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Side to Kahshahpiwi

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Ho Ho

08/14/2012 10:04AM

As most of you Q fans know, a few years ago a beaver dam blew out on the route between Side and Kahshahpiwi that made going that way a real slog. Users eventually created a route around the drained beaver pond, but it was still difficult.

Earlier this summer, I heard from another group when we were checking in at PP that the Park has now put in a new established portage (or something like that) that makes this route easier again. We're thinking of heading in that way come this weekend. Anyone have any first-hand information from this paddling season?

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Springer2

08/15/2012 08:56PM

When we went through the bog portage in early June there was brand new corduroy over most of the wet spots and pink plastic flags to keep you on the route.

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Ho Ho

08/15/2012 09:23PM

Thanks, Springer! Sounds like it's a Go!

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TomT

08/16/2012 07:07AM

Ho Ho, Is there not going to be a trip report of the Q trip you made with Banksiana this spring? Sure would like to hear how you guys fared on the bushwhack to Robinson. And that secret site on Ted..... :)

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billconner

08/16/2012 09:39AM

Correct me but isn't the new portage on the east side? I recall heading along west side twice in last 10 years - in muck while my kids scrambled over the rocks. East side, across north end, and up the traditional portage into south west corner of Kahs?

I'm heading that way again in September so am very interested.

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Springer2

08/16/2012 12:32PM

quote BillConner01: "Correct me but isn't the new portage on the east side? I recall heading along west side twice in last 10 years - in muck while my kids scrambled over the rocks. East side, across north end, and up the traditional portage into south west corner of Kahs?

The new portage is on the east side. I have done it 5 times in the last three years--it's a long haul but flat and I think it's one of the most beautiful spots in Quetico. There will be lots of pitcher plants in the bog in September and there are some monumental pines and aspen trees on the northern/upland half of the portage. Here are a few shots from last September (warm and dry). I took my two boys and one of their friends. The weather was perfect, they hiked to the fire-tower, climbed it and called their wives, and we had pretty good fishing (bass and walleyes, no trout).

Break time on the Kahsh end of the portage

Kahsh pictograph cliffs

according to Michael Furman the native Americans believed the calcite streaks on the cliffs were the droppings of the thunderbirds.

Windbound on Kashahpiwi, June, 2012.

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Ho Ho

08/16/2012 02:10PM

Thanks again for the info, Springer. Nice pics!

TomT - I don't think I'll be doing a report of the trip with banksiana, because I didn't bring a camera along. Banks did, but he hasn't had a chance to edit the pictures all summer. Not sure if he will do a report or not. He sure as hell better send me those pictures, though! :-) BTW, I think he said you did the bushwhack portage - or did I get that wrong, and you are planning to do it? Anyway, if you want any info, you should definitely feel free to email me. Bill

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billconner

08/16/2012 05:21PM

"they hiked to the fire-tower, climbed it and called their wives, "

Cell phone?

:) Spare me the "no you idiot there's a pay phone on top of the tower" - I was surprised it worked but then mine did once from Ranger Bay. Who needs a new tower? :)

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Springer2

08/16/2012 08:44PM

Yeah, cell phone--I have mixed feelings about it--I'm not even interested in taking a radio. Here's a photo they took from up on the fire tower--the big haze to the south is the Pagami fire in it's early stages (9/8/2011).

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Banksiana

08/16/2012 11:24PM

Don't know what HoHo is talking about. I've already sent him three photos.

Steal a little and they throw you in jail. Steal a lot and they make you king.

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TomT

08/19/2012 07:52PM

Ho Ho, I know you won't see this as you are out on the trail for awhile but yes, I did the one mile bushwhack from Ted to Robinson a year ago on a solo trip. I wanted to know what you thought of it. I detailed what I went through in a trip report.

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marsonite

08/21/2012 04:44PM

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billconner

08/21/2012 04:47PM

Thanks marsonite!

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GraniteCliffs

08/21/2012 07:15PM

quote TomT: "Ho Ho, I know you won't see this as you are out on the trail for awhile but yes, I did the one mile bushwhack from Ted to Robinson a year ago on a solo trip. I wanted to know what you thought of it. I detailed what I went through in a trip report.

"
We took this route a number of years ago. We now refer to it as the "Heart of Darkness" portage. Found a cooler about half way and assumed whoever had it had grown weary and simply discarded it. We walked it two years ago and really saw virtually no sign of the portage at all. I was glad we were not carrying a canoe, especially on either end of the route.

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TomT

08/21/2012 09:38PM

quote GraniteCliffs: "quote TomT: "Ho Ho, I know you won't see this as you are out on the trail for awhile but yes, I did the one mile bushwhack from Ted to Robinson a year ago on a solo trip. I wanted to know what you thought of it. I detailed what I went through in a trip report.

"
We took this route a number of years ago. We now refer to it as the "Heart of Darkness" portage. Found a cooler about half way and assumed whoever had it had grown weary and simply discarded it. We walked it two years ago and really saw virtually no sign of the portage at all. I was glad we were not carrying a canoe, especially on either end of the route."

