I just look for the aluminum on to the rocks. Who needs a sign?
-
Happy Caesar Crosses the Rubicon (49 BC)! "alea iacta est" 🎲
Portage, campsite and other signs (of civilization)
- Thread starter Gamma1214
- Start date
I'm pretty comfortable with self-guidance in the woods.... I can read a map and orienteer pretty well, though I don't enjoy the task, and GPS sort of makes it an archaic skill, like dialing a phone or looking up a phone number in a directory.
But I understand that some people aren't, and as areas get more and more use, there's more and more pressure on the park services of whatever state or country to manage that use. marking campsites is thus practically required. I don't mind the markers... but I also know that when "they" move campsite 3 from one point 300 yards north to another point, it's more misleading than if I was just trying to find a spot on the map... not a huge deal, but I've been unhappy having reached a chosen site only to find I have to backtrack a quarter mile in the rain and wind to the 'new' location. But it helps some people, so leave it be.
Portages. I like when they're marked, especially on a new pond. I still remember my first St Regis Canoe Wilderness trip, trying to find portages. Now that I'm more familiar with the area, I don't need the signs. But I sure appreciated them. and I'll admit having lost track of which little green, little fish, mud, or little long pond I was on, and the signs helped keep me from having to look it up. I do like a portage trail to be well marked if it's a long one... but if not, I'm ok with that too, especially in a wilderness area... rangers have better things to do than nail disks to trees... you can do it too, with some flagging tape, if it's that hard to follow. I see that as helping the next guy, just like cutting brush, branches, and dead/fallen trees blocking the path.
Camp furnishings. I don't like jerry rigged chairs and tables, since most are garbage... but I do like when the authorities have taken the time to cut down a dangerous tree overhanging a site, and actually took the time to cut it into rounds big enough to sit on or use as a table or chopping block. I also like finding things at a site, like candles, journals, lighters, fire starters, a clearly NOT abandoned roll of cordage, saws, hatchets, or grills... these are simple reminders that we aren't entirely alone; that others have traveled ahead of us, and they're useful if you lost or need something. not so keen on abandoned cookware, utensils, and food containers (like a squeeze bottle of grape jelly I found in a lean-to on St Regis Pond years ago.)
Absolutely hate finding a trashed site, or one with no stock of firewood, as I always clean up after myself, and typically leave a large enough woodpile (with tinder and kindling as well) for 2x cookfires for the next guy. If I can, I cover it with birch bark, and if it's a lean-to site, I leave it inside, out of the rain. Don't like finding fishing line either... it's so easy to roll up and burn with the trash at night.
But I understand that some people aren't, and as areas get more and more use, there's more and more pressure on the park services of whatever state or country to manage that use. marking campsites is thus practically required. I don't mind the markers... but I also know that when "they" move campsite 3 from one point 300 yards north to another point, it's more misleading than if I was just trying to find a spot on the map... not a huge deal, but I've been unhappy having reached a chosen site only to find I have to backtrack a quarter mile in the rain and wind to the 'new' location. But it helps some people, so leave it be.
Portages. I like when they're marked, especially on a new pond. I still remember my first St Regis Canoe Wilderness trip, trying to find portages. Now that I'm more familiar with the area, I don't need the signs. But I sure appreciated them. and I'll admit having lost track of which little green, little fish, mud, or little long pond I was on, and the signs helped keep me from having to look it up. I do like a portage trail to be well marked if it's a long one... but if not, I'm ok with that too, especially in a wilderness area... rangers have better things to do than nail disks to trees... you can do it too, with some flagging tape, if it's that hard to follow. I see that as helping the next guy, just like cutting brush, branches, and dead/fallen trees blocking the path.
Camp furnishings. I don't like jerry rigged chairs and tables, since most are garbage... but I do like when the authorities have taken the time to cut down a dangerous tree overhanging a site, and actually took the time to cut it into rounds big enough to sit on or use as a table or chopping block. I also like finding things at a site, like candles, journals, lighters, fire starters, a clearly NOT abandoned roll of cordage, saws, hatchets, or grills... these are simple reminders that we aren't entirely alone; that others have traveled ahead of us, and they're useful if you lost or need something. not so keen on abandoned cookware, utensils, and food containers (like a squeeze bottle of grape jelly I found in a lean-to on St Regis Pond years ago.)
