Another weekend another adventure?

Last year around this time I was planning a weekend kayak camping trip. Due to other commitments and then the weather turning cold, it never happened. All the planning for this trip would not be wasted though.

I talked Jim into doing this trip with me back on our mini camp out back in July.

The time had come, Jim rode his motorcycle up to my house at 6:00 AM on Friday where I had the car loaded and ready to go. Another road trip, this one about 5 hours to Trego, Wisconsin.

The trip itself was a Friday to Sunday deal. Consisting of overnight stays on the river and miles of kayaking the Namakagon and St.Croix rivers.  I was a little apprehensive as I dusted off the plan and map from last year. What I thought was 30 miles was actually closer to 35 miles. That’s a lot in 3 days. Especially for Jim, who had not had a ton of time in the kayak. Now I was asking for 3-5 hours a day.

We finally arrived at the lading a little before noon.  the landing was empty, we were the only people here. We began unpacking the car. No sooner than 5 minutes goes by and a small bus pulling a trailer of canoes pulls up. About 10 guys pile out and start unloading. I mean unloading. Each canoe had at least 2 coolers, a bundle of fire wood and all the gear you could think of.  One even set up the canoe with a trolling motor. The canoes were loaded to the max with so little waterline visible, they didn’t look too safe. These dudes were here to party. That much was evident with all the whooping and hollering they were doing. Over the course of 10 more minutes 2 more groups show up.  Going to be crowded this weekend.

Fully unpacked, I left Jim with the boats. I had to meet the shuttle driver Scott, at Pappy’s Leatherneck Tavern.

I met Scott and instantly sent Jim a picture of the abduction van that would be shuttling me. You know, just in case getting in an old van with a stranger didn’t work out. Scott turned out to be an ok guy, lots of stories and willing to help if we needed.  Beer, Firewood, Food, Extraction? Scott was our man, just call him and he would do his best to get what we needed as close to a landing as possible, all for a few dollars and gas money of course.

We dropped my car at our finishing spot for Sunday and Scott took me back to Jim and the boats. All but one group had departed while I was gone.

We finally got on the water around 1:00 and it started our slowly.  The kayaks, fully loaded down with gear scraped the first 100 yards due to the low water in the area. Jim got stuck, I almost got stuck. I hope the whole weekend doesn’t go like this.

The weather at this time was completely overcast and low 60’s. Not the best but at least the chance of rain was only 20 percent.

We get going and outside of the overcast skies it’s a decent day.  We catch up to an eventually pass the party group. We really wanted to get as much distance between us and them as possible. We didn't want to hear that all night.  We take break here and there, and plan to get off the river around 4:30 or 5 so we can set up camp before it gets too dark to gather wood and cook dinner. 

On the map we decide we would stop at site 19.8 (the numbers are mile makers on the river).  We come around the corner and see the site is already taken. Damn it. There are more up ahead though.  The next one is also occupied. To make matters worse we come up on 2 ladies in a canoe who are also looking for a campsite. Jim and I talk to them for a while then let them have the next site.  They looked even more tired than us.

The next site is 16.5. More than 3 miles further than we originally planned.  Almost 15 miles for the day. My longest solo paddle ever has only been 17 miles, so this is a long day.

It’s a decent campsite but it has very little firewood to scrounge for. We find some and with my hand axe chop up some more deadfall, but it’s way too wet for the most part.  We set up camp. Jim in his tent he uses for motorcycle tripping, me with my camping hammock. We are right on the river and it’s pretty cool.  The sun comes out for a few minutes, just before its time to set.

The fire is going and the menu is calling for fire grilled steaks and baked potatoes. So this fire has to be somewhat decent (at least to cook dinner).  I pull out my minimalistic camp grill and get cooking.  It’s getting dark and hard to see what is going on, but the steaks are pulled off, cooked perfectly. That’s not just me saying that, ask Jim.  The potatoes are in the coals (in foil) and they are nor too bad either. I had butter, cheese and bacon for toppings.  We eat by fire light and from a little lantern I brought.

We clean up, hang the bags for bears and other critters and sit around for the fire to die out.  Fine by me, we are both tired and ready for bed.  It’s really clear out, the stars are nice and bright and the temperatures are getting crisp. So much so we are forcasted for patchy frost tonight. 

