Quetico Portage 5411 (Trant)

Rocky but otherwise easier than expected, and felt shorter than the advertised length.

This area gets limited use and was very overgrown in 2011. We found it necessary to scout each portage briefly on foot first due to the overgrowth.The first two portages out of Trant into the chain of un-named lakes are the longest, each approximately 100 rods. We were able to shorten the first from Trant to un-named lake #1 by canoeing across the length of a beaver pond midway that flooded the area. Otherwise it has a difficult rock climb section for approximately 60 feet in the middle.

The first four portages from Silence into Trant were unremarkable. The final two were more difficult, with terrain ranging from bouldering to swamps. We did encounter large deadfall on the final two trails, requiring us to set the canoe on top of the deadfall and pass under to resume the portage. But, all worth it.

When planning for our trip, the only information I could find about the five portages between Silence Lake and Trant Lake is that they are seldom used. On our trip we portaged all of them going both directions. We found the trails are easy to follow and relatively free of downed trees. The downside of these portages is a lot of challenging round rocks which are particularly bothersome and slippery while loading and unloading the canoes. At times on the portages there were concentrations of these round rocks where you had to walk on them or put your foot in the mud and walk between them. The string of no-name lakes between Trant and Silence were stunningly beautiful, and refreshingly solitary.