

When I first saw the Side to Sarah hill portage, I thought, --You have got to be kidding me-- who would put a portage straight up a steep hill. Not fun. Go slow.
I was thinking of doing the Yum Yum portage this summer, I hope it's not as bad as everybody says, maybe I'll get more advice and decide to go the alternate route.
MrBreeze
distinguished member(800)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
04/22/2013 02:23PM  
Been on quite a few but the one I remember the most was from the Maligne River to a creek (bog) flowing into the Darky River. The trail was not bad but went straight up over the ridge and then straight down the ridge to a bog. Almost 3/4 miles in distance. You think great, I am done but it comes out to a bog. We had to have one person in each canoe paddling/pushing the canoes through the bog while the others bush-wacked the shore (sort of shore) for another half mile. Each time you get out of the water pushing the canoe, you spent 5 minutes pulling the leeches off. Total distance was about 1.3 miles and comes out to the Darky River where it turns south to Darky Lake. Saved about 6 miles of paddling but not sure worth it.

Also, portage was tough to find, we actually went about a mile down river past it and had to back track up river. Fun times!!
Eyedocron
distinguished member(506)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
04/22/2013 10:01PM  
You are describing the Eat em Up portage from Tanner Lake to a side creek that goes to the lower Darky River. Been on it twice. You must have caught the southern end at a very low water level
04/22/2013 10:24PM  
fyi...none of the portages on the hunter island loop are bad. if you have 12 days i suggest you do it. its the best loop there is.
04/22/2013 11:08PM  

Good to know!

Hans
04/22/2013 11:11PM  
if a 52 year old out of shape smoker can do it....anyone can. :)
DancesWithTrees
distinguished member (262)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
04/23/2013 08:38AM  
Trousers-Cache and Cache-MacKenzie, no contest. 2 miles and 2.5 miles, huge mud slogs, swamped in, etc. Nothing has come close, for me.

I've done Yum Yum, and the Q-Badwater portage, Ross-Cullen, and a few other bears. Even once tried to find/use the Jean-Albert portage that is on some maps - that was a mistake. Haven't done Memory Lane or the Death March.
billconner
distinguished member(8608)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
04/23/2013 04:51PM  
As always, I'm of 'the worst portage is the last one at or after dusk or maybe after 4:00 pm and any portage at dawn or before 9 or 10 am is easy-peasy' persuasion.
MrBreeze
distinguished member(800)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
04/23/2013 05:32PM  
quote Eyedocron: "You are describing the Eat em Up portage from Tanner Lake to a side creek that goes to the lower Darky River. Been on it twice. You must have caught the southern end at a very low water level"


That is a cool name, applies for those of us that donated to the local leeches.
Stumpy
distinguished member(2152)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
04/24/2013 12:31AM  
The ones with hills, swamps, & no trail.
JackpineJim
distinguished member(651)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
04/29/2013 09:45PM  
Years ago we portaged in the rain from Cairn to Sark... on the WRONG SIDE of Kashapiwi creek. One of the crew had a map with the portage marked wrong, followed a Beaver trail for a bit and then just bushwhacked the rest of the way through the slop. Not really all that hard but was the worst for pure stupidity!
PineKnot
distinguished member(2021)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
04/30/2013 06:46PM  
The worst portages for me are those with boot-sucking muck....
Eyedocron
distinguished member(506)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
05/01/2013 09:19PM  
Try the one from upper Sark to Cutty if you want to have fun. Good muck at the west end, but, far from the worst in Quetico.
Beaverjack
distinguished member(1655)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
05/03/2013 07:43PM  
Man, I gotta make a list.
Primitiveman
distinguished member (341)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
05/03/2013 08:18PM  
quote Beaverjack: "Man, I gotta make a list."

Here is the list
1 Poohbah to Maligne
2 Ferguson to Cache river
3 Mackenzie to Cache Lake
4 Cache Lake to Trousers

Now #1 might be Cache Lake to Zephira Lake but no one has done it. I want to do it. Want to do it too?

Beaverjack
distinguished member(1655)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
05/04/2013 06:57PM  
Man, this is my first tour of that country. I'm just going to fish, relax and come out alive. If I end up doing a bad one, it won't be intentional. 8^)
Primitiveman
distinguished member (341)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
05/05/2013 07:47PM  
You are going to have a great trip Beaverjack, and will return as often as you can, as long as you are able. It is one of the last really wild temperate places on earth and I think you are going to like it!
24trippin
member (6)member
  
05/06/2013 04:16PM  
About ten years ago I tried and failed on the portage from Lynx to Snipe. It was marked on a map, and looked like a route to Red Pine, however after 2 hours of hacking around in the brush I turned back.
DancesWithTrees
distinguished member (262)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
05/06/2013 04:36PM  
quote 24trippin: "About ten years ago I tried and failed on the portage from Lynx to Snipe. It was marked on a map, and looked like a route to Red Pine, however after 2 hours of hacking around in the brush I turned back. "


There's a joke about snipe hunting somewhere in here...
GraniteCliffs
distinguished member(1981)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
05/06/2013 07:28PM  
The worst portages are the ones that no longer exist. Or perhaps never existed but in your mind they did. You know where the portage used to be 30 or 40 years ago, or where it should be. And that next lake is not too far. You know, lets just try it. It won't be that bad. We can do it.
Thirty or forty minutes later you are stuck in a swamp on the worst portage in the Quetico. Too far to turn back but not close enough to see that next lake. In the rain no doubt or 90 degree temps. And bugs. Yep, you found the worst portage in the Quetico.
DancesWithTrees
distinguished member (262)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
05/07/2013 09:35AM  
quote GraniteCliffs: "The worst portages are the ones that no longer exist. Or perhaps never existed but in your mind they did. You know where the portage used to be 30 or 40 years ago, or where it should be. And that next lake is not too far. You know, lets just try it. It won't be that bad. We can do it.
Thirty or forty minutes later you are stuck in a swamp on the worst portage in the Quetico. Too far to turn back but not close enough to see that next lake. In the rain no doubt or 90 degree temps. And bugs. Yep, you found the worst portage in the Quetico."

