Algonquin Adventures / Defeated by an unmaintained area

**Posted by ryanmorin** 5/27/2019 10:02 am

This past weekend, on my journey to paddle (and fish) the whole park, I was heading into all of the lakes west of Booth, including Goddas, Raja, Boot etc. The portage from Raja - Muskrat was literally gone. No sign, no sign of old trail, not a thing. I managed to find my way through that creek. Despite it being spring, this took over an hour and it was hell. It ate up the limited time i had to crush this area thus I will have to return in order to make it to Boot lake. Anyone else have any somewhat recent adventures down there?

**Posted by helim69** 5/27/2019 10:12 am

I was threw there years ago it was bad then , fished all of them never caught a thing , raja looks amazing but full of perch

**Posted by ryanmorin** 5/27/2019 11:03 am

helim69 wrote:
I was threw there years ago it was bad then , fished all of them never caught a thing , raja looks amazing but full of perch

Cool! I actually didnt catch on Raja, thought it does look good. I had a better feeling about the others as they are inline with that nice watercourse which generally means better water quality. I went north through Goddas as well and it is just a Bog. Not the best speck country.

**Posted by dontgroandaddy** 5/27/2019 10:25 pm

September 2017 I tried going Booth, McCarthy, Mole, and to the area you are discussing to Boot. My defeat occurred on the Mole to whatever the next lake south was....Raja? At some point, the trail just disappeared. I had already fallen once or twice with the pack, there were blowdowns absolutely everywhere, came to the rise of a hill and that was the end of that. I kept wondering if I was just supposed to cross the blasted creek/river instead of going up that rise, but I couldn't imagine getting the canoe as far as I had gotten the pack without killing myself anyway. Had I made it through, I knew there was another portage just like it waiting for me, and success was going to mean brutality all day long, then turning around and doing again the next day. So, I returned to the canoe, tail between my legs, and apologized to the boat. There's a trip report that documents the moment of my failure nicely I think.

**Posted by MartinG** 5/28/2019 5:43 am

I think the portage from Raja to Muskrat is marked on the wrong shore on the map. Look on the south side of the creek.

**Posted by solos** 5/28/2019 2:47 pm

I've done some research on reaching Boot Lake and I found one successful trip report:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2sabdUkce8

There is also some talk in scattered forums from the same guy that mentioned how he was communicating with Jeff M so likely the upcoming Unlostify map will have updated locations and data on the portages.

**Posted by ryanmorin** 5/28/2019 3:18 pm

MartinG wrote:
I think the portage from Raja to Muskrat is marked on the wrong shore on the map. Look on the south side of the creek.

I was wondering that, I searched everywhere on the north and only half assed on the south, figure i mighta missed it. The creek is passable there but takes forever because of logs.

**Posted by Chuck Enwinde** 5/29/2019 1:24 am

It's been a few years but if the portages were bad they paled in comparison to the bushwack up to Band L. from Boot. That was no fun at all.

**Posted by jeffreym** 5/29/2019 4:14 am

@solos indeed it will!

**Posted by solos** 5/29/2019 10:20 am

jeffreym wrote:
@solos indeed it will!

I'm looking forward to the new Unlostify Map and I think I'll buy one or two just to hang up in the basement where I store and stage all my gear. AKA Man Cave.

Last edited by solos (5/29/2019 10:22 am)

**Posted by ryanmorin** 5/29/2019 2:49 pm

Chuck Enwinde wrote:
It's been a few years but if the portages were bad they paled in comparison to the bushwack up to Band L. from Boot. That was no fun at all.

My plan that day was to make the bushwack from Boot to Band just didnt expect to hafta bushwack the whole way to boot hahah.

From my background review, Band looks "worth" the bushwack