Quetico Portage 5413 (Saganagons)

Fairly straightfoward portage except for the slanted rock face midway through. In dry weather, just be careful with footing and it is not that bad. In wet weather, best to tag-team canoe and pack across this section just to be careful.

No big deal, except that rock face in the middle. One of our group went down on that slick trickster with an 18 foot canoe on his head - not entirely fun, but no lasting damage. Piece of cake in dry weather.

Assumed that this portage would be flatter than others in the falls chain since there is no waterfall. Although mostly right, the rock wall in the middle was very typical of the area and required a joint effort to negotiate.

We ate lunch at this portage, and it ended up being a fairly uneventful carry for us when we were done. However, what I will always remember this portage for is the tree. I am a big tree geek, always have been. On the way into this portage from the North I noticed an interesting looking pine to the West of the portage. I managed to bushwhack back to it and what did I find? The largest White Pine I had ever seen. It's actually larger than the one on the Munro to Mack portage. The thing is mammoth and has watched over this lake for a long while. Sadly, it's probably gone now as it was nearly dead when I was there.

A nice little walk in the woods, except for about 3 boat-lengths in the middle, where a slick rock wall must be negotiated. Tricky when wet. Deadfall across trail. This portage is closer to 75 rods, not 49 as indicated in this database.

previous comments right on. we almost found out whyc named dead man portage as the slanted rock in the middle ALMOST chnaged our entire trip. Be very careful, especially when going down stream through this area.

Deadman portage is not long and doesn't have much elevation. However, it is prone to mud and there is a 20 foot section in the middle with a steep and slippery rock slope that can be a bit of a challenge when wet.