Mississippi River Challenge

Over August 4 & 5 the annual FMR Mississippi River Challenge took place. Unfortunately, the tragedy of the I-35 bridge collapse cut our route in half. So, with some last minute scrambling and logistics shuffling, FMR changed the event to commence at Fort Snelling and end at the original finish point, Grey Cloud Island.

This year I volunteered as a safety captain. The responsibilities involved keeping people safe, leading the course and assisting wherever needed. It felt good being purposeful and if you really applied yourself there was always something to do no matter how small.
After dropping my kayak at the landing at Fort Snelling Park, we dropped our vehicles at Grey Cloud and then, when our time came, we gave the safety briefing to the participants on the bus, traveling back to the Fort.
That gray evening saw a tent with a band performing, good food and a canoe full of Summit beer. It always feels a special privilege, to pitch your tent in the middle of the fort's parade grounds and roam the walls and towers. After helping with the set up and the service from the beer canoe, a few of us had a special invite to the VIP tent in which the head chef from Muffaletta was serving some incredibly tasty ribs and dolmades. After that we made our way back to the main food tent and then returned to the beer canoe.
I was happy to get away and take the path down from the fort to where our boats lay in anticipation. After taking a shift monitoring the boats, I had a nice conversation with a new friend and then I crawled into the canoe of the voyageur re-enactors, who had tipped it over and constructed a tent from it's new position. We had a brief chat about voyageur history. Then, it was back to the Fort where I climbed into my tent whilst some others still remained partying.

Morning saw us push off after the drum ceremony of some Ojibwa Indians. The paddle was a nice one. No major emergencies popped up, though I did have to radio back to the headquarters to help some abandoned park rangers at the 694 landing.
It was a nice ride but a little sobering to pass the St. Paul storm sewer drain where the bodies of two missing sewer workers had been found only a week previous. I had been down in the water then, looking by the piers, barges and even under the paddle wheel of the American Queen, to hopefully find the last missing worker. Keeping that in mind, as well as the continuing search of the I-35 victims, the river took on an even more sacred presence. The eternal flow of the Mississippi would carry the equally eternal souls of those who had passed upon it. It was that river which now carried me.

At Lion's Levee came the most precious part of the journey. A separate back channel could be found here, just past the marina. In fact, it was completely new to me until I volunteered to scout it's depth just a few days before. So, I did my best to guide some boats into this secret path but most opted for the main channel. Which, in my own ignorance, I had done until recently as well.

The channel was quiet and peaceful, only some 30 feet across and bordered on either side with lush trees which atop a 10-foot sandstone ledge on the northern side. We paddled down, looking at the trees, arrowhead plant, white geese and occasional egrets and herons. Eventually, the back channel joined with the mighty main channel, but not before I took the opportunity to paddle beneath a special rock overhang that held itself some 7 feet over the water.
With some weariness we made our way to the end. The clapping of volunteers, though embarassing, also signified the end to the long 22, or so, mile paddle. Getting out, walking down to recover my vehicle, loading my kayak, eating a mock duck sandwich, handing in equipment, saying last goodbyes, marked the end of the adventure.