I think I may have invented a new sport, Mountain Portaging. This last weekend I dragged my 15lb SOF canoe up the side of Storm Mountain to Arnica lake, just outside Banff AB. The hike only had about 820 meters of climbing (2600' or so) over 5kms of trail.
My portage rig, which I am very happy with, was just an aluminum crossbar set across the gunwales in the middle, and two ropes attached to the bow and stern to level and hold the boat down. I set up my pack with my drysuit and PFD so that I made a bit of a flat on top for the crossbar to sit on. Plenty comfortable for hours. Definitely getting the crossbar off my shoulders and onto the pack makes a world of difference for comfort. The ropes work great too, they act as arm rests, let you tilt the canoe under the myriad of branches, and allow you to angle it so you don't go sailing off the ridge when the wind blows hard.
Oh, and strangely I was the only boat on the lake.