Absolutely hate finding a trashed site, or one with no stock of firewood, as I always clean up after myself, and typically leave a large enough woodpile (with tinder and kindling as well) for 2x cookfires for the next guy. If I can, I cover it with birch bark, and if it's a lean-to site, I leave it inside, out of the rain. Don't like finding fishing line either... it's so easy to roll up and burn with the trash at night.
I understand the need or desire for signage and modest amenities for the masses. Me personally, I hate it. I much prefer a wilderness experience, which is next to impossible these days, esp in the lower 48. Basic map and compass skills or a GPS can be used to eliminate otherwise needless signage. Actually I think the realization of getting lost is a necessary and enriching part of what drives us to be in the great outdoors.
The wilderness experience was the thing that I loved most about my 2 moose hunt float trips in Alaska. I was hunting with a longbow both times and never got a shot, but did have several close encounters. However, those encounters didn't really matter. It was the vastness and nearly non existent evidence of man that left the greatest impression on me and is the "story" I tell most when asked. Although I knew miners and trappers had been throughout the rivers we floated many decades ago the lack of evidence of man, even occasional aircraft traffic 30K feet above, was beyond exhilarating. A few weeks immersion in such an environment probably added a few years to my life. I'll never forget the thoughts and emotions after we happened upon a old trappers camp at one point, dilapidated and ravaged by weather and time. On the one hand I was saddened that my fantasy of being the first one to be there evaporated into reality. The other thought was profound wonderment how it must have been for the trapper who built the camp at the time.
Anyway, you can't put a price on these kinds of experiences, it feeds a deep primal need within us. Perhaps a pipe dream but countries and cultures around the globe should be doing everything thing they can to preserve remote wilderness where ever possible for future generations. Traveling to the moon or Mars just wouldn't be the same...
The wilderness experience was the thing that I loved most about my 2 moose hunt float trips in Alaska. I was hunting with a longbow both times and never got a shot, but did have several close encounters. However, those encounters didn't really matter. It was the vastness and nearly non existent evidence of man that left the greatest impression on me and is the "story" I tell most when asked. Although I knew miners and trappers had been throughout the rivers we floated many decades ago the lack of evidence of man, even occasional aircraft traffic 30K feet above, was beyond exhilarating. A few weeks immersion in such an environment probably added a few years to my life. I'll never forget the thoughts and emotions after we happened upon a old trappers camp at one point, dilapidated and ravaged by weather and time. On the one hand I was saddened that my fantasy of being the first one to be there evaporated into reality. The other thought was profound wonderment how it must have been for the trapper who built the camp at the time.
Anyway, you can't put a price on these kinds of experiences, it feeds a deep primal need within us. Perhaps a pipe dream but countries and cultures around the globe should be doing everything thing they can to preserve remote wilderness where ever possible for future generations. Traveling to the moon or Mars just wouldn't be the same...
Well, count me in the group who prefer no signs or other site and trail "improvements", and tries to practice LNT as fully as possible.
No disrespect intended Bill, but I believe the radical LNT perspectives that one often sees on social media comes from people who frequent areas where there is already a heavy human footprint, such as parks and areas frequented by many humans. In these cases, I'm a total follower of LNT practices. I took some canoe training on the French River in Ontario, and during the five days that I was there, I saw more people than even lived in my little town, and every shore line was covered in feces and toilet paper. It was a literal sh*t show.
Compare that to the Crown Land routes I work on up here. If someone doesn't go in with a chainsaw to clear portages every five years, there will be no canoe route. It's one thing to bushwack a two or three hundred meter slog through dense bush, but it is basically impossible when the port is 2 k long. Same goes for campsites. The boreal forest is an expert in reclamation, and it never stops.
Compare that to the Crown Land routes I work on up here. If someone doesn't go in with a chainsaw to clear portages every five years, there will be no canoe route. It's one thing to bushwack a two or three hundred meter slog through dense bush, but it is basically impossible when the port is 2 k long. Same goes for campsites. The boreal forest is an expert in reclamation, and it never stops.
Archaic skill???? Wow. Heck, so is propelling a boat with something as archaic as a flat piece of carved wood by stroking it in the water over and over again all day long. Motors, gas or electric, made to fit on all kinds of boats, canoes included, make propulsion efficient and easy and have been available for many decades. Why so some people still use archaic methods? Then there is the obsolete practice of sleeping on the cold ground in a tent and lighting a fire to cook food. In winter some people actually like building natural or snow shelters. There are people who even enjoy using archaic weapons, like bows and arrows, or musket rifles to hunt with. How much more archaic can you get?There are people on this forum who enjoy and have the archaic skill of building and refurbishing such outmoded items as wood and canvas canoes. Why? Because their users seek an inner joy from accomplishing the older proven methods and skills.