However, we did not get too far away from the party.  We could hear a lot of whooping and loud laughter. Along with the occasional air horn?! Really.

The morning rolls around and so does the fog. All the cold temperatures and the warm river water created a thick blanket of fog.  Everything is soaked. It might as well have rained. We both lay in bed for a long time. I eventually send Jim a text to ask if he wants coffee. Yep too lazy to get out of bed and did not feel like yelling across the campsite.

Breakfast is burritos! Scrambled eggs, bacon and roasted red bell pepper in a tortilla. Camping does not mean roughing it. Cups of fresh brewed coffee as well.

Eventually the sun starts to burn off the fog and we pack up, unfortunately still wet because we need to get going. It’s getting late and we have already seen folks paddle past our site this morning.

We set off a bit after eleven and it’s going to be a lazy day.  The river is moving pretty fast so there is a little paddling, a little floating, a little drinking... repeat as needed. The sun is out in full today and it is glorious. The plan is to do another 10 or so miles and find a site with a picnic table.

We pass a few folks and decide that we want to get off the river earlier than yesterday and dry our stuff out, find some good fire wood and just relax. Around 2:30 we start looking for a campsite. A lot of people have the same idea and we again have to go a bit further than we wanted,  We grab a group campsite because it has a picnic table and the fact the ‘group’ ahead of us took a “non group” site.

It’s a little more difficult to ‘dock’ at this site but that’s a small price to pay for the nice site. Plenty of firewood, a picnic table, great views and my hammock site is on the ridge overlooking the river.

We get the tents, tarps and clothes up and drying in the sun.  Split some wood, start a fire for dinner and play some cribbage. Dad would be happy with this.

Dinner was some foil pack potatoes, carrots and onions roasted in the fire and some dehydrated chicken risotto.  Not as gourmet as the night before but you can only carry so much fresh food without a cooler
.

The night starts to fall and we stoke the fire. This site was flush with dead fall and leftover firewood from previous campers. With the axe it’s even better because we can split it and get to the inside dry wood.

I pull out my camera and take a few pictures. Then I have a few ideas. We start goofing around with fire, then a flashlight and take some long exposures. We are playing like we are 12 year olds again. It’s awesome.

Eventually we let the fire die down and hit the sack. At least tonight won’t be as cold as the previous one.

The next morning its overcast but the sun is trying to peek out. Breakfast is some hot muesli cereal and pancakes. Full complement with real butter, syrup and some re-hydrated milk.

Luckily there was no issues with moisture today, so we pack up and get on the river by 9:30.  Another almost 9 miles to get to the car.

Today there are also a few more rapids to liven up the trip.  About a half hour down we start to encounter the first little set.  Except they kind of sneak up on us. Jim hits a rock and gets turned sideways. Almost dumping it. I circle back against the current to give him some help.  More along the lines of yelling at him what he can try to do to get off this rock and not get too wet.  With some deft maneuvering he gets unstuck and only slightly wet to show for it. Good job.

The next few sets are fun we hit a max of about 7 miles per hour in some spots, Jim decides to follow me and my line.  A few bumps and scrapes but we make it through. We hit the confluence of the Namakagon and the St Croix River.  Eventually the St Croix will merge with the Mississippi around Hastings, Minnesota.  One more set of long rapids and then the takeout.

We take the boats and gear out load up the car and head out. I want to drive up to Superior to eat at the Thirsty Pagan Brewing Co. It’s a bit out of the way but Jim is a great passenger and concedes to my extra road time.  We get there and eat pizza and a calzone (and beer of course). The calzone was what I was jonesing for and it does not disappoint.

After lunch it’s a long 6 hour drive home. Made longer with gas stops and me getting pulled over for speeding. Yes, I was busted speeding as I entered a slowdown zone before a construction zone. Had a few conversations with the trooper about the boats and my license plate. He thinks it’s some plate that I put a sticker on, because he has never seen that type before (Donate Life). He comes back we chat it up a bit more and gives me a warning. Whew.

We finally get home, unpack and Jim gets on his bike. I feel bad, I drag him all over, have him paddle 35 miles, make him sleep on the ground (while I sleep in a hammock) and now he still has to drive home almost an hour in the dark. I hope he had a good time. At least I fed him well.

It was a great weekend.  I can’t wait for the next expedition.

See the full photo album here