Continuing on around the big lake

Here’s some follow-up to my last post.  Before I left the Nipigon-Red Rock area yesterday morning I took a little hike up the Nipigon River trail to the top of a ridge that offers this view of where I paddled on Tuesday:

That's the town of Red Rock in the right portion of the photo.  You can see the town's white water tower along the photo's right edge.  The marina complex extends into the water from the town.  The Nipigon River flows in from the lower left, and the body of water we're looking at is Nipigon Bay.  The island marked "A" is LaGrange Island, and the one marked "B" is Burnt Island.

On Tuesday I paddled out from the marina and did a clockwise loop around LaGrange Island.  One of the things I know but am sometimes lulled into forgetting is how deceiving distance can be out on open water: as I looked from the marina out to LaGrange Island I thought, "It's not that far."  But it took me just about an hour to reach the island's left-most point, even with the sprints I threw in to catch some little downwind runs.  As I said in my last post, the wind came up dramatically as I rounded LaGrange, and the roughest water I encountered was in that channel between LaGrange Island and Burnt Island.

One thing I forgot to mention in my last post was that I did have my drink pouch full of an electrolyte-rich sports drink, but I almost didn’t take it.  At home when I go for an under-two-hour training paddle, I usually don’t bother with it, choosing instead to be well-hydrated ahead of time and have some water waiting for me on the dock.  But on Tuesday something made me decide at the last minute to take some fluids along.  It might be hyperbole to say that decision saved my life, but then again, it might not be.  I was definitely grateful to have them once I found myself with a much longer, harder paddle on my hands than I’d expected.

Anyway, I hope this photo gives you a better idea of what I was talking about in my last post.  I should note that the bay is much more placid in this photo than it was when I was out there paddling.

After the hike I got in the truck and headed west.  My destination was a campground in Grand Marais, Minnesota, where I'd made a reservation.  I'd decided I'd had enough of Canada for the time being.  That's not because my time there wasn't interesting and enjoyable; I simply was ready to be back where I know how everything works, and where the features of my phone are fully functional.  Also, I'd chosen to pass through Canada without going to the trouble of getting any of its currency; if there was something I couldn't pay for with a credit card, I simply went without it.  Now I was ready to be back where my money will spend.

It was raining in Grand Marais when I made my camping reservation, but I checked the forecast and it looked like the rain would be moving out.  I drove through some of that same rain as I proceeded west.  It was also quite chilly--I'm guessing it was no more than maybe 55 degrees Fahrenheit.  The weather was what we normally have in March in Memphis.

The rain was indeed gone when I got to Grand Marais, and it started clearing up later in the evening, but it remained chilly.  Fortunately I have a good sleeping bag, and I was nice and cozy once I was settled in for the night.

Today has been sunny and beautiful, but cool.  I think it stayed below 60 degrees Fahrenheit.  The campground is right on the shore of Lake Superior, and this morning I went out for a 70-minute paddle.  I headed in the direction of Duluth for 35 minutes, then turned around and came back.  The breeze wasn’t strong, but at least it was blowing in, toward shore.  On the way back I had some more of those small downwind conditions that I’ve seen a lot of on this trip, and I had some fun working them.  The most peculiar thing about paddling here is the water seems noticeably colder than it was up along the Ontario shoreline.  If I paddle here again I’ll layer up a little more.

Of course, the most significant thing about this morning’s session is that it was my first time ever to paddle in the state of Minnesota.

This afternoon I opted for a bike ride.  A part of the Gitchi Gami State Bicycle Trail runs through Grand Marais, so I went to check it out.  The ultimate goal of the trail builders is for it to run from Duluth all the way to the Canadian border, but it’s being built in segments as funding becomes available—the same thing that’s happening with our Wolf River Greenway in Memphis and Shelby County.

So the section I rode today was a few miles long, and it was a good ride, with some rolling terrain and some nice views of Lake Superior.

Today was probably my only day in Minnesota with good weather.  The forecast says rain will be moving in overnight, and tomorrow the rain chance is 100%.  I’m really hoping it won’t start raining here until I’ve broken camp, but it’s sounding like I shouldn’t count on it.  This evening I’m going to pre-pack as much as I can so I can get up and out quickly in the morning.

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