Four Weeks

It is four weeks until we push off to finish the Canadian part of the Red River, followed by the 250 miles of Lake Winnipeg. The Winnipeg Free Press reports that “the Red River has crested and flooding season has essentially ended.” Perhaps we won’t have to relive our mudhole experiences from last year. The paper also says that “the rest of the spring and incoming summer is expected to be warmer than normal but likely won’t involve major precipitation.” That is very good news for us, as we have been second-guessing ourselves concerning our departure date of June 8th. The ice on Elbow Lake in northern Minnesota where my cabin is located just went out this week. Manitoba will certainly be colder than here, and none of us wants to freeze while paddling. We are preparing with lots of warm clothes, plenty of food, and a canoe spray skirt to keep us dry and shielded from the wind.
We have purchased three new tents, a new Jetboil, new rain jackets, and some bear spray. I varnished my paddle and dug out my old aluminum bear-proof food box. We sent a shipment of food to Winnipeg to resupply our stash once we get there. We purchased a Garmin satellite communicator and emergency locator. In theory at least we will be able to post our progress on a map available on this website. We invite you to follow our progress! We have our passports in hand as well as our Manitoba fishing licenses. We have secured a ride to our starting point. We think we are all set!