I prefer doing loops and I was wondering about Gillnet Lake.  I could do a loop through Batchewaung down into Maria, Lonely and Sturgeoun then come back up through the Deaux River, Dore and Pickerel into Gillnet. 

So I am wondering about that Gillnet Lake portage.  Is this a route that gets much use?

I doubt it. I have thought about that option, but you add a couple of longish portages - they used to be called the racer's portages (along with Bonhomme and Sauvage) as they were a shortcut - but like a lot of shortcuts, they may take longer. 

Best option is to call the park office and ask when they were last cleared by portage crews.

I'll be going in September but that is a great idea to call the Park. 

I did the Bonhomme and Sauvage last September and they were clear.  You could tell they weren't used that much (more animal than human foot prints) but besides being long with terrible put ins they were good.

It's February and that time for dreaming up routes. 

I've researched and inquired about this route in the past looking for an option to avoid Batch, and I found some information - but not much.  According to Barry Giles who runs Camp Quetico, they are used very little.  I found a group from Nebraska that took them in June 2016 and said they were open but took a long time due to some muddy areas and poor landings.   

My understanding is that these portages DO occasionally get used as an "exit route" out of the park.  Nevertheless, they're probably not all that well kept up.  Can't use them to enter the park, however.

Jimbo   8-)

I have used those portages both going in and coming out.  When I gave my rout to the ranger when picking up the permit they did not say anything but technically I see why some say it can’t be used to enter the park. I measured the time from the dock on Nym to Pine Bay Portage. It take me 10-15 minutes less time to go through those portages then go through Batchewaung.  One of them varies where the east end is depending on what the beavers are doing. There was a beaver dam across the middle of one of the lakes/puddles.  There not paved like the one Nym to Batch but there not bad either.

The ChrisMar maps still labels them as The Racer Portages.  Does anyone know when they came into being?  Before or after 1979 ?  The reason I ask is I am still trying to recall what route I took out on my first trip to the park.  Combination of bad record keeping and equally bad memory on my part.

Regards,

MossBack

I was told they were cut by some racers for a cross Quetico North to South race.  They also cut the Sauvage and Bonhomme portages as well as some false portages. Don’t know when.

That helps.  I have a book or a retained magazine article somewhere that describes that race.   It mentions the Sauvage and Bonhomme being cut just a couple of weeks before the race, but I do not remember a mention of the Racer portages.

Just found this link that sort of describes the race in the early 60's, but does not mention the Racer portages. Or maybe the print is just too small for me to read it?

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MossBack

Mad_Mat wrote on Feb 10^th, 2018 at 11:14pm:

I doubt it. I have thought about that option, but you add a couple of longish portages - they used to be called the racer's portages (along with Bonhomme and Sauvage) as they were a shortcut - but like a lot of shortcuts, they may take longer.  Best option is to call the park office and ask when they were last cleared by portage crews.

I considered this option about 2 summers ago but the park office relayed that these can be knee-deep in mud or worse. It could take as much as 6 hours to get through them as opposed to perhaps half that time under ideal conditions. It would certainly be an adventure!