The Track Line
The average wilderness stream of the North has enough “tight” places which judgment tells the traveler to avoid by making a detour by land rather than risk a capsize and a possible loss of the outfit. To “tote” the outfit overland means more or less hard work, and as every canoeist will avoid portaging if there is a fair chance of getting the canoe through a bad stretch of water, the tracking line will come in handy very often. The usual ring in the bow of the canoe is far too flimsy for hauling the loaded craft, and sufficient length of stout rope should be carried along to pass through the painter eye, and then carried aft and half-hitched to the first and second thwarts. One man can pull the canoe up a swift stream by walking along the bank while his partner takes up the opposite side and steers the craft away from rocks by using a stern line. With a heavily loaded canoe in very swift and shallow water, both men must often wade, and a tump line rigged up as a breast or shoulder strap will make it easier work for the man at the bow line.