Gear-head

The sonde! And the blessedly detailed, waterproof, free, small water trail guide maps of the Minnesota portion of the Mississippi River.

I'm rather embarrassed by all the new gear and equipment I have, but also grateful for the opportunity to be doing this journey at a time when technology, materials science, and engineering play a huge part in the success of such expeditions.  Even 10 or 20 years ago some of my gear and equipment didn't exist or was prohibitively expensive.  For instance, I used to never travel with music because tapes were just too heavy and bulky.  I remember considering bringing mini-discs along in Tanzania in 2001, but decided that part of the traveling experience was leaving comforts like music behind.  And look at me now!  Traveling with my computer!  And ALL my music!  And my phone!  And an ipod!  etc etc etc...  Don't worry, I will still be enjoying the sounds of the river quite a lot.  

In the past few days, in addition to my kayak, I have aqcuired:

• GoPro Hero4 Silver/Surf for optimal video sharing of the experience, with the relief of knowing my camera is waterproof.  THIS IS FOR YOU, DEAR READERS!  I've got deck-mounting, tripod, and head-mounting capability. I can't wait to see how it works...
• GPS Garmin eTrex 10 for marking exact lat/lon for data collection, speed, and waypoint entry.
• YSI Pro2030 sonde (water quality probe) for measuring dissolved oxygen, salinity, conductivity, specific conductance, total dissolved solids, barometric pressure, and temperature. Major shout out and THANK YOU to YSI for lending this equipment for this project.  They went above and beyond by expressing excitement about my journey and overnighting this instrument to me. Looking forward to using it! 
• VHF Cobra Marine handheld floating radio for listening to weather and communicating with lock managers and barge captains.
• Werner camano carbon shaft 2-piece paddle.  I am looking forward to using the greenland paddle that the boat came with; they say the long, thin blades make paddling very easy and efficient for long distances.  It's a paddle that is easy on joints which is especially important for someone like me with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.  It will take a longer time to get up to speed, and doesn't do technical paddling very well, though, so I have the Werner paddle to make sure I can paddle quickly out of the way of barges if need be.  I have also heard that switching between a carbon blade and a greenland paddle is something that my wrists will thank me for. 
• Pelican cases and dry bags.  Pelican cases for my electronics, and dry bags galore for everything else.  I have a feeling that this expedition will be mostly spent pulling things out of bags, stuffing things into bags, and packing them all.  I have already resolved to use all this time as my daily meditation.  I've already managed to scrape my nail across the back of one of my knuckles (scabbed over now) while stuffing something into a sack, so I need to be very mindful and relaxed when I do this activity. Can't have any uneccesary cuts and scrapes on the river!
• Utility cord to tether everything to my boat!  Don't want to lose ANYTHING.
• Transparency tube for measuring water transparency.  It's like a secchi disk (a black and white checked disk that you lower into the water until you can't see it, then measure the length of the cord), but is a little bit more precise because you don't have to worry about the difficulty of measuring transparency in shallow water, or the forward angle that might arise in fast currents, obscuring the true depth of transparency.
• Water proof note pad and water proof pen for writing down my water quality data.  I'm such a nerd, I love this data collection stuff.  
• Two more platypus water bags.  They're virtually indestructible.  I had two already (one of which I've had for 19 years and is in great shape), but bought a couple more to make up for the laundry detergent container that I had planned on using in camp for washing hands and dishes.  (It was just to bulky to fit anywhere in my kayak, so I relegated it to the recycling bin).  The platypus water bags will conform easily to the strange shape of the area behind my seat in the cockpit where they'll live.  
• Lifefactory glass food storage container with silicone molding for holding my leftovers overnight and eating the next day for lunch
• Grand Trunk collapsible camp stool, which I hear is great for doubling as a solar panel platform, where the battery can hang out in the mesh pocket underneath.  I also hear it's great for drying clothes under safety of the rain fly at night.  And plus, every account I've read has said that the camp chair is the one thing everyone was SO GLAD they brought.
• GoalZero Sherpa 50 Solar kit which is rated for expedition type excursions and charging not just a phone, but my energy-hungry laptop (and GoPro, and VHF, and iPod).
• And, perhaps my favorite piece of gear, the Sea to Summit Jetstream Pump Sack for pumping up my sleeping pad each night without getting winded and dizzy.  I'm inspired and impressed with the simplicity and functionality of this small, lightweight, super helpful equipment.
  
  

More gear not listed above: paddling gloves, longsleeved SPF rashguard shirt, food packets, sponge, compass, emergency blanket, rain tarp.