Posts tagged Bemidji
Day 6 Mississippi River
Day 6 Mississippi River

Today was a day full of unexpected pleasant surprises. Things started off with a beautiful clear morning on Lake Irving. After hitting a coffee shop with a new friend for a quick cup and banana bread I broke camp and hit the water for my first lake crossing of the trip, Lake Bemidji. The weather could not have been better. 85, clear sky's and no wind. Perfect for a lake crossing that could have been made difficult by a stiff breeze.

I took my time crossing Lake Bemidji, stopping in the center for a quick swim. The outlet poring out of the lake was the first time I recognized the river as a full blow river and not just a winding creek. Progress!

As I leisurely drifted along the newfound width of the river I noticed all kinds of fish swimming below. A school of perch seemed to be following me. A few walleye, a couple Northers and some small mouth bass were also spotted.

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Minnesota, Good PeopleWill CollinsBemidjiComment
Day 5 Mississippi River
Day 5 Mississippi River

People are good.

Today was by far the best day on the river yet. It started out early, once again, with rain. I had made contact the night before via Facebook with a fellow named Barry, who offered to make me hot breakfast and help with a resupply should I be able to make it to his house ("in the wooded area before Bemidji. Look for the Minnesota state flag") in the AM. It was about a 2 1/2 hour paddle from my campsite. I broke camp and got on the water around 7:30AM, not wanting to miss the opportunity, and boy was I glad I did.

I pulled up to the Minnesota State flag with a light drizzle in the air and Barry walking out on his dock barefoot to meet me.

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Good People, Mississippi Stories, MinnesotaWill CollinsBemidji Comment
Day 4 Mississippi River
Day 4 Mississippi River

8-26

I woke up this morning, as expected, to the sound of rain. Knowing that I had a rather short day ahead of me, I rolled over and went back to bed. The second wake up call was once again to the sound of water falling on the roof of my shelter and the trees surrounding me. After a dry breakfast of a peanut butter banana tortilla, I hit the water with heavy mist in the air and thick cloud cover. For the first hour or so of the day I flirted with my rain jacket, putting it on when the rain came, taking it off when it paused, and debating if I should put it back on when the mist returned. After a few roundabouts like this, I finally decided to call it a day and keep the rain jacket on. Smart move. It rained on and off all day. While having wet gear is a major bummer, if I can keep my stuff dry and keep myself warm, I actually enjoy rain. They say there's no such thing as bad weather, you know. Just different kinds of good weather.

The positive of the rain, both today and in the past few weeks, is that water levels are rather high. This means an easier time navigating the thick bog and shallow stretches of the river

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MinnesotaWill CollinsBemidjiComment