Kayakers Circumnavigate Lake Superior

by Dave Freeman
A Canoe and Kayak Web Exclusive

Week One - Sept. 4

Students and teachers from Great Expectations pose with us before we left Grand Marais.

Great Expectations, a charter school in Grand Marais, Minnesota, came marching down the beach joining the crowd of friends and family anxious to see us off on our two-month journey around Lake Superior. Over a year of planning has gone into making this dream a reality. The thought of actually launching our kayaks into the growing surf and heading out on a 1,200-mile jaunt around the largest lake in the world was both exhilarating and terrifying.

Then with one final flurry of activity everything was stowed away. The last questions from students were answered, so we launched into the waves as our well-wishers cheered. I quickly forgot that I had only slept for three hours, and the stresses of city life quickly began to wash away as we paddled out of ear shot. It felt great to be under way and know that we will not have to sleep inside, ride in a car, or watch TV for along time.

After a few hours of paddling into a stiff headwind, my soft muscles began to tire and plead for rest. We were comfortable paddling in the 3 to 4 foot waves, but landing our heavily loaded boats in crashing surf made us nervous. Finally, we found a large rock close to shore that allowed us to sneak onto a beach. After 5 hours of paddling, we stretched our legs, shoveled down handfuls of GORP, and gave our arms a much needed break.

That day we struggled 15 miles to get to the Brule River. We decided to treat ourselves to dinner at the historic Nanibijou Lodge. The lodge was built in the 1920s as a private club for the rich and famous. In fact, Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey were two of the original members. However, after the stock market crash in 1929, the lodge started to lose its clients. Eventually the lodge re-opened and has a great restaurant in a huge dining room. It felt kind of strange walking into a restaurant on the first day of our journey, but we reasoned that we deserved it and we wouldn't have an opportunity like that for quite a while.

The next day brought lighter wind and calmer water, so we packed on the miles. As we settled into our second camp near Grand Portage, Minnesota, my arms felt tired in a way that was different from the day before. The paddling hadn't been very strenuous, but the day had sure been long.

Several more days of paddling have brought us into Canada. The Canadian shoreline is wild and rugged. Rocky islands and bays pepper the coastline and provide us with constantly changing scenery. Signs of civilization are few and far between. As if on cue, we caught our first fish of the trip right as we crossed from Minnesota into Ontario. It was a small Pink Salmon, and I think I hooked it in Minnesota and dragged it into Canada before realizing it was on the end of my line. Hopefully, the fish will continue to bite because we are anxious to supplement our diet with more fresh fish.

Slowly our muscles and our minds are getting used to life on the water, and lighter winds have made paddling much easier. Everyday, Lake Superior is starting to feel more and more like home.