DAY 2 - WANAGAN LANDING

Woke up and consulted about the schedule. It took no time at all to determine that we needed/wanted a day to rest (from our weekends, not from our two miles) and repack. So b1 rested and I repacked! And then I rested, too!

So much was accomplished, and we got to meet a number of really nice people who kayaked through (a pair from Missouri, out for the day only) or locals who stopped in by car or ATV to view the river.

We had beautiful weather again, too.

Minnesota River Trail campsite shelter and our tent

Frog in the grass by the boat

day 2 - wanagan landing, MN -- MT 2

hard day yesterday.
dropped in just before sunset.  I was thinking that I might have to african queen it for 2 miles and walk the boat downriver (which is actually N here, which is weird in its own right) ... but the river was deeper than that so tons of rowing with my accomplice occasionally poling with a kayak paddle from the back.
the river is thin, shallow, and occasionally boggy here ... a couple different times we had to back out and re-direct to a more major channel, all the time in ever-more-thinning light.
we finish I'm the dark at 22:30, and don't get to bed until 00:30.
a let start had us packing the boat haphazard.  a late arrival had us disgorging equipment willy nilly.  there's no such thing as a "free slug" in endurance travel and clumsy packing technique qualifies.  almost certainly we'll pay the price for that tomorrow.

DAY 1 – LAUNCH AND SUNSET TOUR

Three days earlier, we’d hidden the boat behind some bushes at Gulsvig Landing, and (of course) it was still there, waiting to pack and launch through the wild rice. As everything else had that long day, it took slightly longer than we’d hoped to prepare and push off, but we set off with equal parts enthusiasm and exhaustion.

The river twisted through the reeds and grasses, and it was pretty challenging to follow the main current. The sun set beautifully, and the northern twilight lingered with us for a while before the mists started rising. It was challenging enough to paddle that I didn't take any photos, but I did check Google maps once or twice when spirits started to lag, and could see that we were making progress. We’d visited our unmarked destination the previous week, so knew vaguely where it was on map.

I’m a little ashamed to say that I gasped in relief when we finally sighted the canoe-landing sign at Wanagan Landing. The headlamp beam had been fighting the mists, and I had let myself become worried that we would slip past the campsite and spend the night looking for a dry place to sleep.

I unpacked the boat in the dark while b1 set up the tent. Frogs (I think!) rustled around me, and the mosquitoes were a moderate nuisance. I had let myself get too cold and stupid, and was glad to strip off the clammy spandex and climb into the sleeping bag. The proportion of enthusiasm to exhaustion was no longer in balance.

[One map says 2 miles. Another says 3 miles. I’d based the first leg of the trip on the first map and our ability to go 2 miles before night fell. Hmmmm!]

At Gulvig Landing

The boat was in the bog for three nights

We got covered in wild rice

DAY 1 – HEADWATERS

As they say in Italy, the headwaters were in restauro (essentially, a bridge and path were under construction, and they’d blocked the river). During reconnaissance, we determined that our boat would struggle with the shallow river, so we waded (without the boat) at the headwaters and put in 2 miles below, at Gulsvig Landing.

[BTW: All the river runners we met later had put into Lake Itasca above the headwaters, portaged the stepping stones, and floated under the construction fence...]

Headwaters Signpost

Stepping Stones Across the Mississippi

The top of the river is under construction

day 1 - 0 MT

st. paul, MN

on my way to the airport top pick up FA.

day 1 - 0 miles traveled

if all goes well (and it's been going very slowly so far) we'll put in today.

[I've been -and still am- sick for weeks ... HIGHLY unusual for me - 1st time in the 21st century ... and it's kept me from working on the website and giving you a verbal lay of this 'blog land ... my hope is to shoot a picture every morning with the miles traveled [MT] to that point ... my signal is spotty so there'll be occasional delays ... enjoy your read.]

ALL PACKED UP

Most clothes and supplies get stowed inside the boat; just a few larger items will be tied atop the stern. Because access to the interior is through three small, round hatches, we've stuffed the gear into a colorful collection of long, sausage-shaped bags. Some less-water-resistant items (e.g., paper maps) are packed in sealable, "dry bags."

There are weight constraints because we'll have to portage around some obstacles at the beginning of the trek. We aren't as careful as the through-hiking community (who weigh every safety pin because they carry every safety pin), but packing entailed a lot of hard decisions nevertheless.

Stuff bags stack like cord wood

Color-coded according to content