Start 1264 - Star Island campsite
End 1248 - Becker’s Resort
Today’s mileage - 16
Total mileage - 93.6
I was awakened around 1:30 am by the sounds of crashing waves. At first, I thought I was dreaming. But I was not. The wind had shifted direction and was now blowing directly into the campsite from the lake. I got up and checked on the canoe, to see how high the waves were. Luckily they weren’t big, but I couldn’t tell how far out they were in the dark. I checked the forecast and there was a front coming in and the winds were going to steadily increase over the next couple of days. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep much after that.
Morning came and the waves were still there but they were small. I was fearful that it would be much worse and relieved to be wrong. So I headed out and into a 5-8 mph headwind. The crossing was long but not difficult and I was in the perfect place to watch a beautiful and fiery sunrise. There are several forest fires in Canada that have been giving the sky a hazy look.
The portage at the Knutson Dam was the easiest so far. Up a boat ramp, cross a road, then down a boat ramp. Easy as can be.
Portaging the dam also marks an achievement. I’ve completed my first map of the adventure. Yea! First Goal completed! Now for the second map!
I’ve been noticing a change in the color of the water over the last week. At the headwaters the water looked like a dark tea from all the tannins from the decomposing vegetation. Since Bemidji Lake the water has become clearer and more greenish in color. I’m assuming this is from the abundance of zebra mussels that filter the water as they feed.
The white pelican’s were in abundance today. They must have numbered in the hundreds maybe even in the thousands.
Bones: The white pelican’s were amazing! They were everywhere and I wanted to chase them and make them fly!
This is why I have to keep Bones on a leash while in the canoe. Otherwise we'd both be going for a swim.
(Bones is wearing a neck brace today because he had an accident, we’ll get him fixed up as soon as we can.)
Bones: It wasn’t my fault. I just got excited and I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Another important milestone today was that we passed the county road 39 bridge. This is where the Mississippi changes from a “Scenic” designation to a “Wild” designation. I’m not sure what that means. But I’ve watched the Mississippi start as a little more than a trickle from Lake Itasca to a creek, to a brook, to a stream, and now it’s starting to look like a real river. It’s changed a lot in less than a hundred miles.
We finished the day at Becker’s Resort for a cold soda and a much needed shower!
I talked with Tom (the owner) about crossing Lake Winnibigoshish. He said that with the storm front coming in, he strongly advised against going directly across the lake. And suggested that I follow the southern shore and paddle shorter days and in the early morning before the wind picks up. On a good day, you can paddle across Lake Winni in 5 or 6 hours. But, taking the southern shoreline might take two or three days depending on the weather. I have no wish to be in the middle of a big lake when the wind and waves come up.
So Bones and I are going to take the long route and be safe. Besides, I'm not in any hurry. And I’m not interested in risking either of our lives.
Lance (Fishing Guide) helped me work on Bones. We’ll see in the morning how the surgery turned out.
Wildlife Report:
Bald Eagles, Beavers, Canadian Geese, White Pelicans, White Trumpeter Swans, Swallows, CowBirds, Red Winged Blackbirds, and several kinds of ducks.
This is a GPS map of my progress today.
Map 2 - Casa Lake to Vermillion River
River miles 1,261 to 1,193 (68 miles)
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Mississippi River State Water Trail maps
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/watertrails/mississippiriver/index.html