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Solo Canoeing from Lake Itasca to La Crosse on the Mississippi

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Solo Canoeing from Lake Itasca to La Crosse on the Mississippi Sullivan poles his canoe below Lake Itasca. (Beth Sullivan) Solo Canoeing from Lake Itasca to La Crosse on the Mississippi By John F. Sullivan have been interested in follow- in these adventures — normally the Itasca, where men, women and chil- ing the paths of early explorers chauffeur and chief of land support. dren were drawn to the river’s edge. and voyageurs since my youth, “How far do I have to drive you?” Many waded in the lake’s outflow, Iespecially the canoe pathways to and and “How long will you be gone?” while others tried to walk across the from the Mississippi. I have traveled was her response. artificial rock dam. A group of women the water route from Lake Superior to “Oh, about six hours to get to in yellow-and-white bicycling jerseys the Mississippi via the Bois Brule and Lake Itasca and about another three had just completed an ascent along St. Croix rivers. I have paddled from weeks to paddle back to La Crosse,” I the river from New Orleans. Lake Michigan to the Mississippi over responded. I launched my canoe the next the historic Fox and Wisconsin riv- I could see that she was calculat- morning at 7:30, after packing it with ers route. In the past decade, I have ing in her head which room or rooms 170 pounds of supplies, food and also paddled the length of six of the she could paint or remodel during my drinking water. I don’t do much cook- seven state-named tributaries that absence. ing while paddling long distances. I feed the Mississippi. This has given “Okay, that will work, when do pack freeze-dried dinners I can cook me the opportunity to see the country you want to leave?” quickly in a pot of water, and a lot of as early explorers would have seen it Lake Itasca nuts, cereal and raisins. I also enjoy — from the seat of a canoe. local cafes when I can. No one was Last spring, I announced to my We arrived at Lake Itasca State Park, around, but the sounds of water rush- wife, Beth, that I would like to pad- in northern Minnesota, early Satur- ing through large boulders were exhil- dle the Mississippi from its source day afternoon, June 9. We walked arating. With an encouraging word back to La Crosse, Wis., in June, a trip along the tree-lined boardwalk in the from Beth I was off poling down- of about 650 miles. Beth is a partner hot sun and found the outlet of Lake stream toward La Crosse. 22 BIG RIVER MAGAZINE / NOVEmbER-DECEmbER 2012 The clear, cold stream flows out of the park to the northwest. Snags, riffles, wetlands and conifer forests bordered the tiny stream. Low water exposed mud flats along the edges, and my canoe rubbed the sandy bot- tom in many places. Hundreds of dragonflies scattered from the reeds and flew erratically in the cool morn- ing air as I passed. The river briefly entered a forested reach where decid- uous and conifer canopies extended over the stream. Later in the morning, the nar- row river channel had become more marsh-like among large spruce and tamarack marshes. Tall emergent vegetation blocked the view of the horizon in some reaches. Fortunately the wild rice was at the floating-leaf stage and only slightly impeded my After the heavy rains of June, launching the canoe was difficult in the turbulent tailwater below four dams descent. These rice plants send up between Little Falls, above, and St. Cloud., Minn. (John Sullivan) tall shoots mid-summer that quick- ly develop into robust plants that make navigating wild rice beds very extra balance. I start out slow, pushing nesota. At Lake Bemidji the marsh- difficult. on the bottom, and slowly build up like character of the river becomes At this point of the story I should speed. I thrust the pole smoothly into a passageway between large glacial mention that I stand up and pole the river just behind where I stand lakes. Lake Bemidji was followed by my canoe in water shallow enough and on a slight angle. I have found Wolf, Andrusia and Cass lakes, whose to allow it. One great advantage to that steering a canoe with a pole is beautiful clear waters held many standing in a canoe is that the higher actually easier than paddling, except loons, and eagles and osprey perched perspective provides a better view when the bottom is soft and mucky. on towering pines and hardwoods or of the obstacles ahead and below the Then you have to push lightly and soared overhead. water surface. Below Cass Lake, the river again I started poling with a small flat- loses itself in a large wetland, and