May 5, 2005
“You are listening to National Weather Service radio station WXM 99…. Here’s the weather summary…Cold conditions will continue…snow showers and light rain…low’s 30-35, high in the mid 40’s, winds 15-20 mph..”
The cracking, digitized voice from the weather radio was bringing us little good news but is was time to get moving. It was time to get this show on the road – rain, sleet, snow, or gloom of night be damned.
Somehow we managed to get on the river a day earlier than expected. We were exhausted from packing, driving up, and all the last-minute running around but still anxious to get on the water. I felt a combination of joy and panic just before the first paddle stroke knowing that there were some 2,350 miles staring us in the face. All of the months of planning, dreaming, and worrying were now behind us and we could just concentrate on paddling.
The Mississippi River begins in Itasca State Park, Minnesota, as the outflow of Lake Itasca. Itasca State Park was established in 1891 to help protect the surrounding pine forests from logging. The Civilian Conservation Corps built many of the current facilities during the 1930’s, including the small rock dam at the end of Lake Itasca where the river begins its journey to the Gulf of Mexico.
At the very headwaters, the Mississippi resembles more a creek than a river. It’s about fifteen feet wide and maybe fourteen inches deep—you could step across it if you wanted to. As we were loading the canoe, several kids ran back and forth a little log bridge that spanned the river. I wondered if they had any idea how big that little creek gets or where it ends up.
Just before we pushed off I took good luck drink from the lake. The water was so cold it made my teeth hurt. As I helped load the last final items with an ice cream headache, the thought of capsizing the canoe went through my head. Usually I’m always up for a swim but that’s going to have to wait until it warms up a little bit. I’m convinced the reason the water is so cold here is because it’s piped in from the Arctic Circle.
No matter what happens over the next ten weeks I’m happy that we just tried to make a go of this trip. Taking a risk to hang your dream out there for the world to see is terrifying, yet fulfilling all the same. The first step is always the hardest, so everything else is gravy now.
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