Day 11 Mississippi River

Once again, another great day on the river. Once again, people are good.

I woke up this morning to some commotion at the small pubic boat ramp I was camped at. The sound of metal scraping against concrete alerted me that it was time to get moving. After packing up my sleeping bag, pad and clothes in the tent, I got up and out to meet two older gentlemen smoking and chewing on long cigars at 7am.

While talking with the fellas I learned that they were out this morning to harvest wild rice. The banks of the river had been filled with the wetland plant since I put in at Lake Itasca. I didn't realize until now that it was indeed wild rice I had been fighting for much of the trip so far. I asked the guys about the process of harvesting and curing the rice, and I'll be damned, it's quite the undertaking.

Minnesota, Good PeopleWill CollinsJanuary 4, 2019Comment

Day 10 Mississippi River

Today was the toughest day yet, but still a great day.

I woke up to the sunrise and my small makeshift campsite drenched in dew. Throughout the night I heard several big fish rise and feed off the surface, making big splashes. All kinds of waterfowl and river life was bustling around me.

I knew today that I needed to reach Grand Rapids, MN as my beloved CU Buffs kicked off their season with a rivalry matchup against little brother Colorado State.

The day called for cloudy skies, a stiff wind and a chance of rain. Clouds and rain are no worries- but that wind....ouch. Small white caps were being blown my way for much of the day, making it look as though I was traveling upstream. It was tough, slow going. The thought of watching the game with a warm burger and beer in Grand Rapids kept me moving toward my 35 mile goal.

Video, Storms, Minnesota, Good PeopleWill CollinsJanuary 4, 2019Grand Rapids, Cohasset Comments

Day 9 Mississippi River

Another great day on the river!

Things started off early this morning with a 7:15AM call from Clinton Rosette Middle School in DeKalb, IL. A second teacher from the school has decided to hop on board with the project, so we had a quick chat discussing how I envision the project going and some of what I hope the kids get from it. A short 15 minutes later I hung up and set up my lawn chair to overlook the river.

The campsite, Crazy James Point, is my favorite yet. A small hill overlooks a winding stretch of the Mississippi. As I enjoyed a warm cup of coffee I heard the first of 3 groups that would pass my point. The long distance hikers paddled by and we exchanged hellos. About an hour later Jeff cruised by in his yellow kayak. He had taken a wrong turn at the previous lake and went a mile in the wrong direction to start his morning.

MinnesotaWill CollinsJanuary 3, 2019Comment

Day 8 Mississippi River

Lake Winnibigoshish aka Winni is in the books!

John, Jeff and I woke up at our crashed campsite at 7AM, ready for the big day ahead. Lake Winni, the largest lake crossing of the trip, was starring us dead in the face. With 15 miles of open water and no wind breaks, the lake chooses when you can cross, not the other way around. Winni is a notorious challenge for through paddlers, and earlier this summer I heard of a group who was wind bound for 3 days before they got a clear day to cross the beast.

For us, the morning held a slight breeze and a beautiful sunrise. After cowing down 2 packets of oatmeal and a banana I packed up the boat and the 3 of us hit the water. The plan was to stay together to mitigate any difficulties/disaster should one occur.

MinnesotaWill CollinsJanuary 3, 2019Comment

Day 7 Mississippi River

Aother great day on the water, and my longest day of the trip yet.

I woke up to a dew covered tent and gear around 6:50AM. The plan was to paddle with John and Jeff, two fellow through paddlers I met the day before, 30 miles to the start of Lake Winni- the largest lake of the voyage and a notoriously difficult paddle.

As we put in on the Mississippi, smoke was rising off the water, letting us know our goal of an early morning start had been made.

Our first big obstacle was Cass Lake, a 5 mile open water crossing.

MinnesotaWill CollinsJanuary 3, 2019Comment

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.

Minnesota, Good PeopleWill CollinsJanuary 3, 2019BemidjiComment

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.

Good People, Mississippi Stories, MinnesotaWill CollinsJanuary 3, 2019Bemidji Comment

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

MinnesotaWill CollinsJanuary 3, 2019BemidjiComment

Day 3 Mississippi River

Another solid day on the Mighty Mississippi! I woke up early, made some oatmeal and coffee with plans of hitting the water around 9:00am. After busting down my tent I realized my rain fly and footprint (tarp that goes under my tent to protect it from rain plus wear and tear) were pretty caked with dew. So rather than rush onto the water and pack away a wet tent I set both rain fly and footprint out to dry as the morning turned into a rather leisurely start.

After a second cup of Joe and a little guitar time I packed away a dry tent and loaded the boat. Most of the river today was wide enough and deep enough to navigate without any real issues. Still had to get out and dislodge myself from a sandbar every now and again, but nothing too bad.

MinnesotaWill CollinsDecember 29, 2018 Comments

Day 2 Mississippi River

My first full day on the river was great! It started off early with a phone call from my old middle school, Clinton Rosette. Despite having no service at the campsite, I learned that walking about 200 yards down a 4wheeler trail yielded 1 to 2 bars...enough to make a few calls. My first conversation went well, and I'm excited to team up with my old middle school to make a class project out of my adventure. Throughout the 2,300+ miles I will be checking in with the class and working with them on projects such as US geography, historical towns along the river and sharing the various natural wonders I encounter, all while telling stories from the journey. While all of that is good and well, the aspect I am most excited about is working with the kids to help them understand that any goal is possible. That it is OK to be different and have different goals than those around you. More to come on that in the future.

MinnesotaWill CollinsDecember 21, 2018Mississippi River, Source to Sea, Minnesota, Lake ItascaComment

Day 1 - The Headwaters of the Mighty Mississippi, Lake Itasca, MN

Day #1 is in the books, and I couldn't have asked for a better send off. After finishing up last minute packing the night before, my Mom and I woke up early and drove from our hotel in Bemidji, MN to the headwaters of the Mighty Mississippi- Lake Itasca. We arrived around 9:30AM and walked to the official start of the Mississippi, a small creek that trickles north from Lake Itasca. We met two wonderful women, Karen and Brenda, who were both Catholic Nuns. After chatting for a bit they shared their excitement about my journey, and asked if they could sing me a prayer. The two women closed their eyes, lifted their hands above their heads and sang a beautiful prayer song to bless me before the start of the journey. It was pretty moving!

Minnesota, Good PeopleWill CollinsDecember 19, 2018Mississippi River, BuffaloRoamer, Canoe, Lake ItascaComment

103 Days. 2,300+ solo miles. A pen, pad, camera and the adventure of a lifetime. Crossing America by Canoe. A Mississippi River story.