Day 5 - Big Water

Richard Townsite Landing 

River Mile 1242

Days Milage - 20.1 miles

Total miles -  98 miles

Launched this morning at 8:00am from our camp site on Star Island. Today we had the most open water miles. First we had a 4.5 mile stretch over the very open, very exposed Cass lake. The first mile was breezy with swells well under a foot. Then, it got really interesting. For the next 3 miles we battled 2-3 foot swells that we had to paddle broadside. I’m used the these conditions on Minnetonka but not in a kayak with 150 pounds of gear and with no spray skirt. Did I mention I didn’t have it on my packing list!?  I figured it out on day 2 and Christina overnighted it to Aaron and Mary’s. They will be meetups for dinner and will deliver it to me. 

At the end of the Cass lake crossing is the Knutson dam a portage of 297 yards. I made a discovery about getting my boat on the portage wheels. Rather than muscle the 200 pound boat onto the rig while on land, I simply floated my boat on while still in the water. Magic!

The next 12 miles flow through the Mississippi meadow. A wide open wetland that was scenic, after 12 miles I was kinda done with it. 

Our goal was to make the entrance to Lake Winnibigoshish, then look for a place to take a break before starting off on Big Winni. We found a little fishing resort called The Four Seasons. It was a historic resort dating back to the 1920’s. There shared a sausage pizza and soda.  My Dew for Jon and I and Diet Coke for Bill. 

It was a welcome after 17 miles in our boats. Then, at about 2:00 pm we ventured out on to Winnibigoshish. The river technically runs directly across the lake, a 15 mile open water paddle. The lake is notorious for sudden wide shifts that cause 4-6 foot waves. Something we intend to avoid. With a southeastern wind, we paddled along the south shore to a small landing called Richards Townsite, over 6 miles of open water. Landed at 4:30pm, tired but glad to have Cass and part of Winni behind us. 

Aaron and Mary drove 90 minutes to drop off my spray skirt so Jon and I took them to dinner while Bill stayed behind to guard our gear and get a much needed break from Jon and I goofing off. 

Dinner was at The Big Fish supper club, owned by Al who is in fact the Big Fish. The claim to fame is the is a giant 40 foot Muskie that is in the opening of National Lampoons Vacation. Today was fried chicken day, so that’s what I had. That and a Bemidji Brewing Co IPA was excellent. 

Tonight we rest up to battle Big Winni and finish what many people call the toughest day of the whole source to sea journey. 

Day 4 - In the Weeds

Launch Bemidji

River Miles 1287

Days Milage - 22.8 miles

Total miles -  77.9 miles

Today marked the beginning of a series of lakes that the Mississippi River runs through. Launching a lake Bemidji at 7:30 am we crossed the 2.8 open miles of water to where you he river drains on the eastern shore. It started off very straight forward with calm winds and smooth water. Unfortunately we ended up paddling though a mile of reeds that drastically slowed our progress. 

From Bemidji to river flows threw Stump Lake where there were several stumps we had to navigate around. From there we had to land at Otter Tail dam for the 2nd of 13 portages on the upper river. This was our first opportunity to use our portage wheels, and they worked great!

From Stump we paddled across Wolf lake, then Andrusia lake. The last big crossing was the western half of Cass lake to our destination, the river trail camp site on Star island. Our total distance for the day was 25 miles, our longest total so far, with almost 10 hours in the boat. 

Our site is nestled in a wooded area, just odd the beach. We set camp, had dinner, a little Whiskey and enjoyed a fire and an amazing sunset.

Tomorrow we enter a more remote part of the river, so it might be a day our two before I can post. 

Day 3 - wetlands

Launch Pine Point Landing

River Mile 1302

Days Milage - 21.1 miles

Total miles -  55.1 miles

Today was the first morning of breaking camp and loading the boat for real. I was the last one down to the water and had to really think through my boat loading strategy and I was able to get all my gear to fit, just barely!

The first 8 miles winds through a large wetland. It was a tricky stretch with many areas where the route was not clear. About 2 miles after launch I lost the river and spent 45 minutes struggling through thick weeds. Thankfully I was able to get cell coverage, opened Google Maps and was able to find my way back to the main channel. 

I arrived at our first check point, Iron Bridge camp and about 90 minutes after Jon. I was very grateful he had waited for me. 

The next 7 miles was a series of oxbow bends flowing through a meadow. No problem following the route.All day there was a 15 - 25 mph wind blowing. Along with a high temperature of 68 it was very comfortable for paddling. 

The next few miles flowed through an area marked as“Numerous log jams in this section” Awesome.  It was fairly technical but we never had to portage so all was good. 

We decided to extend our day 5 more miles to get to Bemidji. We had a challenging crossing of Lake Irving. It was a lot like Lake Minnetonka on a very windy day with 3 foot waves driven by 25 mph steady wind. We were able to stop in town and get a burger. 

Day 2 - Mississippi River

Launch at Coffee Pot landing

River Mile 1326

Days Milage - 18.3 miles

Total miles -  34 miles

Cool weather today with temps in the low 70’s. My friend Paul Hutner (MPR Chief Meteorologist) texted to warn me that there was a thunder storm headed out way at 1:00 pm. So, we headed down stream under overcast sky’s. Unlike yesterday, the river was beautiful. Wide enough to navigate, free flowing and running through miles and miles of lush wetland. 

The down side was there was only 1 place where we get out of our boats, about 7 miles in, at a bridge where we were able to get out and have some lunch.

Jon at our lunch spot

We had 3 hours of steady rain, but the temperature was very comfortable so it was very pleasant.

We had a 200 yard paddle through very high wild rice bed to get to our camp site at Pine Point Landing. This is my paddle so you can see where I am.

Source 2 Sea Launch

Mississippi Headwaters 

Itasca State Park

River mile: 1342

Days Milage - 15.7 miles

Total miles -  15.7 miles

Headwaters of Mississippi River 

Headwaters of Mississippi River 

End of Day 1

Coffee Pot Landing

River Mile 1324

Finishing the day at Coffee Pot Landing 

Good first day. Challenging conditions, lots of fast water. So many places with river width of less

than five feet. My 15 foot boat was not the best solution for this part of the journey. Tired, but looking forward to tomorrow. 

Video Test Post

Testing video upload from YouTube to Blogg app

CBS Sunday Morning - Mississippi River Feature

The CBS Sunday morning show did a feature recently on the Mississippi River and what it means to the US, both economically and historically. It’s a really good piece. Click the link below to view.
CBS this Morning - Mississippi River

Testing New Blogging App

I’m using this post to test a new mobile blogging app that should my it easier to post while on the River. 

Photo is a from a rainy paddle yesterday. 

What is my motivation?

People often ask what is my motivation to do a Source to Sea paddle? Several books and movies shaped my passion for this adventure.

Wild - by Cheryl Strayed

Over the Edge of the World - by Lawrence Bergreen

Mississippi River by Canoe - Video

One inch above the Water - Jim Payne

I have made an informed decision to seek out adventure and set big goals for myself. I thank these resources and authors for their inspiration to reach out beyond what my normal life would be.