Portage

From BWCAWiki

110 rod portage between Hudson Lake and Lake Insula, photographed from the Hudson Lake landing.

A portage is a trail over which canoes and supplies are usually carried on foot (although some portages offer truck services or rail systems). Portages usually connect two bodies of water. Portages make connections where no water trail is available, where connecting rapids are unpassable or where there is not enough water to float a canoe.

Portages are usually measured in rods, which equals 16.5 feet. The trails can be anywhere from one rod to more than 500 rods, or even longer. One mile equals 320 rods.

A portage may also sometimes be referred to simply as a "carry," which is roughly the translation from the original French used by the Voyageurs.

In the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, gear is often portaged using Duluth packs, making the sometimes frequent unpacking and repacking of canoes easier.