A very successful Adirondack canoe builder friend of mine has no cell phone and does not have an internet presence or connection at his home. He has always had, and as far as I know, still has a rotary dial phone. When he calls me, he hangs up and I immediately call him back, because his grandfathered phone plan includes charges for “long distance”. Yet he has built and sold well over a thousand wood strip canoes and guideboats (I have three of them) during his lifetime. He lives simply in a log cabin and workshop that he rescued from state land, moved and reconstructed by hand, log by log.
I have long loved the simplicity and rewards of reading a topo map, “archaically” planning a route, and heading into interesting remotest places of the wilderness where I have not before been, to where others rarely go or cannot get to using similar methods. I derive great satisfaction from such trips and coming out to the exact remote point in the wilderness that I have planned using only my map, compass and logical thinking. The journey itself is my greatest pleasure. My years of practicing and instructing those basic skills to others have introduced me to generations of NYSDEC forest rangers with the same passions. At the same time, in becoming a state licensed guide and certified and recognized as an experienced SAR incident crew boss and instructor requires a high level of demonstrated competence with map and compass, and indeed in the cse of SAR, also with advanced GPS devices as well.
In addition to expertise with GPS during SAR, I use dedicated GPS devices when canoe racing on unfamiliar routes or for race speed monitoring in familiar waters. Planning for paddling in the Yukon River 1000 mile races, my current most successful route includes nearly 800 GPS waypoints derived from Google Earth and archaic topo map study and accumulated previous experience on the river to most efficiently keep me in fastest current and shortest distance around thousands of islands, gravel shoals, and channel shortcuts.
Other than the absolute necessity of GPS use during SAR incidents, I would rather not be led by the nose through the woods on my journeys by depending on a battery driven device driving me to follow an arrow on a tiny screen. Unless I know a route in the woods is officially marked by a ranger for some reason, I have been known to return from a trip with pockets bulging full of colorful pieces of unauthorized plastic flagging that I have removed from public state lands in the woods. These are the things I most detest, next to encountering junky campsites left by careless ignorant people.
Back to the topic at hand, anti unnecessary GPS use rant off, I do not mind seeing portage signs (termed "carries" in the Adirondacks) on long established routes. Unless I am using a site for BSA or for training guides or others, I rarely stay myself at designated marked campsites. Of course, the NYS 150 foot rule and practical effective LNT principles always apply while camping elsewhere.
Last edited:
There is no doubt that the amount of evidence of humans impacts what a canoe trip feels like. I have paddled the BWCA once. As a new visitor it was comforting to have good maps with marked portages and the distance marked in rods. Designated campsites allow for better management. But I have always had trouble with the concept of wilderness management. Signs of other humans being there first normally detract from the aesthetics of a trip. But somehow historical evidence adds to the trip.
In the West, most rivers and many lakes have few ramps, parking areas or signage. I like camping on a sand bar where no one else has camped for maybe 10 years or more. It is important to keep an eye out for low head dams on some rivers which are often not marked.. Same with irrigation diversion structures. The really large rivers often have boat ramps.
We have few falls to worry about. In the northern Canadian bush, falls are a serious hazard and you better know where they are. I have never had the experience of searching for a historical brushed in portage trail. The giant lakes can be a maze especially in the deranged drainages of the glaciated landscapes. Navigation is a challenge.
I would say that you can always find a trip that fits your desired amount of human influence via signs, popularity, and designated sites. I am fiercely protective of rivers that don't require permits and have wilderness character. I don't mention them.
In the West, most rivers and many lakes have few ramps, parking areas or signage. I like camping on a sand bar where no one else has camped for maybe 10 years or more. It is important to keep an eye out for low head dams on some rivers which are often not marked.. Same with irrigation diversion structures. The really large rivers often have boat ramps.
We have few falls to worry about. In the northern Canadian bush, falls are a serious hazard and you better know where they are. I have never had the experience of searching for a historical brushed in portage trail. The giant lakes can be a maze especially in the deranged drainages of the glaciated landscapes. Navigation is a challenge.