It's a good beginner bushwhack. I say this because you really can't get lost because of the creek you follow. It's not easy by any means and you really have to watch your footing. I saw very little sign of a trail and no remnants of any gear. Most of the time you are in a mature forest with the assorted boulders and blowdowns.

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Ho Ho

08/27/2012 10:19PM

So we took the Side to Kahshahpiwi portage last Sunday. I would say that the path through the bog was a little less "improved" than I had inferred from Springer's description and photos. This may be because this year the water is particularly high. In places you are walking through squishy grassy bog, although you don't really sink down very far. There are also some user-created alternate paths on higher land along these wet grassy stretches. In other places it is more boot-sucking mud. These are the areas where the nice new corduroy has been put down. Except the the muck has swallowed the corduroy in many sections - watch out -

Actually, though, it was still pretty easy in the bog area. And once you hit the old portage, it is really a nice easy beautiful trail. I measured the total distance with my new GPS toy, and it's 0.9 miles from end to end.

The cliffs along this route are really stunning - I think they are the most spectacular I have seen in Quetico. That includes the cliffs over the Unnamed Lake between Side and Kahshahpiwi, which could be worth a detour even if you don't want to do the portage.

PS TomT - I'm going to reread your report on the Little Ted- Robinson bushwhack in the next couple days and will let you know whether our experience was the same or different. I will say that we found the same cooler as Granite Cliffs - we were debating how old it was.

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Springer2

08/28/2012 08:33AM

I figured the corduroy wouldn't last long. I do think it's one of the most beautiful places in Quetico. Hope you hugged one of those big pines along the dry trail for me.

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Ho Ho

08/28/2012 03:35PM

I agree about the beauty and would go this way again, but only in a dryish season. Even though it didn't rain much in August this year, it's still pretty wet out there with high water levels, but the portage was okay for us this time around. But if there had been a lot of recent rain, I might go another way. The trip out through McNiece was also really cool!

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billconner

08/28/2012 04:46PM

I should be on that portage Sunday. This real time data is fantastic. Thanks all.

Just have to decide if we go around or over Heart Attack Hill.

How is that site on unnamed 2, just before Heart Attack Hill? Aiming for the sweet one on Isabella narrows but know there's one across from the portage to unnamed 1 and think there is one on south west end of unnamed 2 between portages. Maybe one at end of that portage too?

(I know - threads crossed - but same general area and posters.)

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Ho Ho

08/28/2012 07:18PM

Camping options -

Consider the north end of North Bay. We spent our first night in Lost Bay. Admittedly, that led to a long second day getting to Kahshahpiwi. There are also several big sites at the North Bay end of the channel to Lost Bay, right before you start up the flowage on the Isabella route. (Side note - Be ready to work some, or get out and line your canoe, on the first part of Isabella Creek, where there is (or was last week) a beaver dam out, resulting in very shallow water flowing against you. Fortunately the bottom is solid).

In addition to the narrows site on Isabella, there is a site on the south shore of that lake across from the portage to Unnamed 1. I haven't checked the site out on land, but we did see what appeared to be a pretty large party camped at it on a rainy day two years ago.

There is a campsite on Unnamed 1 right at the end of the portage from Isabella. We ate lunch there last Sunday. I have to admit, though, that I don't have a good feel for how good of a campsite it would be, e.g., we didn't examine tent pad possibilities. But it did seem pretty spacious. It is definitely not a destination site in terms of atmosphere, as it is kind of beaten down and open.

There is a campsite on Unnamed 2 on a point between the portages, I believe where the word "Quetico" is on my map. We stayed there in later September in 2005 and rather liked it. There are some dramatic cliffs looming nearby. But when we stopped to check it out in 2010 when storms threatened, we decided not to stay because we couldn't find a tent pad that was not under a lot of widow makers.

The only site I know of on Side just has one small tent pad. We ended up staying there in 2010 when we rejected the site on Unnamed 2, but I would not choose to stay there if I had other options.

Have fun!

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billconner

08/28/2012 08:21PM

I've stayed at the site on North at point to Isabella and Lost Bay but really want to get on Isabella if we can and up Kahs a ways on night two, and don't want to hit the Side to Kahs portage too late in day. Fortunately your summary confirms my memory. One small tent and just two of us so don't need much beyond a level pad.

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Springer2

08/28/2012 09:25PM

There's one good pad on Unnamed past Isabella. Nice view of the sunset and you can eat fish if you're into that kind of thing (September 2011).

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billconner

09/09/2012 11:54AM

After poking around unnamed 1 (which I now call Ho, with unnamed 2 being HoHo, and so on to HoHoHoHo) we decided to go via Heart Attack Hill. My son prefers climbing dry paths over mucky level ones. And I forgot HAH is really not so bad going up, but harder coming down from Side.

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billconner

09/09/2012 11:58AM

Oh, and I'll add that the new (to me) east side portage from Side to Kahs is not bad at all. A little long - we stopped for a rest at the barrier to the old portage - but a definite improvement.

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PINETREE

09/14/2012 05:04PM

Its interesting I have been everywhere around lost bay,but not there, and it looks like good size.

Sig: All of us our Dreamers. Dreams are what started everything. We our asking ourselves a great question? all of us interested in wilderness preservation are asking...What kind of world do we want.?

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