Good post. I remember running into this issue with a "portage" from Jean to Albert, that was on the map we had... thought we found the beginning of it, probably did, but it faded out as we ascended a ridge. Ended up giving up on it at some point, not even sure how far along we got. It was a pretty high ridge, for Quetico anyway, and bush-crashing with that boat was a task.

Funny thing is, any maps I look at nowadays, there is no such portage.
billconner
distinguished member(8608)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
05/07/2013 11:03AM  
quote GraniteCliffs: "The worst portages are the ones that no longer exist. Or perhaps never existed but in your mind they did. You know where the portage used to be 30 or 40 years ago, or where it should be. And that next lake is not too far. You know, lets just try it. It won't be that bad. We can do it.
Thirty or forty minutes later you are stuck in a swamp on the worst portage in the Quetico. Too far to turn back but not close enough to see that next lake. In the rain no doubt or 90 degree temps. And bugs. Yep, you found the worst portage in the Quetico."

With darkness descending. The pits. Actually, I don't mind the same "experience" at 8:00 am so much.

Eyedocron
distinguished member(506)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
12/06/2015 07:29PM  
Thought I might bump this up to go along with the other hard portage discussion. I still vote for the Ferguson Lake. Cache River muck portage. Much worse than the Yum Yum.
12/09/2015 03:12PM  
I was through the Ferguson-Cache River portage again two summers ago. Lots of muck, brush, and bugs. Was glad to be single-portaging. I remember thinking "this would be a BAD place to have an accident"!
DancesWithTrees
distinguished member (262)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
12/10/2015 02:33PM  
quote arctic: "I was through the Ferguson-Cache River portage again two summers ago. Lots of muck, brush, and bugs. Was glad to be single-portaging. I remember thinking "this would be a BAD place to have an accident"!"

Yeah, that's close to as remote as it gets and still being on a lake or portage in Quetico. You could leave a gold bar sitting in the middle of the trail and no one would pick it up for weeks or months.
01/23/2016 01:43PM  
The one I got lost on going out of McNeice that doesn't exist except for on the map.
old_salt
distinguished member(2547)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/23/2016 03:27PM  
The last one. It means another Q trip is over.
mgraber
distinguished member(1486)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/24/2016 07:54PM  
quote old_salt: "The last one. It means another Q trip is over."

Man, isn't that the truth!
Stumpy
distinguished member(2152)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
04/19/2016 01:01PM  
Keats to Baird is pretty tough, but at least there's a trail ;)
Moosehopper
distinguished member (111)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
05/06/2016 11:28AM  
Did The Cache lake portages this last year with my son, we had a late start on the first one, and a thunderstorm came in and the rain was heavy, so heavy that we had to stop about 3/4 of a mile to the end with no where to pitch a tent but in the middle of the trail that had a small rise because so much around us was flooded. The water coming down kept filling up my jacket sleeves and pool under my elbows filling my jacket like a water balloon. The water was very high and the river crossing was much further than usual, the logs that were placed in alignment leading up the edge of the river were floating and the waters edge was about 15 yards from where those logs were. Did I mention the water was high. So, Thunderstorm, lightning crashing, 7pm at night, my pup Spirit has taken refuge under the trees and is shivering to death, refusing to go on, and my 8 year old son is shaking and soaked to the bone. The mud would go waste high at certain points in the Muskeg and it was very hard to discern where to put your feet. Wet rocks, logs, wet gear, wet brain, it was a beautiful moment to share with all of you.

Going to go to the death March this year.

I love the beauty and stories and tales of a portage that wakes you up and helps you grow.

05/08/2016 06:33PM  
The Cache Lake portages are for the memory books. I lost a pair of tennis shoes somewhere in the muck on day two of a 33-day Quetico paddle...
tuscarorasurvivor
distinguished member (155)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
07/04/2017 01:22PM  
quote arctic: "My vote goes to the Cache Lake Portages, especially the northern one from Baptism to Cache.
Very tough.


I've done the Death March, Yum Yum, and Memory Lane Portages, as well the one from Ferguson to the Cache River. None of them come close to the Cache Lake Portages.

I've heard the one into Badwater Lake is also tough, but I haven't gone that way yet."


We did this portage mid-May this year (2017) and didn't think it was too bad. It was long - which we knew it would be. Mostly flat. There were several boot-sucking mud holes to contend with and a small river to cross mid-way through. I will say that there were virtually no bugs when we went through, and that mid-sumner would be a very different experience. Much of the forest floor is covered in moss. We went out through Cache River. Maybe a mistake. There are many more well established mandatory portages than are marked on the McKenzie map. Made for a long day.
mapsguy1955
distinguished member(583)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
07/05/2017 08:34AM  
It is seriously fun just reading this!!!
 
Reply    Reply with Quote    Print Top Bottom Previous Next
Quetico Sponsor:
Canoe Country