Aha. Good question and one that I had myself. I can answer ...Ummm, sort of.

As Karin said, we did meander about in the bush coming from the Kosteck end of things at one point and indeed made it to the mid north shoreline of the little lake. The lake was pretty well grassed in at the westernmost end so that means you are looking at the probability of a portage for the entire way, unless you decide to paddle the half a kilometre of open water. It might be worth it to break up the walk.

The actual way in that we took was not marked until I got about half way to the lake on a compass bearing march ( no I don't use a GPS). At that point I found an orange marker tape and a faint but usable trail. I did mark it a bit better from there. Around 100 yards from the lake, the trail drops down into a bog that is passable but fairly wet...ankle deep stuff mostly.
As I remember, the walk back out was kind of wet too, in the bush that is. But fairly doable if you have the gumption to be there in the first place.

We didn't try to access the river from there as it looked to be a losing proposition. Karin is not much of one to walk when she can paddle and I had sliced the better part of my left hand to ribbons the day before so she was not about to let me cut a fresh portage at that point.

I also seem to remember the trail as being very narrow and winding. More like a game trail than a portage. It would require a bit of work to clean it up. I had thought of going up there this summer to scout out a route and start work on it. I was thinking exiting the broadleaf south of the cut, and heading east until I could find open water to paddle across the lake and continue through the bush from there.

I think in the future it would make for a nice option instead of paddling all the way around, especially in a low water year. But the trip around the top is very nice too so I don't mind taking that route either.

Ohh, and if you were thinking of paddling down the exit river into Kosteck, forget it, it's not passable. Sure looks good on paper though doesn't it? Maybe soon it will be a reality but right now its just a concept. Once opened up it will be a time saver, just not at this point in time.


..............Christy

I'm the one with the GPS and I do have waypoints for the entrance from the north side and the spot on the little lake where we came out of the bush..

With us it is like old school (Christy), meets new school (Me).

The GPS saved our butts on that trip when trying to make our way around on W3-6 on the way out in the rain.

Karin

Thanks Christy and Karin.
Methinks I'll stick with the water route this time around. If I have time I might poke my head into the woods as we go around the bend and see what I can see. Time will be limited in the area though.
Joel

I did that portage in 06,you can read it in my reply to pippen in my trip report atikaki provincial park.The reply is on Jan 24/07.
greg

_________________
If you've got it spend it.If you haven't got it borrow it and spend it.A penny saved is a penny wasted.
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It sounds like I may have run across the last remaining orange trail marker then, out at the edge of the bush as you turn right across the grassy area. Other than that one the trail was unmarked. It still sounds like a great idea to go up there and sort that one out the way we did the ugly one on the Wani.

Do you remember if you crossed the lake and came out on the far shore, or if you stayed on the North shoreline? What was the putin at the Broadleaf like?

I especially liked that little lake. It felt so remote and untouched. Almost like it wanted us to stay and visit.

........Christy

Just a quick response here about the portage from Kostek L into the Broadleaf.
We just got back from a two week trip ending at Birch Falls.
We came across the Aikens portage and then found the portage across to this small lake and then into the BL.
Both are approx 600m.
Access from the Kostek lake side is approx 150m from the outlet to the lake. Currenly there is a large pine tree leaning left along the shore right at the start.
( note there is an OLD portage with blazes to the South of the new portage, kind of where you'd think the should be one, but it takes your down along the creek and is wet.)
Portage is well marked with ribbons and cairns. 3/4's of the way as the lake comes into sight the marking do get faint but then pick up again closer to the end. Portage finishes on a flat rock with a large cairn and pole stuck uprigtht.
The small lake is only 1/2 the length shown on the Aikens L 1:50 map as the west end is swamp and has been for years.
The next portage starts on a rock slope which is a huge PITA!!!! It was raining and traction is an issue on the rocks on this portage.
It is on RR/north side approx 20M from the start of the swamp. We set up a couple of cairns.
We did a little bit of bush landscaping with a saw to straighten it out. It is 600m as well. You do walk the ridge alongside the supposed lake then walk along the path down to the Broadleaf. Access to the river is swampy but good.
I do have coordinates but haven't the time right now to sort it out to post. PM me if you really need them.
I'm in Wpg for the next three weeks off and on.
June 15/2010
Hugh

_________________
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
M.T.

I'm guessing with all the recent rain the water levels were okay.

_________________
Brian
http://www.JohnstonPursuits.ca

 

The levels were good. We did shoot a couple of swifts on the Broadleaf after doing the two aforementioned portages.
It did come up over Sat night on Leaf L
However I don't have anything to compare it too as it was 38 years ago I went upstream in the Fall and my memory is..
Thanks to Karin and Christy for last years clearing of the portages from the BL down to Birch Falls on the Wanipigow. It made our last day easy.
Sorry for the edits as I did some posting with the iPhone and cleared it up when i got to my laptop.
Hugh

_________________
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
M.T.

( note there is an OLD portage with blazes to the South of the new portage, kind of where you'd think the should be one, but it takes your down along the creek and is wet.)

Those blazes you talk about are likely the ones Christy made last year. It started in a narrow spot on the lake. So, by the sounds of it, the portage is further along the shoreline towards the outlet of the Broadleaf. The photo is of where we were walking the portage, it would be to the left in the photo. Is this where you saw the old blaze marks?


Hey, since you are in town, any chance you could pop over here to have a chat on all of this?

Well, since it has been found we will likely take this route in July and we will tag it well when we do.

Karin and Christy;
Very pleased to have had time to meet you two.
Good Luck on your trip!

Hugh

_________________
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
M.T.

We quite enjoyed your visit Hugh. Give us a ring anytime you are in town.

Considering I hurt my back moving gravel last night I'm sure our trip will be an adventure, the first day at least.

Karin and Christy

I have noticed there is an error in the 5th map, the section leading out of the top of Leaf Lake, on page one of this report, with placement of the portages. This came to light only after we used the Broadleaf By-pass this past summer.

Changing the mapping might be difficult, although not impossible, because all the photo's and maps from this report were on a hard drive that blew up in Nov 2009. I can cut and paste from here into PSP to make the changes, I just don't know if I can actually change them at this point since I have tried to do that for another photo and it wouldn't allow it.

So for now... what appears as BF5 on that map, is actually downstream of where the by-pass comes out onto the river. The photo's are still correct for what they look like, it is just that the positioning is incorrect. What shows as 3,4 and 5 would be necessary to portage prior to getting to the by-pass itself.

Karin

Ok, so the map on page 1 showing the upper Broadleaf after Leaf Lake, the 5th map down the page, has an error on portage locations. BP 5 is actually just upstream of BP4, before the by-pass begins. It is minor but still annoying that I messed that up.

In 2015, as of July long weekend, it is once again "the hard way". Water levels were low but ok as far as Leaf Lake but thinned out pretty quickly past there. We got as far as the first port north of Leaf by wading and it looked like a walk up the river would be the only way to get through...the trail is still covered in blowdown.

Who knows what it is like past there but I can only guess that it is a low water year again to contend with. So much for our portage cutting expedition. Next spring? Probably not this fall thats for sure.

Christy