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Portage system stupidity
If you made the trek north on Lake of the Woods to fish for trout on Whitefish Bay in the past two weeks you either travelled north of the Aulnea Peninsula to launch or across it via the new rail portage system.
Having been analyzed, studied and designed to death over the past 15 years, the portage has steadily gotten harder to use.
There used to be a lock system at Turtle Portage. Then a roller system was put in place to allow boats to cross the dry land. Last year a new rail system was opened to the public.
It involves driving a boat up on a carriage. Then people have to hand crank a wheel to pull it up out of the water over land and then down to the other side. Last year that was fine. But now that the water has dropped to low levels the rails on the Whitefish Bay side are to short and the carriage is rolling right off the end. Why there is no stopper at the end of the rails or another length of rails there is beyond my ability to fathom.
It would seem like common sense for MNR to have either solution in place. It would also be nice to see a winch put in place, perhaps a solar powered one, to make it easier for boats to cross.
–Until then,
Ken