I would say that you can always find a trip that fits your desired amount of human influence via signs, popularity, and designated sites. I am fiercely protective of rivers that don't require permits and have wilderness character. I don't mention them.
Last edited:
I did say
I just try to avoid signage, picnic tables, lean-tos, and outhouses. Accept the need for thunder boxes in some places and maintained portages.
I prefer "wilderness" like BWCAW and the High Uintas Wilderness over "park" like National Parks and Adirondack Park. Fortunately both are available and we can choose.
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2018
- Messages
- 1,431
- Reaction score
- 2,000
I suspect, as Mem has alluded to, that the deciding factor as to the need of signage may be answered by: "How wild is your wilderness?" (Another valid question would be "How capable is the average person who visits it?")
I loved that there were no signs in the BWCA but the portage trails were obvious once you found them because they were used so much. (Campsites, IMO, may not need to be signed anywhere as a fire ring on the ground is nearly as visible as a 3x3 sign on a tree.)
I'd think that missing the portage above Rainbow Falls on the Steel river will be a little more serious than mistakenly taking a game trail between lakes so I expect that I'll appreciate some warning (other than the deafening roar of a major waterfall) and I'll be looking for the portage. (I may even pronounce that word with an "H"... but I seriously doubt that)
I loved that there were no signs in the BWCA but the portage trails were obvious once you found them because they were used so much. (Campsites, IMO, may not need to be signed anywhere as a fire ring on the ground is nearly as visible as a 3x3 sign on a tree.)
I'd think that missing the portage above Rainbow Falls on the Steel river will be a little more serious than mistakenly taking a game trail between lakes so I expect that I'll appreciate some warning (other than the deafening roar of a major waterfall) and I'll be looking for the portage. (I may even pronounce that word with an "H"... but I seriously doubt that)
On our 6 week trip to Hudson Bay in 2018, we had approximately 36 portages, only 1 of which was marked (a piece of plastic), and only 2 with trails. The only campsite we came onto (other than a few Hudson Bay Co. ruins) were rock rings from the Inuit. Over 600 miles, we navigated across 6 different river systems, and lots of large complex lakes. One of the highlights for me for the entire trip was the navigation, all map based. It's a really different feeling figuring out how to best avoid potential winds, while threading a needle among complex geography finding the next portage based solely on what's before you on the map. We had a GPS and an inReach which stayed in my pocket, only to confirm our location should things get really complex, but used mostly to see how fast we were going (especially while using the WindPaddles--6.5 mph, should you wonder) merely for my own enjoyment and edification.
Inuit rock rings, for holding down the edges of the tents. The rocks were well settled into the tundra, and hadn't been used for a long time.
Inuit rock rings, for holding down the edges of the tents. The rocks were well settled into the tundra, and hadn't been used for a long time.
some times LNT means sticking to already- impacted areas rather than impacting a new area...
That's a significant provision of LNT that is often bypassed. it goes along with walking through an existing mud hole rather than making a new path around it. Does anyone recall the littering story from "Alice's Restaurant"? Worth a listen.
Yes - I think I pointed out above using existing sites has LNT benefits.
My beloved Everglades National Park is an example of "sacrificed" camp sites. Sadly LNT is not particularly well observed IME, primarily the ground sites only because its hard to leave anything behind on the chickee's that isn't blown into the water and carried off by the tide...
Not long after GPS hit the market it's become harder and harder to have much of wilderness experience in ENP, even deep into the interior and has only become worse every year. Technology has made it too easy for the masses to get to places they would have never made it in and out of otherwise.
At least with paddle craft people can be spread out and rarely cross paths as they progress through the park, primarily only when leap frogging camp sites. Its the power boaters, which I am and have been one since my first visit in the mid 60's that overwhelm the park these days. To be fair they are tax payers too and have as much right to be in there as anyone else. The NPS has expanded no motor zones over the years too, but primarily to protect sea grasses or nesting sites for birds and American Croc's, but the majority of these places are in Fl bay at the southern end. Not much paddling activity out there compared to north of Flamingo.
Now that paddling is more of a thing for me later in life, I wish the NPS could do more to help the paddling experience in ENP, but don't see it happening. Its just not practical to carve out sufficiently broad swaths of the park for paddle craft only. Especially since the parts of the park most favorable for paddling are prime fishing areas during the winter months. So there's high demand for the same areas during the most favorable weather and bug conditions of the year. Given the number of people moving to the state I could envision a time when access to the park will be via dated pass only. If this were to happen I think the paddling experience would benefit the most.
