DentonDoc wrote on Sep 26^th, 2013 at 8:58pm:


Anyone from Texas is disqualified from saying when it is or when it isn't winter in northern MN.  My tomatoes froze out yesterday.

Alrighty then, now that that's settled, I use to dread portages but now I look forward to them as something different especially when that pesky sun is beating down on me. Plus they make my knees happy again.

I do three trips and always hand carry my camera case and paddles but one hand is always free to squish mosquitoes. I'm organized and my stuff is out of the way if you ever saw me on one. I'll even just wait for a bit if someone else is using the portage and I don't see or expect to see anyone coming. Because I'm not overloaded I can walk faster and always feel a little uncomfortable passing people with heavy loads on a portage.

I will put my map, compass, camera & lenses, tackle ( I am sometimes surprised at what's all laying out and around) away before reaching a landing but I want to hear more about the bow paddler putting on a pack in the canoe. I'd be dead set against that w/o seeing it in action first. I do put my juice bottle and knee pads in the food day-pack just before I portage it and pull them out as I load up along with the map and compass if needed. I normally do the canoe first because I just put the yoke on it and I have to pick it up one less time that way.

So, while I have sort of a system, every trip and every portage is different and I do them a little differently all the time. Length, difficulty, timing, mood and energy level all play a factor so I guess I should say I have systems. That's why I like to hear about all the other different ways people approach accomplishing the same thing. I'd much rather have someone pointing out that they think I'm doing wrong than a bunch of folks all saying +1.

Agreed. Dithering around with toys isn't exactly portage efficiency but hey, we're on vacation, not manufacturing widgets! The trip starts and ends at the same time anyway. How can enjoying yourself tremendously in the meantime be a waste of time? Ahhh therein lies the beauty of a solo, solo trip.

If feasible I stand in the water alongside the canoe. Bungee-dealee in my paddles, slip the pfd through the bow thwart, attach the yoke, grab the pack from the boat and onto my back, flip up the boat and a way we go.

Reverse the order on the other side.

Phoenix wrote on Sep 29^th, 2013 at 4:52pm:

What you are advocating makes perfect sense to me too and I do/did that as well.

The solos I've been borrowing recently are a joy to carry plus my saw is BDBed to a thwart. It's also my easiest load to get on and off by far.  I just need to remember to lift the bow to see what's ahead every so often.

The reason I say that is I have a fun (for me) story to tell from Baird to the noname towards Metacryst portage last trip. Unbenounced to me their are two portage paths to get there. One is high and dry the other is, umm, low and full of juice. I took the canoe first trip on the low road. Half way through I came to a rather large muddy section with no footprints. Fine. It's getting deeper as I go and by the fourth step I'm in past my knees and basically stuck. That's like my worst nightmare even with help around but there wasn't any.

I flipped the canoe off into the mud, used it to get myself out w/o losing a boot and used the painter to drag it to solid footing.

Oddly enough I know both portages now and the upper one better since I carried the canoe over both. Turns out at some point I remembered I left my rod and reel at the campsite and had to go back for it. DOH!

db wrote on Sep 30^th, 2013 at 6:51am:


Mad_Mat wrote on Nov 12^th, 2012 at 3:03pm:


HoHo wrote on Jan 12^th, 2009 at 12:19pm:
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Snow_Dog wrote on Jul 24^th, 2008 at 12:08am:


Jimbo and Northwoods have also posted info on the high route.

Lesson #6: Use QJ's search function when route planning to ensure portages are no more difficult than they need to be.