This is a post from Jake's nephew, Noah who spent the day following Jake through the Appleton area.
Me helping Jake portage his kayak
Today we drove to Kaukauna and I took a little walk with Uncle Jake and his kayak. Then we went to play at my Nana and Papa's house while Uncle Jake was paddling.
Me and Ty in Kaukauna
Me and Ty waiting for Jake at a park.
Then we met Jake at a park then went to Tom's Drive In to eat lunch. We brought Jake lunch from Tom's Drive In.
I liked Uncle Jake's lunch too!
Then I opened the locks and bridge for Uncle Jake.
Me opening the lock.
Me opening the bridge.
When I was done helping Uncle Jake I let this man take over!
We then brought Uncle Jake back to Nana and Papa's house. This morning we had scrambled eggs and sausages and then we went to the water and we saw Uncle Jake paddling away. Then we went home.
Day 255 (Followup post from Uncle Jake)
Daily Stats
Start: 9:00 AM - Kaukauna, WI
Finish 6:30 PM - Menasha, WI
Time: 9:30 hours
Daily dist: 15 miles
Total dist: 5000+
Companions: Mark, Terry, Tim, Jeff
Weather: Mostly clear skies, 70’s, SW wind 15-20
Notes: Seven portages in fifteen miles.
Start: 9:00 AM - Kaukauna, WI
Finish 6:30 PM - Menasha, WI
Time: 9:30 hours
Daily dist: 15 miles
Total dist: 5000+
Companions: Mark, Terry, Tim, Jeff
Weather: Mostly clear skies, 70’s, SW wind 15-20
Notes: Seven portages in fifteen miles.
If someone told me that they had fun portaging their boat around seven lock and dam facilities in one day I would think they were nuts. Yet I must admit, that despite all the carrying, I had a great time today.
However, if things had been different… if I still had my boat full of eighty pounds of gear, if I hadn’t been able to pre scout the portages in my friend’s car, if I had camped on the hard ground the last few nights, if my cousin and her daughter hadn’t seen me off in the morning, if my brother and his family hadn’t met me along the way even with a burger for lunch, and (most importantly) if I hadn’t had three friends join me on the water and another to help carry at the last four portages… without a doubt, I wouldn’t have had as much fun.
However, if things had been different… if I still had my boat full of eighty pounds of gear, if I hadn’t been able to pre scout the portages in my friend’s car, if I had camped on the hard ground the last few nights, if my cousin and her daughter hadn’t seen me off in the morning, if my brother and his family hadn’t met me along the way even with a burger for lunch, and (most importantly) if I hadn’t had three friends join me on the water and another to help carry at the last four portages… without a doubt, I wouldn’t have had as much fun.
A rough way to start a day of paddling
Forget about enjoying any day of portaging, how crazy do you have to be to start your day by taking your kayak off the top of a perfectly good truck to place it on a portage cart in order to begin a mile long walk down a paved road. Throughout this trip the only rule I’ve had is that I can’t be conveyed forward along the route by automobile. You can pick me up and take me half way around the world, but you must drop me off to resume the trip right where you found me. Implied or not, the rule was never specifically applied to the kayak and gear as well. It is my trip, and my one and only rule, so I have interpreted it as I pleased. That being said the gear I don’t care about. If someone is willing to lighten my load by hauling my gear ahead for me, they are more than welcome. The kayak however, is a different story.
This may sound strange, but after eight months and 5000 miles I have developed a sort of connection to my boat, almost to the point where we have become partners in the effort to complete this loop. After so much time spent looking after the kayak, I feel a sort of separation anxiety every time I leave it behind and travel into a town. It would be unimaginable for me to have the Ikkuma hauled ahead of me around an obstacle, such as a mile long portage, while I walked empty handed. Or at the finish line for me to leave the Ikkuma at the end of the Fox River while I walk the last two miles across town to where I started on the Wisconsin last December. We’ve done the entire route together so far so I intend to make sure that we do every inch together all the way back to where we started.
It is with that spirit that I passed on the opportunity to do the sensible thing and start the day by driving around the non-operating lock and paper mill that blocked the river this morning. Instead I rolled my kayak for a mile around the facility on the wheels I’ve carried on the entire route. My gear however, I was very grateful to have hauled around in my brother’s Jeep.