Anyway, if you're expecting to have a legitimate wilderness experience in ENP any time soon, your best window of opportunity would be to get yourself at least 35 miles from either Everglades City or Flamingo. A mile or more from any wilderness waterway marker and about 30 minutes either side of high noon on Wednesdays, but only in mid July or August with life threatening thunderstorms cracking all around you and a major hurricane pending landfall on Lostmans River that evening...
Not long after GPS hit the market it's become harder and harder to have much of wilderness experience in ENP, even deep into the interior and has only become worse every year. Technology has made it too easy for the masses to get to places they would have never made it in and out of otherwise.
At least with paddle craft people can be spread out and rarely cross paths as they progress through the park, primarily only when leap frogging camp sites. Its the power boaters, which I am and have been one since my first visit in the mid 60's that overwhelm the park these days. To be fair they are tax payers too and have as much right to be in there as anyone else. The NPS has expanded no motor zones over the years too, but primarily to protect sea grasses or nesting sites for birds and American Croc's, but the majority of these places are in Fl bay at the southern end. Not much paddling activity out there compared to north of Flamingo.
Now that paddling is more of a thing for me later in life, I wish the NPS could do more to help the paddling experience in ENP, but don't see it happening. Its just not practical to carve out sufficiently broad swaths of the park for paddle craft only. Especially since the parts of the park most favorable for paddling are prime fishing areas during the winter months. So there's high demand for the same areas during the most favorable weather and bug conditions of the year. Given the number of people moving to the state I could envision a time when access to the park will be via dated pass only. If this were to happen I think the paddling experience would benefit the most.
Anyway, if you're expecting to have a legitimate wilderness experience in ENP any time soon, your best window of opportunity would be to get yourself at least 35 miles from either Everglades City or Flamingo. A mile or more from any wilderness waterway marker and about 30 minutes either side of high noon on Wednesdays, but only in mid July or August with life threatening thunderstorms cracking all around you and a major hurricane pending landfall on Lostmans River that evening...
Which now brings use to the Wild and Scenic River designation. I have avoided some of them in the past. A few years ago we did a week in Oregon on a W&S river. Since the requirements include a fire pan and a portable head, the campsites were really clean. Much like camping on the beaches in the Grand Canyon. It was an absolute pleasure to camp there and I look forward to it again.
A steel oil pan like you can buy at an auto parts store qualifies for a fire pan. There are all kinds of portable sanitation equipment. A basic for 4 people starts at around $100. These are small prices to pay for clean campsites.
A steel oil pan like you can buy at an auto parts store qualifies for a fire pan. There are all kinds of portable sanitation equipment. A basic for 4 people starts at around $100. These are small prices to pay for clean campsites.
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2018
- Messages
- 1,431
- Reaction score
- 2,000
The compromise there might be no wake zones. Granted, most boaters do not limit themselves to idle speed, as they're supposed to, but at least they slow down.
I like no signs marking portages or campsites. I like not having designated camp sites. I like not having picnic tables, fire rings, thunderboxes, or canoe rests. I like only having minimal, if any, portages and campsites marked on my maps.
All of the above applies when the weather is nice.
When the weather is bad, or when it's almost dark and I'm desperately searching for a campsite, I want them all.
Alan
All of the above applies when the weather is nice.
When the weather is bad, or when it's almost dark and I'm desperately searching for a campsite, I want them all.
Alan
I guess I like the idea that both extremes can coexist. I’m definitely on the left end of the tripping bell curve and would appreciate good signage to be sure I’m where I’m supposed to be, especially since I’ll be doing this with kids, and need things to go smoothly. Later a more pristine wilderness experience would be welcome. In either case I’m pretty sure I’d prefer well maintained portages and in the case of real danger, well marked takeouts. I am well versed with maps and GPS, though most of such experience is in Florida (flat) and New Mexico (long clear sight distances) so admittedly easy to navigate areas.
Regardless of where we go, I would appreciate no trash and no poo/paper so a thunder box is probably a good thing. I don’t relish the idea of hauling our own commode in and waste out, but have read a few methods here for doing it relatively painlessly. Not sure I want to burn it in a paper sack, I thought that was just for pranks! We ready pack out found trash. I don’t mind seeing evidence of historical use from before roads, I think that would add to my enjoyment. It would be hard to forget about the state of technology and people in the world while paddling a composite canoe with laminated paddles. I can see the appeal of WC boats to help step back in time.
