Day 14

Day 14

Yesterday we had already decided we would take a zero day (zero miles paddled) due to more bad weather on the way. Knowing I would not have to paddle in the morning, the night before I walked over to the local watering hole after I finished updating my blog. As I walked in the door I was greeted by a few dozen locals who were having a good time enjoying drinks and the juke box. At first I was greeted with suspicious glances and little else. It took me a few minutes to order a drink and start a tab. I was relieved to see they carried a bourbon, Makers Mark, not my favorite but better than the Canadian whiskey that was available everywhere else. A friendly lady quickly asked who I was and more to the point why was I talking so funny. I told her I was paddling the river and was from Mississippi. The rest of the crowd was soon calling me Mississippi and escorted me outside for an in depth inquisition. Spent the next hour answering questions as quick as they could fire them off. After a few drinks a couple of the guys decided they needed to take me for a ride to see something. Normally I wouldn't jump into a truck with total strangers for a ride to the unknown but good bourbon has a way of blurring the lines between good and bad ideas. After a short ride we pulled up in front of fort made of logs. The front gate was quickly opened and I found myself inside a recreation of an early American fort. The compound was a square measuring about 150 paces on each side, walls were 15 feet high and made of pine logs sharpened to a point with a covered tower on each corner. The inside had a blacksmith shop, store, bar and other buildings built onto the walls. The guys explained a group of Vietnam veterans had built the fort after the war and started a group called the mountain men. I must say it was not like anything I had ever seen before. With more storms moving in they dropped me back at the campground.

The next day we slept late and woke to sunny skies but the sound of thunder could be heard to both the north and south. Around noon I walked into town for a burger, in the few minutes it took to get there the sky turned dark and the wind began to howl. Within minutes violent winds kicked up and hail the size of golf balls began drop, followed by swirling winds and driving rain. Suddenly the power went out and the rain ended. As I walked back towards camp the town was littered with downed trees and debris. I was congratulated by a local for surviving a tornado. I arrived at camp to find our tents safe under the pavilion. The rest of the day I spent reading and napping while thunderstorms dumped large amounts of rain. The river level was climbing all day and a swift current promised a swift trip to the next town Aitkin.

Day 13

Day 13

We woke early this morning planning to try and make the town of Palisades before the next round of storms were on us. We knew from talking with Joe that the town had a nice campground with showers and a few places to eat as well. There was hardly a breath of wind and we paddled at a unhurried pace. The day before the Sandy river had joined the river and added a large amount of water and current. I let Shawn get about a quarter mile a head of me hoping we would both get to see some wildlife along the way. The coming storm added a strange energy to the air and neither us nor the resident wildlife seemed to be in any hurry. We both saw lots of deer taking a morning dip as we quietly slipped along. I had been wanting to have a close up moment with a Bald Eagle but so far all of them flew away long before I got close. I don't know if it was the coming storm or if he was just lazy but Shawn paddled past an eagle perched high in a dead tree. I eased along and was able to drift directly under him. At one point he was looking at me strangely from between his large talons. I took many pictures but was disappointed to see none were good due to moisture on the lens. In record time we covered the 10 miles to town.

Again with only moments to spare we set up tents under the pavilion at the park. We took turns showering and rushed to the cafe for late breakfast. After breakfast Shawn took a nap while I checked out the town, all 4 blocks by 4 blocks. The campground in town also has a ATV/snowmobile trail constructed on an old rail line. I have seen these in the far northeast and they provide a great attraction to the towns they pass through. For dinner we visited the Rustic Trail a local restaurant and watering hole. Before we ordered we were told the first beer was on the house if we signed the paddler log book. I was happy to see another familiar tradition from my AT hiking days. We both enjoyed reading the entries from paddlers we had followed over the last year on Facebook. We ordered the prime rib and left stuffed and happy. On the walk back we visited the mini library and mini food bank. We each took a small item or two of food back to camp with us. Palisades is a great river town with a good short term resupply, warm showers and super friendly people who wanted to hear all about our trip. With more bad weather including flash floods and tornadoes forecast for the night we are staying put under the pavilion. Tomorrow is also forecast to be nasty but if we can can we will head a few miles down river as we need to make a town 85 miles away in a few days so Shawn can pick up a shot that is being shipped to him.

Day 12

Day 12

While we slept a small line of rain passed over but not the larger front we had been hearing about for the last few days. Joe and I were on the water early, battling the wind and watching the darkening sky. We made steady progress for almost 3 hours before the winds began to swirl and the skys darkened. Shawn and I tried to make a quick check of the radar while the winds pushed our boats up and down the river. With no cell service we put to shore at carry in access point and threw up the tents just moments before the rolling thunder and rain were on us. I had a few snacks and was soon napping soundly despite the high winds, rain and crack nearby of lightening.  After what seemed like only a few moments I was awakened by Shawn, who declared it as time to move out. A quick check of the time showed we had slept for about 3 hours. I am not someone you want to wake from a nap, and the thick mosquitoes and muggy heat did nothing to improve my mood. Shawn quickly paddled down stream while I battled the blood suckers and emptied a large amount of rain water from my canoe. Soon enough I caught up with Joe who was also not in the best mood. Later that night he summed up the rest of the day by saying, happy, sad, moody, or tired when the sun shines we paddle.

