Another big day

Day 2 of the expedition ends with 34 miles at Silver Springs Campsite just outside of Bemidji.  Aaron said he will try to call tomorrow if he gets cell coverage.  Aaron & Jake were hoping to average 30 miles a day for the trip, at this rate they will blow that average away.  The first few weeks of this trip should be the slowest yet they have averaged close to 30 miles between the first two days.

Tomorrow has thunderstorms forcasted and they have several large lakes to navigate.

Posted by Aaron's dad

Day 1, 25 miles down 2286 to go

I got a text from Aaron tonight around 5:00 pm it read "Made 25 miles, camping at Stumphges Rapids".  They will have to pass through Lake Bemidji tomorrow, shortly after the lake they will pass the furthest north point on the Mississippi River ... it will all be south bound after that.

Posted by Aaron's dad

We're off!!!!!

Aaron’s dad will be updating this blog every week as they make their journey down the Mississippi River. You can follow their progress on the map to the right. Actually the first week of the journey they will be heading north. The Mississippi River headwaters begin at Lake Itasca and then travel north east through the Minnesota Northwoods. I was told by Aaron that the water is very low which means the first few days could be the hardest part of the entire journey.

An excerpt from the Minnesota DNR’s canoe map: Lake Itasca – Cass Lake


“At Lake Itasca 2,348 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, 560 miles from Minneapolis-St. Paul, the Mississippi River begins its course. In its first 90 miles, the river winds through ancient lake beds, and occasionally rushes through narrow valleys of spruce. At Bemidji, the river flows through the first of several lakes. This is the most scenic and most remote of the Mississippi’s Minnesota miles.The paddlers need some skills and patience in this section. There are rocky riffles, snags, and beaver dams to be maneuvered around. Campsites that are accessed from the river only, require wilderness skills.”

Thank you

Before we shove off Saturday, May 29th, we would like to thank everyone who showed their generous support for our venture and its cause.  We can't begin to thank all of the friends, family, and organizations who have helped us with gear, financial provisions, and support.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to reach out to everyone individually to tell how much we appreciate their kindness.  There were many people who helped us out, including Denise, who just gave a whole load of food to help us through the northern section. 

The high quality gear and equipment that was donated by different outdoor companies and organizations will help us immensely on the trip.  Their websites are located on the blog, and we hope you will think about the generosity they showed us when looking for your next outdoor equipment purchase.

After much planning and anticipation, we hope that everyone will read our blog and follow along with us on our journey.  Now, we head North.

Thank you very much,

Aaron & Jake

Gear to Grow

Gear to Grow, a non-profit organization out of Utah, is sending us a whole box of camping gear. They are an organization that collects gear donations from outdoor companies and send them to other charities, such as CityWild, Leave No Trace, and more. They have added Canoe for the Cure to the list. We couldn't thank Gear to Grow and JT Von Lunen enough for this donation.