Changing into dry clothes has been the highlight of my first few days. After departing on Saturday, I got completely drenched during several down pours. I spent yesterday (Day 2) paddling approximately 12 miles and setting up camp at Brownie Landing. Those 12 miles were brutal, especially traveling solo in a rain storm with so much extra gear. I'm planning to meet up with Gabe by Wednesday or Thursday in Bemidji (about 36 miles away), so that will help alleviate the load and make my kayak easier to maneuver.
I was a little lost yesterday from all of the fallen trees and debris that were blocking huge sections of the river. The storms from the past two days have not been helpful. With a little help from my GPS and mudboots, I was able to walk on a marshy bog to locate where the river's path lead, and then proceeded to drag my overloaded kayak about 50 yards across the marsh to the main channel. It was definitely a challenging day.
The challenge continued when I completed my first portage at Vekin's Dam. The next 3.5 miles were constant rapids that left me pretty exhausted and wet.
I'm now on Day 3 (June 2nd) and I unfortunately cannot leave Brownie Landing. It has been storming all day and will continue with thunderstorms until early tomorrow morning. This place is covered in wood ticks, and I've already found one in a very unfortunate place on my body (see pictures below). The good news is that tomorrow it suppose to be 75 and partly cloudy with 0% chance of rain - perfect conditions for making some progress on the water. It will be a nice change of pace after spending the whole day in my boiling tent waiting out the rain and 95% humidity!
I'll be out on the river bright and early tomorrow. My goal is to paddle 23 miles to Iron Bridge Campsite. This will all depend on how well the rapids go at the beginning of the day. If I have too many issues I will stop at Fox Trap Campsite for the night instead, which is 14 miles away.
*To see what I'm passing through, take a look at this interactive Virtual Map of the Mississippi River.
I was a little lost yesterday from all of the fallen trees and debris that were blocking huge sections of the river. The storms from the past two days have not been helpful. With a little help from my GPS and mudboots, I was able to walk on a marshy bog to locate where the river's path lead, and then proceeded to drag my overloaded kayak about 50 yards across the marsh to the main channel. It was definitely a challenging day.
The challenge continued when I completed my first portage at Vekin's Dam. The next 3.5 miles were constant rapids that left me pretty exhausted and wet.
I'm now on Day 3 (June 2nd) and I unfortunately cannot leave Brownie Landing. It has been storming all day and will continue with thunderstorms until early tomorrow morning. This place is covered in wood ticks, and I've already found one in a very unfortunate place on my body (see pictures below). The good news is that tomorrow it suppose to be 75 and partly cloudy with 0% chance of rain - perfect conditions for making some progress on the water. It will be a nice change of pace after spending the whole day in my boiling tent waiting out the rain and 95% humidity!
I'll be out on the river bright and early tomorrow. My goal is to paddle 23 miles to Iron Bridge Campsite. This will all depend on how well the rapids go at the beginning of the day. If I have too many issues I will stop at Fox Trap Campsite for the night instead, which is 14 miles away.
*To see what I'm passing through, take a look at this interactive Virtual Map of the Mississippi River.