We paddled on down stream, battling winds and bad attitudes, simply making the 25 miles. Having lost several hours to the storm we paddled till after sunset making camp at another boat ramp. The ramp had a large gravel parking lot so was free of most mosquitoes. Not having to fight the buzzing blood suckers we sat up rather late game planning for the day of really bad weather that was coming tomorrow.

Day 11

Day 11

We were greeted  by our enemy the south wind this morning. We were still in good spirits as we looked froward to what we would find in the bump in the road Jacobson 6 miles away. The night before Joe had looked at Google maps and announced he saw a gas station. With visions of ice cream and coke we set off into the south wind. We were relieved to find that the towering silver maples lining the river acted as an effective wind break. Before reaching Jacobson we stropped at the Jacobson campground. The campground was beautifully set on a bluff with tent camping, several small cabins, restrooms and a cold clear piped well. We filled up with about a gallon of water and headed out. About 20 minutes later we arrived at the highway 200 bridge and the fabled gas station. After a walk of about a quarter mile we reached the Mississippi Landing gas station. The selection wasn't huge but we were soon walking back to the boats eating ice cream and carrying chips and cokes. The next location on the map was Willow Wood campsite, and true to form it was overgrown. While this is a wilderness type of trip, the state of Minnesota publishes a map and claims to provide and up keep campsites, most of which are boat only access. Along the river the ticks and mosquitoes are thick like I have never seen but if the brush and grass are cut back the area becomes usable. Building these sites was at one time important to someone, brush was cut back, large metal framed picnic tables, steel campfire and grill rings were installed. For the most part what we see now has not had any real effort towards maintenance in many years. The forest has all but reclaimed them for the most part.

The second part of the day we began to enter and area where the maple trees had been cleared along some areas to provide grazing for cattle. We paddled past fat cows sleeping in the sun and large wooden barns bleached by the sun. We had all been wanting to get a good picture or video of the swans but they have been the most leary of all the birds. Rounding a bend in the river we spotted a fat swan standing on a nest. She did not want to leave the nest and slowly eased into the water and swam up stream. She was so focused on Joe and myself she swam very near Shawn who took a nice video. As we pasted the 2 o'clock hour the winds began to pick up and we had several long sections that required us to paddle with all we had to make a snails pace. We paddled on past Ms Keto campsite as we now agreed it wasn't worth bug bites to see another campsite. A mile later we reached the Verdon rest area and river access built and maintained by Aitkin county. The grass was freshly mowed and brush was cut back. Joe quickly brought up the idea of pushing on because it was only 4:30, I quickly said 25 miles was enough for me and I voted to camp here. Shawn quickly added he was in no hurry to reach the Gulf so he was staying as well. Joe tried for a few minutes to change our minds but soon set out on his own. Shawn suggested cooking a small snack before we set up camp and I fully agreed as I seem to be very hungry all the time now. For the next hour or so we moved about setting up tents, building a fire and I finished with a with a swim and wash before supper. After dinner I checked the radar to look at the rain and storms the weather radio had been talking about for the last two days. The radar showed a small squall line inching towards us and another developing line back in the Dakotas. We crawled into our tents hoping our luck would continue to hold and the rain will come while we sleep and be gone in the morning.

Day 10

Day 10

Leaving Grand Rapids this morning we had a less current than we hoped but no wind. Our first scheduled stop was to be Blackberry campsite 15 miles down river. Within a few miles the homes and docks lining the rivers edge slipped away and we found ourselves alone in the wilds. The river returned to long straight stretches and  widened to about 50 feet and a depth of 8 feet. The low sandy banks on the east side grew into a series of sand bluffs towering over the river below. The bluff walls were alive with small birds who burrowed into the bluff face to build nests. The birds were in a flurry of activity as they chased insects and returned to the nests to feed their waiting young. By midday we arrived at the first campsite. We had been warned about the poor conditions at this location. The camp lacked a proper landing but soon enough we were walking the over grown trail leading up the bluff to the campsite on top. The camp was very small and littered with trash. The outhouse was nearly over flowing, and mosquitoes and ticks attacked from all angles driving us back to our boats.  Safely back in the river we decided to make the boat ramp nearby our new lunch spot.