This may sound strange, but after eight months and 5000 miles I have developed a sort of connection to my boat, almost to the point where we have become partners in the effort to complete this loop. After so much time spent looking after the kayak, I feel a sort of separation anxiety every time I leave it behind and travel into a town. It would be unimaginable for me to have the Ikkuma hauled ahead of me around an obstacle, such as a mile long portage, while I walked empty handed. Or at the finish line for me to leave the Ikkuma at the end of the Fox River while I walk the last two miles across town to where I started on the Wisconsin last December. We’ve done the entire route together so far so I intend to make sure that we do every inch together all the way back to where we started.
It is with that spirit that I passed on the opportunity to do the sensible thing and start the day by driving around the non-operating lock and paper mill that blocked the river this morning. Instead I rolled my kayak for a mile around the facility on the wheels I’ve carried on the entire route. My gear however, I was very grateful to have hauled around in my brother’s Jeep.
Jenny and Lydia saying goodbye from the road rather than the dock
It was my cousin Jenny and her daughter Lydia that dropped me off this morning. I’ve been staying with them for the last three nights getting the chance to get caught up, at least a little, after I’ve been away for ten years. About a half hour after I parted ways with Jenny and Lydia, my brother and his family (including his father in law Vern) caught up with me while took my kayak for a walk. His wife Amy is from the Appleton area and her parents still live here so it gave them enough reason to drive over to see me as I passed through her old stomping grounds. After taking a few photographs they checked in on me throughout the day at parks and bridges I passed along the way. A mile up the river from my third portage they even brought down a burger, cheese curds, and fries for lunch. Thank goodness it was a busy day to burn off a meal like that.
At the third portage local paddlers Mark and Terry jumped on the water to join me. Then a mile later Tim joined in on the fun. Any thoughts I had that I was crazy were diluted when I considered the fact that these guys came out to do all the portages with me, regardless of how many carry free paddling destinations there are in the area. Even more crazy still may be Jeff who came out straight from work to see us through the last four carries of the day. He mostly came to say hello and take pictures but was quickly recruited into hauling boats. They may be a little nuts for coming along today but I sure did appreciate the company and help along the way.
With Jeff's help we were able to make a train and carry all the boats thru in one go.
With all the help and company the day was more fun than it should have been. The first few portages were a bit challenging but the longest of those three was made much easier by the Fox River Lock and Canal workers when they unlocked a gate allowing me to use a service road that parallels the canal. Without that shortcut I would have had to roll a lot further, up a hill through city streets. The last four portages made about as convenient as they could be by the recent addition of stairs, ramps, and signs to help people off and on the water as they carry around the many dams in town.
The last lock I would come to is actually still in operation so Luke and I carefully planned to have his family there when I finally locked through rather than carry around. This lock was the end of the road for my paddling partners so I bid them farewell before entering the lock chamber. I figured my nephew Noah would get a kick out of just seeing the lock operate. However, the lockmaster made Noah’s day when he let Noah push the crank bar to open the lock gate himself. He then topped that off by letting Noah open the adjacent draw bridge as well. What a thrill for a five year old.
A few miles past the lock I met up with Luke and his crew one last time at a boat ramp where we loaded my boat onto his Jeep and drove out to his in-laws’ house where we spent the night. It had been quite some time since I’d visited with Nancy and Vern and it was great to see them again. They’ve been following the trip since the beginning and had noticed that a frequently mentioned underlying theme to many of my posts was food, so they did all they could to stuff me full with an awesome home cooked meal before sending me back out on the water. Before I left Nancy was sure to show me the project she has planned for finishing off their basement a project she’d like me to do and a reminder that the real world is catching up
The last lock I would come to is actually still in operation so Luke and I carefully planned to have his family there when I finally locked through rather than carry around. This lock was the end of the road for my paddling partners so I bid them farewell before entering the lock chamber. I figured my nephew Noah would get a kick out of just seeing the lock operate. However, the lockmaster made Noah’s day when he let Noah push the crank bar to open the lock gate himself. He then topped that off by letting Noah open the adjacent draw bridge as well. What a thrill for a five year old.
A few miles past the lock I met up with Luke and his crew one last time at a boat ramp where we loaded my boat onto his Jeep and drove out to his in-laws’ house where we spent the night. It had been quite some time since I’d visited with Nancy and Vern and it was great to see them again. They’ve been following the trip since the beginning and had noticed that a frequently mentioned underlying theme to many of my posts was food, so they did all they could to stuff me full with an awesome home cooked meal before sending me back out on the water. Before I left Nancy was sure to show me the project she has planned for finishing off their basement a project she’d like me to do and a reminder that the real world is catching up
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