Day 14: Dutch barns and a near miss
Jacobson to 25 miles later. After a night of flood concerns, I got up without it raining. I broke down camp and headed up the hill to find more water. I was looking around this closed co-op trying to find a hose. A neighbor asked me if he could help. He invited me into the
Day 13: Green day, eagles stare, and dark
Grand Rapids to Jacobson I left Grand Rapids, MN today and headed south. The only color I was seeing this morning was green. The grass and the trees are briliant shades of green. It was hard to think about much else and easy to be at peace. I enjoyed the meandering that the river would
Day 12: A challenging and heart warming day with Mother Nature
The day started off with a bang. One thunder clap after another. I opted to stay in my sleeping bag just a little bit longer today. The radar showed the storm moving throught and it was to lighten up around noon. I got up, showered, and made breakfast. The goal was to get beyond Grand
Day 11: Day off to organize and avoid the storms
I woke up well rested at 7 am. I am beginning to get away from my night sleeping pattern and get more into my traveling sleeping pattern. That is get up early, rock out the full day, dinner and asleep shortly after sunset. Sandy made me pancakes with home made maple syrup. It was so
Day 10: Day of eagles
I woke up this morning with most of the mosquito still wanting to get me. A breeze piked up as I packed and they disappeared. I got into my boat dry and set out for a long day of a very twisty river. I knew it might be off to a good start when I
Day 09: Lake Winnibigoshish
I camped out at Becker’s Resort last night. I was getting ready to leave when a whole group of campers came to see me off. I had the opportunity to talk with them before setting off on a big day. Lake Winnie is 13 miles strait across. All the maps advised paddlers from making this
Day 08: Cass Lake to Lake Winnibigoshish
I got off to a good start today. The waters were smooth and I was ready to go. I headed to leave Wolf Lake and make my way to Cass Lake. I missed the river exit and added a few extra miles to the start of my day. I just looked at it like a
Day 07: Bemidji Lake and Wolf Lake
I slept in a bit this morning because if was in the upper 40’s. I just had a hard time motivating at that temps. Once I got moving, I loaded my boat and set off from Mark’s dock. There was a group of day trippers paddling that past me as I was launching. We set
Day 06: For the love of rain
I slept last night to the sound of frogs everywhere. I kept hearing these quick swooshing sounds. I realized it was bats grabbing the mosquitoes. After things calmed down with the wildlife, fireflies (lightening bugs) came out and were everywhere. It was a good night to be in the hammock. Today started off a little
Day 05: Wild ride, trees, and wetlands
After a tiresome first day, I slept in a bit (830). I made some oatmeal and cleaned up camp. I am looking forward to the opportunities this summer to get cold drinks and food. I set off to 1 mile of rapids right out of the gate. They were not too bad, but enought to