| Author |
Message |
fireman
Member
Post Number: 221
Registered: 08-2009
| | Posted on Saturday, July 1, 2017 - 10:20 am: | 
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To you seasoned veterans of the park....
my sense is that the area around Trethewy is not much travelled. 20 years ago we went up Gray Mud,etc and that whole route down the Makobe.
But never made it over to the northwest in to Trethewy.
I am inclined to approach it from Gamble Lake area.
Any considerations that pop to mind from your experience?
happy to have a hard slog and I imagine water levels are good all over this year....but there may be crucial information I am missing.
it looks very beautiful on the map!!!
hope all are well.
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brian
Moderator
Post Number: 1832
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, July 1, 2017 - 11:18 am: |
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What route are you thinking of? |
fireman
Member
Post Number: 222
Registered: 08-2009
| | Posted on Saturday, July 1, 2017 - 6:24 pm: |
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I would approach from Gamble, I think. enter the system and come out the bottom back in to the Lady Evelyn then work my way down to Florence Lake and back across to Gervais??
Maybe start there as well and go up through Stull and Scarecrow to Smoothwater? sounds a bit ambitious but I do have lots of time.
I do like a circular route.
but I am eager to hear what you recommend.
I imagine the drive to Gervais landing is pretty doable these days. It was straightforward five years ago when I drove there.
what do you think? |
grncnu
Member
Post Number: 434
Registered: 08-2010
| | Posted on Saturday, July 8, 2017 - 9:44 pm: |
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You could do a loop starting from Beauty Lake Rd, Smoothwater to Gervais to Florence to Makobe/Trethewey to Gamble and back to Smoothwater via Sunnywater (doing it in that direction leaves the hardest portages to the end when the packs are lighter). But I've never done that Trethewey part either so I don't know what that's like. |
fireman
Member
Post Number: 223
Registered: 08-2009
| | Posted on Monday, July 10, 2017 - 3:10 pm: |
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the drive to Beauty Lake Road is just too distant for me. But I am thinking now of going down to Twin Falls, then across to Blue Sucker and up that way to Trethewey Lake. Then back through Smoothwater to the Sturgeon. feels a bit more humane than the immediate portage up to Stull with all the heavy packs. maybe even a second night at Twin Falls.
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brian
Moderator
Post Number: 1833
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 - 8:48 am: |
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Humane?
Are we engaged in inhumane activity?
Woe is us. |
fireman
Member
Post Number: 224
Registered: 08-2009
| | Posted on Thursday, July 13, 2017 - 11:02 am: |
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I thought the whole point of portaging was to speak to God and ask why we punish ourselves so.
As a good atheist, I find this quite compelling.
Between that and laughing at ourselves, it almost makes the time go easily.
but somehow the 85 pound canoe and the chafing pack prevent any transfiguration or other miracles. |
eddy_turn
Member
Post Number: 115
Registered: 03-2011
| | Posted on Thursday, July 13, 2017 - 11:31 am: |
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Beauty Rd. is a long haul coming from south, but it permits traveling in figure 8. That is, instead of a loop one can do an eight with the focus in Gamble lake access. One part, eastern, will be in Tretheway-Makobe lake area, and another, western, in Florence-Smoothwater. Then the food could be replenished from supplies kept in the car while going through Gamble. I wished I had a recipe for replenishing the canoe as well, but alas. |
fireman
Member
Post Number: 225
Registered: 08-2009
| | Posted on Thursday, July 13, 2017 - 2:56 pm: |
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That is definitely worth considering. The drive to Gervais is long in itself. I will be driving from North Bay, so maybe Beauty Lake Rd. is the way to go.
Where does one park? |
eddy_turn
Member
Post Number: 116
Registered: 03-2011
| | Posted on Thursday, July 13, 2017 - 4:33 pm: |
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There are parking spaces where Trethewey portage crosses the road, at Gamble lake access and at Chance lake. Each for 5+ cars at least, which is not bad considering little traffic this access sees. |
grncnu
Member
Post Number: 435
Registered: 08-2010
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 - 1:14 pm: |
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There is plenty of parking space at Beauty Lake Rd where it crosses the river (I can't recall its name) that leads to Smoothwater. |
brian
Moderator
Post Number: 1835
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 - 3:13 pm: |
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Montreal River |
grncnu
Member
Post Number: 436
Registered: 08-2010
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 19, 2017 - 6:03 pm: |
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OK, so maybe I just pretended not to know that... |
modus
Member
Post Number: 9
Registered: 05-2009
| | Posted on Monday, July 31, 2017 - 11:10 pm: |
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Sorry for the late reply here. If you are still considering Trethewey, I think it is well worth the extra time to get there. The area is definitely under visited. Makobe and Banks are both beautiful, big lakes that seem to see little to no use, likely due to being out of the way and not on many obvious routes.
Our group spent a week in the area last fall. A maintenance crew of some sort was in I believe at some point last summer and the trails were clear and easy to follow between Trethewey, Makobe, Banks and the chain of lakes through Teagarden Back to Trethewey. In some areas high water made the portages a bit of an adventure, but nothing too difficult. The beavers had made a particular mess of the trail between Schmalz and Cranberry Creek.
We couldn't find the southern-most campsite on Banks marked on the Ottertooth map, on the point and just North of the 45m portage to Makobe. There is however a signed site at the North end of that portage that isn't on the map.
The campsite at the south end of the 240 m portage from Makobe to the unnamed Lake to the south (en route to Teagarden) was for the most part under water last fall due to the beavers. It's not really a viable site even in low water and I don't recommend planning on staying there.
There is a site on Teagarden not marked on the map - it is in the bay essentially where the "2" shows up to mark the above-noted portage. It has an orange Parks sign. The nicest site on that stretch, however, is one Lake north. It had a brand new thunder box last fall that hadn't even been christened when we passed through!
For those using the Jeff's Map for this area - It has a number of errors for this stretch. Doesn't seem to have been ground-truthed. |
brian
Moderator
Post Number: 1840
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 1, 2017 - 8:53 am: |
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That's interesting that you had trouble with that point on Banks. The whole point is one large campsite. I found the one at the portage too small, but maybe that should be mapped.
I am surprised you found the one on Teagarden. It is far from the water and a little out of the way in that bay.
I will remove the drowned campsite on the 240-m portage. Too bad. It was a nice big site once. |
modus
Member
Post Number: 11
Registered: 05-2009
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 1, 2017 - 4:32 pm: |
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I can see the argument for not mapping the campsite at the 45m portage. It is small, and the portage travels directly through the site. It was marked with one of those little orange signs.
The site on Teagarden was also marked with one of the Parks signs, which can be seen from a fair distance away. Would have paddled right past without it.
I get the sense that whoever cleared the trails last year also came with a stack of little orange signs. |
brian
Moderator
Post Number: 1842
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 2, 2017 - 4:49 pm: |
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Thanks for your help. I have updated the map for those sites around Teagarden.
Ah, yes. Those overly visible signs. I have seen too many in places that aren't even sites because they misread their own maps.
Incidentally that one on Teagarden is at the south end of the old portage that went directly to Makobe Lake. The trail to the campsite is the old portage.
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Temagami canoe routes & backcountry travel