I enjoyed the vid Uppa.  I did that route back in August of 2008.  I missed the portage as well.  The start looks more overgrown than when I was there.  I just remember a well defined very muddy, wet path with old rotten logs placed for footing.  Once past that point and into the forest the trail was no problem and I was surprised just how good it was for a low maintenance route.  Amazing was 9 years and probably little or no maintenance can do to a trail.  The only trail I had trouble with was the 440m heading out of Clover to Pogonia.  Good luck this spring.  Guthrie is a nice lake.  Old cabin there that was still intact in 2008 but apparently a couple of years after I was there a tree fell onto part of the roof.
At the start of your video you mention that two sites are marked on Lower Spectacle but there's actually only one.  There was two there in 2008 and then again when I passed through in 2014.
Cheers.
Tripper

Great video of a terrible afternoon. Looking forward to the sequel.

Hey Uppa... thanks for telling it like it is... that port does look rough and having seen what you were up against, I'm thinking about another way in now.. But looking forward to the next plan of attack. 

Surprised there was so much water in McDonald creek, When I tried in mid-Sept about 15 years ago, it was so shallow the canoe had to dragged and that didn't last very long, so I will have to try and paddle there again. And sheesh, the vegetation obscuring everything... might be better in spring when there's less of it... anyway, good luck!

 

Last edited by frozentripper (2/10/2018 10:07 am)

Uppa - kudos for posting that video and comments.  Whether they admit it or not, I think everyone has had moments where they had to give up and turn back, and then have continued to doubt and question themselves for a long time afterwards.  You had a tough day and the portage to Turcotte is no picnic.  I've only checked out the ankle-spraining, knee-twisting start of the trail as a curiosity on a day trip up and down Macdonald Creek, but that was in May during a dry year, with less vegetation and no deerflies.

Given the current snow cover in the area, you will probably have lots of water this spring.  I hope you have good weather and are well-rested for the rigours of your chosen route. The scenery and remote feeling should be worth it - there's some beautiful country in there.  And if you have the time and energy when you get to Tarn Lake, climb the cliff and have a look around - the view is spectacular.
 

I second Eddy Turn's long sleeves and long pants recommendations - for protection against scratches and also against sun and deerflies (or other biting insects, depending on the time of year).  A wide-brimmed hat is good in deerfly season, since they go for hair reflecting UV and don't like to be under cover.

And a P.S. to my previous post - the big white pine on the left (east) side of MacDonald Creek, visible in the background of your video when you are turning around, is a good marker just beyond the takeout for the Turcotte Lake portage.  Of course you now have a GPS record of where you went, so that will be less important next time.

Don't fret. I bailed on a solo trip 2 yrs ago and i had already made it to camp. After a series of unfortunate  events and bad decisions I decided to pack it in and paddle out as night fell. My mind wasn't in the game. The decision to abort  was one of the bad decisions made that day and fully regret it. Have yet to redeem myself and plan another attempt. The best part of that trip was the paddle out. I love paddling at night. Just an incredible experience despite the failure. After seeing what you went through I can appreciate  how you were feeling and the desperate need to be done with it. Kudos to you for knowing when enough is enough. Looking forward to you redemption video.

I wouldn't recommend it solo  but it's a whole new world of interior travel. It's not for everyone I'm sure.

If I sat down to think about every "why didn't you..." on that trip, I'd be at it a while. I paddled right past open sites on Grand, briefly considered them, but was too damn angry at myself to do anything but bail. Which was incredibly dumb of me and I had a dozen better options. 

I would not under any circumstances have considered the Spectacle lakes, however. It's one thing to squat on a lake with lots of sites and many obviously available, it's completely another to do that on lakes with very few campsites unless in an emergency.