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Portaging and lining

We can't run it all. Sometimes you have to get out of the boat and walk. Here are a few tips about portaging and lining.

Portaging

Planning

If you have a long portage ahead of you, start the trek well. It’s best to briefly discuss the portaging strategy before anyone heads down the trail. There are benefits to two people walking the trail together, one with a large pack and the other with a canoe. Halfway down the trail, they can trade loads to switch the muscle groups under pressure.

This is an opportunity for the navigator, or someone experienced with the route, to share any pertinent information about the trail. How long is it? Is it very rocky or muddy? What are the ascents and descents like? Are there any turns where someone could get lost? Sometimes, some of this can be done from the canoes just before landing. It's good to build a group culture where paddlers don't just land, grab the nearest pack and go. 

Also, take some time to set up an intelligent load. Use the features on bags and barrel harnesses, like hip belts and chest clips, to make a load easier. Clip on water bottles, hang small dry bags on paddles, and ensure everything is comfortable. Go slow to go fast. 

It's also a good idea for everyone to take their PDF with them, even if it's binered onto a pack or hanging on a paddle. This means if you need help, you'll have a whistle and a knife with you, should you need them.

Sharing the load

Don't be a hero and don't be a free-loader. Your quick portage planning discussion mentioned above should ensure that one person isn't taking all the heavy loads while others are left with just paddles and bailers. Some may not be able to carry as much as others, especially those with injuries or backs or knees that can't take the load. For those stepping in to help them, this shouldn't mean taking a double load down the portage. Take a reasonable load, and then go back for another one. There's no reason to risk injuring yourself to help someone else out. 

If you're at the end and you hear that there are only two more loads coming down the trail and there's no more gear to carry, head back down the trail anyway to meet them and lighten their load. The last load is likely carried by someone who took an extra around that others didn't have to, so share it. 

Your responsibility is not just for your own gear. In every group, there's shared gear like the kitchen and food packs. Don't be the guy who portages just his own stuff and then goes fishing while everyone else circles back for another load.

Portage landing etiquette

On some rivers that feel secluded, it's easy to forget that there could be other paddlers arriving at the portage while your group is still running their first load. Leave your unportaged gear off to one side in a semi-organized 'pile.' This applies to the other end of the portage as well. Portagers tend to be a little tired at the end of a portage and tend to drop their load anywhere to stop the pain. Resist this and put your party's gear all to one side before circling back. A giant mess of gear all over the put-in is not just rude but could lead to a mix-up in gear. A lot of blue barrels and paddles look alike. Before starting your first round, make sure all the gear, including canoes, is off to one side and organized neatly to make it easier for a group behind you to do the same.  

Trail etiquette

Whoever has the heavier load has the right of way. This is especially important for people portaging canoes. Step aside and let them pass. 

Hydration

Portaging is a good workout, so ensure that everyone has a good drink of water before they start down the portage and that water is available during or at the end of the trail. It's not fun to put down your first heavy load at the end of the portage but all the water bottles are back at the start of the portage. If it's a long portage, bring water with you and back again so you'll have it for round two.

Moods

A long and painful portage can have a sour affect on moods. With large groups, it's great to have someone designated to be a kind of 'morale officer,' which we call the Bard. If portagers start to get too thirsty or hungry, they get too focused on just getting it done, and start to ignore their thirst, hunger and safety instincts. Sometimes a little reminder to take a drink, or to bring water with you, can go a long way. You can also really improve the morale of a group if you pull out a snack at the end of a portage. Snickers bars (or the Dollar store equivelent) are amazing for this. 

Bears

Remember that bear attacks are extremely rare. Bears typically stay away from human noise and will stay far away from someone portaging a canoe (which must look like a large, scary monster to a bear). They will also avoid pairs or groups of people. If you get a spidey-sense that there’s a bear around (there likely isn’t) then just start loudly singing to yourself. 

If you do encounter a black bear, make some non-threatening noise. "Hey Bear" is the traditional phrase to say to the bear, which also lets others in your group know what's going on. Never split up in some illinformed hero-attempt to draw a bear away from others. A bear will always be more cautious around groups. 

See our "At the campsite" section for more about bear-proofing a campsite. You can also read more about handling bear encounters here. 

Gear damage prevention

When you get to the end of the portage, carefully put down your load. Most bags are not designed to take a fall from shoulder height. This includes canoes. Whitewater canoes may be tough, but not tough enough to be cool with a 6-foot drop onto a sharp rock. 

Don't let gear drag down the trail. Dragging a painter-rope all the way down a portage trail is terrible for the rope. It's also dangerous if the rope gets caught on something. Ask someone to detach the rope for you and put it under the seat behind you which serves as a nice little shelf. Similarly, if you have your PFD hanging from a paddle you're carrying, make sure it's not touching the ground. The dirt will really mess up zippers.

Repacking the boats

Canoes (and of course the kayaks that can carry a single water bottle) should be repacked with the same gear after each portage. Switching up the gear arrangement creates the potential for lost items. The process of repacking your boat exactly the way it was before serves as an automatic checklist to ensure everything successfully made it to the end. Don't leave it open for the possibility of someone thinking, "Oh I think Jacob has that bag now. We're probably good." Nope. Always pack the same stuff. This, of course, means careful load planning before the group first launches. 

Lining

Sometimes you'll encounter rapids that have sections that can't be run because they are too shallow or have too sharp of a ledge drop.  Lining a canoe down them can be an option. Lining is when the canoe is floated down the rapid without people in it, either held directly or pulled along by the painter ropes (ropes tied to the front and back). Without paddlers on board, the canoe will have less draft (the part of the boat under the water line) and will float over things that paddled canoes may not. Fully loaded canoes can be carefully handed down ledges at the side of rapids where other paddlers receive them. It can be a great, and even fun, alternative to portaging. 

Lining often opens up the potential to run parts of rapids where the portage trail tends to go around the whole rapid. After the tricky part is lined, paddlers can jump back in and ride out the rest of the rapid.

Lining dangers

While lining is done to avoid dangers, it also has its risks. It needs to be understood as a different kind of risk from running. Portages is still the safer option. Walking with a canoe in the water while holding the painters puts the paddler at risk of being entangled in the rope and tripping. While focusing on what the boat is doing, it's easy to be inattentive to your own footing. This is especially risky if you slip right beside a large rapid and the slack of the painter is wrapped around your foot. If the current is strong, a paddler could be pulled into the river. 

Lining safety

Lining can be a slow process and that's ok. It still often avoids a much longer portage. Here are some general tips for lining safely. 

• Before starting, tie everything down in the canoe and and lash in the gear.

• Carefully select and test every step you take. 

• Don't even try lining without a safety knife on your PFD. 

• Do not wrap the line around your body including your wrist to get a better grip. If the canoe over turns in a strong current you'll be hauled into the river before you can unwrap the line from yourself.

• • In critical situations where losing the line would be really bad, use multiple people holding the line while sitting so they can't be pulled off balance.

• You'll need to pay attention to a lot of things at once

  • Your footing, where to step, how slippery are the rocks.

  • What is the water doing to the canoe?

  • What is the next step?

  • Where is the end of the rope?

  • Who can grab the canoe or the line if it slips?

• Communicate a lot with your partner or group. "Think out loud" so that everyone knows what you're doing. 

• Don't put any loops or knots in the rope these can easily be caught between rocks.

• Know when you let go of the line. Sometimes it's the tightness of the line that causes a canoe to be overturned. Loaded canoes without paddlers are quite stable. With observation and practice, you can learn when to let the line go loose and when to tighten it up again. The work of lining is shared between the current and the paddlers.