One of the most difficult things about doing a long distance trip is understanding the logistics. I've done many wilderness canoe trips to the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota and Quetico in Canada. I understand the logistics of travel in those places. However, I knew nothing about the NFCT until I did a recon solo kayaking trip in May 2011. My destination was the Adirondacks.
The weather was absolutely perfect for doing a recon trip...it rained every day. The portage trails were muddy and contained many downed trees. There was enough wind for me to realize that I would feel a lot safer in a kayak than a canoe. I could see ripple marks in the sand a couple feet below the water indicating the waves occasionally get large on some of the lakes.
With about 50 miles of portaging on the NFCT, I knew portaging would be my greatest challenge. I started by talking to outfitters about the best ways to portage a kayak. I was surprised by the lack of detail I received. Yeah, everyone said to use kayak portage wheels, but no one seemed to understand how to resolve problems such as downed trees and ankle deep muck nor did they even seem to understand that one might encounter such conditions.
I decided to find someone who could shuttle my car so that I could try out the portage wheels I bought for my kayak. I bought C-Tug brand portage wheels based on the product reviews and because they can be broken down and stored in the haul. These strap onto your kayak with a tie-down strap. They are fast and easy to put together. The problem I had was that any rocks on the portage trail will cause the kayak wheels to become skewed, which would cause my kayak to veer off the trail, which is a very frustrating experience. To make these wheels work, I will need some I-bolts in the kayak to which I can securely fasten the wheels.
As an alternative, I saw the outfitters are using Portage Boy brand kayak wheels. These have a metal bracket that fits over your kayaks. The metal bracket might help to your kayak wheels from becoming skewed after hitting rocks.
The muck was another problem I thought much about. I decided that I would pack my gear into small dry bags that can be easily unloaded at each portage. I would use a Duluth pack to carry my gear on my back. This should make the kayak light enough to pull through muck, and it would help in pulling the kayak over downed trees...another common problem. A shoulder strap might also help in pulling the kayak. That would take some of the stress off my hands and arms.
I had wanted to build a new light weight kayak for this trip, but I have a solo canoe that is half done. I keep meaning to finish it so I can start on the kayak, but I've been slacking. I will most likely take one of my other kayaks, which weigh about 53 pounds.
I suppose the only other logistics problem would be resupplying. I think the NFCT goes close enough to towns so that I can probably walk or hitch rides into towns. I'm a little less concerned with the weight of food on this trip than I was on the AT. If I remember the portage distance correctly, I think that there is only about 50 miles of portaging on the NFCT compared with 2176 miles of walking on the AT.
The weather was absolutely perfect for doing a recon trip...it rained every day. The portage trails were muddy and contained many downed trees. There was enough wind for me to realize that I would feel a lot safer in a kayak than a canoe. I could see ripple marks in the sand a couple feet below the water indicating the waves occasionally get large on some of the lakes.
With about 50 miles of portaging on the NFCT, I knew portaging would be my greatest challenge. I started by talking to outfitters about the best ways to portage a kayak. I was surprised by the lack of detail I received. Yeah, everyone said to use kayak portage wheels, but no one seemed to understand how to resolve problems such as downed trees and ankle deep muck nor did they even seem to understand that one might encounter such conditions.
I decided to find someone who could shuttle my car so that I could try out the portage wheels I bought for my kayak. I bought C-Tug brand portage wheels based on the product reviews and because they can be broken down and stored in the haul. These strap onto your kayak with a tie-down strap. They are fast and easy to put together. The problem I had was that any rocks on the portage trail will cause the kayak wheels to become skewed, which would cause my kayak to veer off the trail, which is a very frustrating experience. To make these wheels work, I will need some I-bolts in the kayak to which I can securely fasten the wheels.
As an alternative, I saw the outfitters are using Portage Boy brand kayak wheels. These have a metal bracket that fits over your kayaks. The metal bracket might help to your kayak wheels from becoming skewed after hitting rocks.
The muck was another problem I thought much about. I decided that I would pack my gear into small dry bags that can be easily unloaded at each portage. I would use a Duluth pack to carry my gear on my back. This should make the kayak light enough to pull through muck, and it would help in pulling the kayak over downed trees...another common problem. A shoulder strap might also help in pulling the kayak. That would take some of the stress off my hands and arms.
I had wanted to build a new light weight kayak for this trip, but I have a solo canoe that is half done. I keep meaning to finish it so I can start on the kayak, but I've been slacking. I will most likely take one of my other kayaks, which weigh about 53 pounds.
I suppose the only other logistics problem would be resupplying. I think the NFCT goes close enough to towns so that I can probably walk or hitch rides into towns. I'm a little less concerned with the weight of food on this trip than I was on the AT. If I remember the portage distance correctly, I think that there is only about 50 miles of portaging on the NFCT compared with 2176 miles of walking on the AT.
Be careful when selecting a portage cart. If your cart has a plastic axle and the wheel hub is plastic you might find you have issues with the plastic melting especially on longer portages on roads where there is plenty of time for friction to heat things up. I'm looking forward to your experience with the C-Tug unfortunately I think it may not be good.
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