After lunch we headed towards Swimming Bear campsite doubtful it wold be much better than the last. As we worked our way down river, many small streams joined the river and the current began to work in our favor. We floated along, paddling more than not and maintained a speed of about 3.5 mph, faster than most people can walk steadily. This area of river had many bald eagles including a few juveniles who did not have the signature white head and tail feathers. The few geese we saw only had one or two young additionally we saw several ducklings minus a parent, the eagles were eating well. Swimming Bear campsite with a new sign was soon greeted us. Again the campsite lacked a proper landing and we were forced to exit the boats into calf deep mud and crawl up a very steep bank. The trail to camp was overgrown but someone had tried to weed eat the grass. I use the word “tried” loosely because we agreed a drunk toddler with a pair of safety scissors could have done better. The camp sat atop a bluff with a great view of the river below but...You could only fit 2 small tents and one would be almost in the fire pit, Joe suggested we head 5 more miles down river to the next boat ramp.

We were all very tired by this point and our best efforts at a speedy finish were sad at best. While drifting around a corner Joe came on doe with two spotted fawns drinking from the river. He was able to get a wonderful video I will try to share here. The last few miles brought us to County Line boat ramp were it was clearly posted no camping, tired and betting no one was braving the mosquitoes we made camp. Over dinner we checked our maps and discovered we had covered 35 miles today, a new best mileage day. We were enjoying camp talk so much I passed out hot coco packets to everyone and Joe produced a bottle of Irish cream liquor. We all agreed that it was a near perfect ending to the most enjoyable river day so far.

On a side note as I lay in my tent typing this the mosquitoes are buzzing around my tent by the millions. There is bat that is coming by every few minutes, sliding along the rain tarp gathering mosquitoes by the mouthful. Nature can be crazy, fun, unpredictable place.

Day 9

Day 9
Last night brought more rain showers but we woke dry and rested in Sandy and Jeff's pop up camper in the yard. At 7:15 Sandy had a wonderful breakfast ready, blueberry pancakes, Jeff's homemade maple syrup, scrambled eggs and cantaloupe. We made quick work of eating and rushed out the door to load our boats. As we were preparing to shove off towards Grand Rapids Sandy greed to help Shawn with a on going problem of his. Shawn, who I like to call Noah because his boat contains two of everything, asked Sandy to ship home a small mountain of gear for him. Relived of a few pounds dead weight we headed out into the marsh with slick waters and no wind.
The fist leg of the trip today was 16 miles to the tiny river town of Cohasset. The river was about 40 yards wide and again made half mile straight runs with almost no current but also no wind. The last 4 miles a slight tail wind picked up and it felt like flying to shoot along at 5 plus miles per hour. We covered the 16 miles to the boat ramp in just over 5 hours. Shawn stayed with boats while Joe and I made a quick walk to the A&W for to-go burgers and fries. From Cohasset it is a quick 2 mile paddle to Grand Rapids and the portages.
Grand Rapids has two dams within the town. The first is on the northern edge of town and requires a 50 yard portage of boats and gear, the second is at a local paper plant and requires a 400 yard portage down busy city streets. The paper plant had offered a free portage around both dams until they sold the turbine and generator segment to the local power company a few years ago. Recently the power company has had to cut extra services including the portage service. Guess who works at the power company? yep Jeff. When Jeff found out the portage service was being canceled he and Sandy agreed to take over as unpaid volunteers. Jeff brought the canoe trailer to the dam after getting off work. We loaded all our gear and boats on and down the road we went. Along the way Jeff stopped at both the local sporting goods store and the grocery store so we could grab our first real resupply in 9 days. Our last stop was the camp site located in a green space next to the library and park. Shortly after setting up camp we had a visit from another local River Angel. I can not remember his name but he is the supervisor for the next section of river. He was nice enough to answer all our questions about the upcoming miles. Just before turning in the three of us reflected on the flurry of activity of the last 24 hours compared to the slow, quiet, remote week before. From what we understand we are heading back out into another remote area for the next 5 to 7 days.

Day 8

Day 8

There are a group of people on the river we call River Angels. My definition is that they are people preforming random acts of kindness for total strangers. One such Angel held some food for Shawn for when we arrived. Last night Shawn contacted Sandy and Jeff to let them know we were near. We set out early this morning hoping to reach Jeff and Sandy's place on the river before the coming storm hit. After another rough windy 11 miles we arrived at their home on the banks of the river. They had set up a pop up camper for us to stay in and Sandy came home on lunch to show us the shower and laundry room we could use. We took our time and enjoyed the hot shower and did some much needed laundry. When Jeff got home he made us some great wild rice burgers for dinner. They also recently took over a free portage service in Grand Rapids. Tomorrow we should paddle to Grand Rapids and they will meet us with a canoe trailer and portage us around two dams saving us many hours and much headache. They do all this for paddlers out of the kindness of their heart. Today has been a great day or catching up and resting. Life is rough on the river!!