I love the idea of a more organic experience unfettered by keeping to a schedule. I like the idea of ignoring standard time and just going local, rising with the birds and dawn and settling down with a cooking fire for the evening.
In my experience, no one goes idle or “no wake” to pass anyone else. They usually come off plane enough to plow, which is the very worst thing they could do. Just stay on plane and pass me already, they’ll be gone and out of mind quicker. Take the wake either on stern or bow. But plowing wakes are bad news.
Regardless of where we go, I would appreciate no trash and no poo/paper so a thunder box is probably a good thing. I don’t relish the idea of hauling our own commode in and waste out, but have read a few methods here for doing it relatively painlessly. Not sure I want to burn it in a paper sack, I thought that was just for pranks! We ready pack out found trash. I don’t mind seeing evidence of historical use from before roads, I think that would add to my enjoyment. It would be hard to forget about the state of technology and people in the world while paddling a composite canoe with laminated paddles. I can see the appeal of WC boats to help step back in time.
I love the idea of a more organic experience unfettered by keeping to a schedule. I like the idea of ignoring standard time and just going local, rising with the birds and dawn and settling down with a cooking fire for the evening.
In my experience, no one goes idle or “no wake” to pass anyone else. They usually come off plane enough to plow, which is the very worst thing they could do. Just stay on plane and pass me already, they’ll be gone and out of mind quicker. Take the wake either on stern or bow. But plowing wakes are bad news.
I'm sorry to hear that about the Evefglades. We never encountered many people there, and that was March which should have been a popular month. We haven't been there in about 15 years so I guess things have changed. I don't remember if there was signage there or not. I do remember needing a map and compass though.My beloved Everglades National Park is an example of "sacrificed" camp sites. Sadly LNT is not particularly well observed IME, primarily the ground sites only because its hard to leave anything behind on the chickee's that isn't blown into the water and carried off by the tide...
Not long after GPS hit the market it's become harder and harder to have much of wilderness experience in ENP, even deep into the interior and has only become worse every year. Technology has made it too easy for the masses to get to places they would have never made it in and out of otherwise.
At least with paddle craft people can be spread out and rarely cross paths as they progress through the park, primarily only when leap frogging camp sites. Its the power boaters, which I am and have been one since my first visit in the mid 60's that overwhelm the park these days. To be fair they are tax payers too and have as much right to be in there as anyone else. The NPS has expanded no motor zones over the years too, but primarily to protect sea grasses or nesting sites for birds and American Croc's, but the majority of these places are in Fl bay at the southern end. Not much paddling activity out there compared to north of Flamingo.
Now that paddling is more of a thing for me later in life, I wish the NPS could do more to help the paddling experience in ENP, but don't see it happening. Its just not practical to carve out sufficiently broad swaths of the park for paddle craft only. Especially since the parts of the park most favorable for paddling are prime fishing areas during the winter months. So there's high demand for the same areas during the most favorable weather and bug conditions of the year. Given the number of people moving to the state I could envision a time when access to the park will be via dated pass only. If this were to happen I think the paddling experience would benefit the most.
Anyway, if you're expecting to have a legitimate wilderness experience in ENP any time soon, your best window of opportunity would be to get yourself at least 35 miles from either Everglades City or Flamingo. A mile or more from any wilderness waterway marker and about 30 minutes either side of high noon on Wednesdays, but only in mid July or August with life threatening thunderstorms cracking all around you and a major hurricane pending landfall on Lostmans River that evening...
I guess signs make the most sense in areas where you need to reserve a campsite. In other areas I would think that for the most part you would still need to consult your map to get close enough to see the signs for ports or campsites without wondering around needlessly. I don't think they distract from my enjoyment of an area.
Wabakimi is an interesting study in contrasts. Fly in fishing lodges. Campsites with fillet tables, spent propane canisters, picnic tables, alongside old campsites with lichen growing in the circle of rocks that once hosted at least one campfire, and areas where portage landings are almost non-existent due to lack of use. I strongly prefer no human infrastructure to biffies, picnic tables, etc., though crashing and flagging portages isn't exactly my ideal either....
Similar threads
