yakmaster's Page

Hey Yakmaster.  I fully understand your concern about publicizing routes that can be difficult.  I do firmly believe in people's right to get lost. But as a society we now seem to feel its our right to be rescued at the publics expense. Then to make things even more complicated people involved in SAR worry that charging for rescue will make people wait too long to call for help.

    If you look on Google Map at the south end of the Lost Portage you can see the last 1300 feet runs from a canoeable creek to a creek that bisects the LP running N/S. There is a white pole at the canoeable creek and a white pole just west of the N/S creek. This is by far the longest stretch without white poles. When we did the LP this was by far the easiest portion of any White Pole section. Most everywhere else you could see three WPs at once. The sections with mangrove puddles marked by surveyor tape, if I remember, were canoeable. It took me 15 minutes to walk this stretch. It took us 3 hours to push the canoe this stretch. Towards the end we carried our water jugs to lighten the canoe. We had no reason to use a compass because the trail was obvious.

   I know when I was younger it would have been only one night. I feel by writing my story it makes people aware that late December might be too late. The perphytons were high and dry.

   In other entries in the excitement of mapping the LP someone commented that a fully loaded WW canoe could do it. We definitely were fully loaded, still had 8 days to go.

   Perhaps there is someway of knowing if the seasonal water is too low? I would suggest if one is starting at the South Portal and find the periphytons high and dry they prepare themselves for a haul.

   We did have a lot of fun. I hope to run into you some day. Allison is a college professor so our trips are always around Christmas. It was fun to run into Connie and Vivian the other year to put a face on the people we are always reading.

No worries.  I was not famiiar with that location and didn't realize it was the turn-around.  I am serious - just throw my crap in the woods if it is in the way - LOL.  It's tough as nails.

Thanks for the condolences.  We have a very tight extended family.  Very sad situation - but we will move forward.

See you soon.