I searched portage etiquette, rules, and behavior and nothing came up so I'm hoping there isn't a thread I've missed and I'm repeating a question. There is currently a heated discussion on portage etiquette on bwca.com and that's not what I'm interested in. I'd like polite feedback on people's opinions on portage etiquette. I've never had a back up on a portage in Quetico and maybe it is rare. I've had many on Algoqnuin and my approach is: Stay out in the water if people are moving along at a reasonable speed and will be out soon. Park your canoe very close to the portage and smile if they seem to be meandering, possibly ask if they mind if we get started if we keep to one side. When we unload we double portage so we always move everything up from the water and far off to one side. I have no objection to other people using the portage at the same time. May have to step aside if I meet someone with a canoe. Happy to help people carry stuff on my trip back for my second pack. During a 'girls trip' we walked a very long portage to see if we'd like to do it on another trip and met a lovely but bewildered and overwhelmed family from England and my friend and I offered to carry their very large and heavy canoe across the whole portage. I think they would have kissed our feet if we took our hiking boots off! When people are single portaging I never mind if they scoot past and get moving. I'm writing all this to see if we meet up with someone on a Quetico portage will this be appropriate behaviour? Haven't been to Quetico in years, and never had a back up on a portage so this may be a moot point.
Can you tell we're getting closer to our trip and Quetico is all I'm thinking about!!?

Buried somewhere, deep in the archives, was once a thread on this very subject.  I think we even came up with the top 10 rules of portage etiquette.

PORTAGE ANXIETY noun
: a form of anxiety experienced by slow and/or unorganized BW/Q paddlers caused by the significant fear that the party who wants to pass (play through) at a portage will take the best campsite.... Oh relax. I'm a three tripper!

When searching this site, knowing who said what can be a decided advantage and clicking the name of the person quoted will take you to that thread so you can read the quote in context.

Snow_Dog wrote on Jan 18^th, 2007 at 9:27pm:


To that I'll add, when on the trail, the person wearing the canoe hat always has the right-of-way. And if that person decides he can and wants to be kind and step off to the side of the trail for two folks going the other way - just to be polite, say thanks and keep walking - don't stop and force him to chat because you are standing in his path and then point out he's covered in mosquitoes.

Thanks for digging that up, db!  I looked for it once not too long ago and couldn't seem to dredge it up.  I daresay it's still a good list of rules even a few years later.  Most importantly, everyone who participated in that thread really are the authors of that list.  I'm just the schlep who organized it.