Sandy Bromenschenkel, texted me last night to say, “was that you passing by? You could have stayed here!” Well, shoot, I missed a great opportunity. But not to worry; she very graciously and generously brought me some duct tape this morning so I could fix the Mama Raccoon damage on my deck bag, AND some freshly made pancakes (with local fresh blueberries and homemade maple syrup), eggs, lemonade, and strawberries. What a treat! She and I enjoyed a lovely morning breakfast together at the picnic table, me sharing my experience so far, her telling me stories of past paddlers that she’s hosted and met over the years. It feels like a quest in a way. Each person I meet has a little bit more information to share about what to expect in the upcoming days, and if I missed them, I’d miss out on the info. For instance, I learned that I can probably get a portage around the dams in Grand Rapids, and that there’s a library right across and upstream from the put-in, where I can likely pitch my tent (and enjoy wifi!). I think I might do that tonight/tomorrow. I’m sitting on the dock at Schoolcraft right now. Some young girls came and went for a quick swim as I was packing up my tent, mindful of my things strewn about the dock. My phone is charging by the sun. I’m rested and fed, and now it’s time for me to get packed up and head out.
As I packed up, a young boy and his father came through, to go fishing. They returned with 3 walleye before I left, and I had a chance to talk with them about my project. The young boy, Danny, was super congenial and appreciated the plastic ball I gave him (found floating on the river last night) and a couple stickers. The young ladies came back too, more numerous this time, and they were super excited about my project. I learned they were councilors (Megan, Mary and Josey) from Camp Foley. They all excitedly asked questions and when I shoved off, they let out a great cheer for me, and shouts of encouragement. Whoo hoo, what a great send-off!
I paddled 18 miles today, still a long day, and especially long after 26 miles yesterday (my longest so far). I paddled a lot with my eyes closed, and slumped forward on my deck bag or leaned back on my deck several times for a quick cat nap. Each time, I started in the center of the river, flowing slowly forward, but woke up lodged in the reeds, still. It was one of those I-feel-like-I’m-only-using-a-cereal-spoon days. To exacerbate the feeling of are-we-there-yet?, when I reached the lake on which the Grand Rapids Power Plant is located, the lake was choked with reeds, meaning that what could have been a 2 mile paddle straight across became a multiple mile switch-back paddle as I followed the widest part of the river. Half-way through the lake, my phone rang, and I gladly used the opportunity to take a rest. It was a journalist from the Lexington Herald-Leader. I have to admit, I’ll never get tired of taking “official” business-type calls in the wilderness!
I also did my first water collection sample for Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation today. I will be collecting 1L water samples approximately every 100 miles, which I will send to their lab. They will dry out the sample, burn off the organic material, and use a microscope to take a look at what sort of microplastics are present. Microbeads? Filaments? More on this to come...
I also received a tip from a river angel, Jim, that the campsite at Pokegama (above Grand Rapids) was safer than the library. Again, an excuse to stop early. Check! When I arrived, a very nice man offered his son’s campsite as a place to pitch my tent since the campsite was full. Again, thank you! The campground officer, Colin (same guy that helped Dave Roberts on Lake Winnie a few weeks ago) helped me locate wifi nearby. So I walked half a mile to the LMNOP-za pizza place where I used wifi for ½ hr to check email before they closed. And enjoyed a whole 10” pizza.
As I packed up, a young boy and his father came through, to go fishing. They returned with 3 walleye before I left, and I had a chance to talk with them about my project. The young boy, Danny, was super congenial and appreciated the plastic ball I gave him (found floating on the river last night) and a couple stickers. The young ladies came back too, more numerous this time, and they were super excited about my project. I learned they were councilors (Megan, Mary and Josey) from Camp Foley. They all excitedly asked questions and when I shoved off, they let out a great cheer for me, and shouts of encouragement. Whoo hoo, what a great send-off!
I paddled 18 miles today, still a long day, and especially long after 26 miles yesterday (my longest so far). I paddled a lot with my eyes closed, and slumped forward on my deck bag or leaned back on my deck several times for a quick cat nap. Each time, I started in the center of the river, flowing slowly forward, but woke up lodged in the reeds, still. It was one of those I-feel-like-I’m-only-using-a-cereal-spoon days. To exacerbate the feeling of are-we-there-yet?, when I reached the lake on which the Grand Rapids Power Plant is located, the lake was choked with reeds, meaning that what could have been a 2 mile paddle straight across became a multiple mile switch-back paddle as I followed the widest part of the river. Half-way through the lake, my phone rang, and I gladly used the opportunity to take a rest. It was a journalist from the Lexington Herald-Leader. I have to admit, I’ll never get tired of taking “official” business-type calls in the wilderness!
I also did my first water collection sample for Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation today. I will be collecting 1L water samples approximately every 100 miles, which I will send to their lab. They will dry out the sample, burn off the organic material, and use a microscope to take a look at what sort of microplastics are present. Microbeads? Filaments? More on this to come...
I also received a tip from a river angel, Jim, that the campsite at Pokegama (above Grand Rapids) was safer than the library. Again, an excuse to stop early. Check! When I arrived, a very nice man offered his son’s campsite as a place to pitch my tent since the campsite was full. Again, thank you! The campground officer, Colin (same guy that helped Dave Roberts on Lake Winnie a few weeks ago) helped me locate wifi nearby. So I walked half a mile to the LMNOP-za pizza place where I used wifi for ½ hr to check email before they closed. And enjoyed a whole 10” pizza.
Yay, Danny!
Still functional!
Schoolcraft State Park, MN. Kayak to the left, tent on the right.
Schoolcraft State Park, MN. Super nice dock and boatramp.
I hear these guys all night.
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