I bottomed duck skiff on the Horicon Avoiding four- to five-foot became uncertain as to the correct Marsh when I was in grade school, standing waves immediately path. After several dead ends, I found about 45 years ago. About 10 years below the dam’s open Tainter the channel, which eventually leads ago, I returned to this mode of propul- to the southwest corner of the largest sion to ascend the Bois Brule River in gates, I stayed near the lake on the Mississippi, Lake Winnibi- northwest Wisconsin along the his- river’s edge where waves goshish. This lake covers more than toric waterway that early voyageurs 100 square miles, more than twice the followed from Lake Superior to the were smaller but still very surface area of Lake Pepin. Heading St. Croix and ultimately the Missis- turbulent. for the outlet on the northeastern side sippi River. I had tried several canoes meant a 10-mile open-water cross- before selecting a 16.5-foot Wenonah ing with southeasterly winds churn- “Solo Plus.” The “plus” meant it could retract the pole swiftly, or risk losing ing up whitecaps. Instead I followed be paddled solo or tandem. I took out the pole or getting yanked out of the the shore, a longer journey but much the rear and front seats to provide canoe. safer. Some sources say the lake’s extra room for dry bags and gear and By the way, I have never capsized a Ojibwa name means “dirty water.” I never re-installed them. I love poling canoe, but I have had to jump out few think a more appropriate name would this boat. times when I lost my balance. be “windy by gosh.” You’ve no doubt heard that you At Bemidji, some 60 river miles The fifth day I was on a stretch of should never stand up in a canoe. northeast of Lake Itasca, the river river that followed a confusing path Well, that’s generally true, especially enters Lake Irving, then Lake Bemidji. through broad wetlands as it flows if the canoe is not moving. However, At this point the river changes both southeast towards Grand Rapids. the rush of moving water along the direction and character. It flows in a Mosquitoes became more numerous, hull provides quite a bit of stability. more easterly direction, forming the requiring me to wear a head net or Also, my 11-foot spruce pole provides top of its question mark path in Min- insect repellent on shore. I camped at NOVEmbER-DECEmbER 2012 / BIG RIVER MAGAZINE 23 Schoolcraft State Park on June 14. The next day, at Grand Rapids, I encoun- tered two dams about two miles apart — Pokegama Lake and Blandin Paper Co. dams. A large sign above the first dam offered a free shuttle by calling the Minnesota Power and Light Com- pany. I took the shuttle. The marshes gave way to forested shorelines from Grand Rapids to Ait- kin. The increased current from recent rains helped propel me downstream. In places, portions of banks and trees had sloughed off the hillsides and slid into the river, forming queer-look- ing islands. In some segments, tent caterpillars had defoliated the trees, leaving leafless canopies and green underbrush, a peculiar scene. The Some campsites, like this one at Baxter State Park, were idyllic, but mosquitoes were often fierce enough to mosquitoes were even more trouble- require head nets. (John Sullivan) some, and I had to wear my head net while paddling on a few mornings, until the wind drove them away. the dam were under several feet of looking downriver for a safe route. Heavy rains dumped several water, so I pulled out at the Baxter Below the Little Falls Dam there was inches of water in my canoe while I Campsite about six miles below Brain- a great torrent of foaming, turbulent camped at Palisade on June 17, then erd, which offered high ground, a pic- water. I shoved off the left descend- again at Aitkin on June 19. The river nic table and a beautiful view of the ing bank and began paddling hard rose a few feet and flooded out low- river at sunset. to try to steer the canoe away from a lying areas. At a campground in Between Little Falls and St. Cloud, large overhanging willow tree. Unable Aitkin, I awoke to the sounds of emer- I portaged around four large dams to avoid it, I ran straight into the gency pumps at the city’s wastewa- and launched into very turbulent branches and ducked to avoid being ter treatment plant kicking in. The tailwater. At Blanchard Dam, which thrown out of the canoe. Fortunately sounds of torrential rain on my thin forms Zebulon Pike Lake, the portage my speed and mass were enough to rainfly were deafening, and worry- over two abandoned railroad grades cut through the canopy of twigs and ing about being flooded out of my leaves.
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