How Much Do You Portage?

dinosaur

troublemaker
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3,956
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Location
Indiana
It wasn't exactly an "overnight" trip but I portaged a canoe and about three hundred pounds of gear and food over a quarter mile once. It took a while but I managed and there didn't seem to be any hostiles around so I was rather cavalier in my attitude. No big deal. I had all day.
 

ppine

Forester
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Minden, NV
We usually run rivers in the West and portage around dams or major obstructions infrequently. For major rapids, it is common to line the boats. We tend to have big boats and go heavy.

Paddling in MN in the BWCA is a different world. In places like that people carry light outfits and dehydrated food because an average day might include 3-6 portages in the lake country. They measure portages in rods. Many are more than half a mile. Grand Portage on the Old Fur Route from the Great Lakes to the Canadian North was 9 miles.
 

Grandpa

Well-Known Member
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5,904
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Location
SE Idaho
This thing called portage, It's called fun?

I grew up loving the water, waterskiing, and canoeing but then I met grandma and all that stopped. She had this fear of water and had panic attacks everytime one of her youngens went out with me so we put water sports out of the equation. I sure did miss it for a while but life has been good finding dryer pastimes. Kind of sad, too, because Idaho has over 3200 miles of navigable rivers. I watch from the trail as the daredevils float the Selway or the Middle Fork or the Payette. Sure looks fun.
 

Pathfinder1

Well-Known Member
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3,716
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Liberty, N.Y. Lower Catskill Mountains.
Hi...!!
Three of us once 'portaged' in and out of a lake...having to drag a heavy plywood boat in and out (up a steep hill) through the woods which was not fun...!!
Other than that...no more portages...but did many times have had to push/drag my boat through narrow areas which were part of a swamp and part small stream.
Even on the Delaware River a few summers ago we hit some shallows and had to get out and pull our dory...Never walked on such SLIPPERY rocks before...and in stocking feet, that sure hurt...!!
 
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