Day 4 (Time for plan B)

I knew all along that starting a trip like this on the Wisconsin river in December would put me precariously close to winter freeze up and real winter weather. However, because of the way things worked out with other things going on in my life, December was the earliest I could start. I could have launched further south (as any sane person would do, and my mother suggested) but my dream has always been to paddle from Portage all the way back to Portage. My stubborn streak wouldn’t waver from that idea and so it was that I launched from Portage on that beautiful sunny winter day just last Sunday.

The first day was pretty much the sort of weather I expected and planned for. Day two brought some snow but was not a surprise this time of year. By day three when I launched in falling snow and ended the day in a driving snow storm, I was grateful to have my parents shadowing me as a support crew… Then the hammer fell.

Over night we watched the small town of Boscobel Wisconsin go from early December with snow to late January-like blizzard conditions. Six inches of snow had fallen over night with strong winds with sub zero temperatures (and dangerously low wind chills) to follow. I had based my planning on the historical average temperatures and the memory of only wishing for a white Christmas this time of year. Call me naive if you will but this weather was a surprise.

As we sat in our motel room this morning it was obvious that the thought of getting back on the water was out for today. Not that I couldn’t have paddled, our main concern was that my parents wouldn’t be able to get to me with the truck later in the day. Take outs are far and few between down here and tend to be on back roads that are the last to be plowed open. With paddling out for the day we turned our attention to the weather and to figuring out what our plan of action would be for the next few days.

Snowy highway

What it boiled down to was this. We’d wait another day for the temperatures to go up to something more reasonable than the minus 11 wind chills that were predicted for tomorrow. Then, if the river was still unfrozen I would resume paddling with plans to finally reach the Mississippi and finally turn south. If the river was frozen then we’d be forced to head south to find open water to resume paddling. With this plan in place we anxiously watched the weather channel and reports of how hard Iowa and points south of here were being hit by this storm. The reality remained that even if the river wasn’t frozen, and I could continue from here, I would still be firmly in full on deep-winter conditions when my parents head back home six days from now. The idea of just cutting our losses and heading south was in the back ground until we drove to the river to have a look, what we saw there removed all doubt that it would be wise to do just that. People have paddled in worse conditions (remember it was Eskimos that invented the sport) but I believe it would be irresponsible to paddle solo in a river choked with slushy ice packs in wind chills at or below zero. This trip is supposed to be an adventure not a death defying stunt.

Rafts of snow and ice

The sign says it all

Here is where luck and good timing come into play. Doug Klapper is the gentleman that joined me the first day to escort me out of town on a stand up paddleboard. I enjoyed his company and conversation for the first few miles of this trip. While we talked he mentioned that he knew some folks on the Mississippi that might be a good source of information and I asked him to please direct them to my web site. A day later Tammy Becker e-mailed me offering up a meal, shower, and warm bed to sleep in when I made it to the Quad cities area around Davenport Iowa. She said that if I needed help with anything to just let her know. It turns out that Tammy’s boyfriend is Chad Pregracke. Chad started Living Lands & Waters, a nationally-renowned river cleanup organization (when he was just 23 years old). Tammy, Chad, and their crew have 4 barges, one with a house on it and we travel up and down the Mississippi, Ohio, Illinois and other rivers collecting debris off the shorelines and islands for about 9 months out of the year. Check out their website if you have the chance what they‘re doing is incredible: www.livinglandsandwaters.org

I figured that if there is anybody that would be a good source of info to figure out my next steps. While I was writing an e-mail to beg for information from her, Tammy was writing a follow up e-mail wondering how I was doing with this big storm. Long story short we have come up with plan B. Tomorrow while the winds are driving temperatures to a point that can freeze exposed flesh, we’ll be driving south a couple hundred miles to rendezvous with Tammy and Chad. Once there, we’ll spend a day tracking down a couple bits of gear that will make my life easier then re-group and get back on the water. There is still a lot of snow on the ground down there but, the thought is that with my parents following me for a few more days, I’ll finally be far enough south to not have to worry about any more storms like this. Knock on wood.

This decision has not come easy to me as the continuity of the trip has always been intriguing to me. At the same time I’ve also been a bit disappointed that, it being winter, I wouldn’t be able to meet as many people on the water during the first leg of this trip - I haven’t seen a soul since Doug the first day… go figure - By jumping south now it leaves a gap in the loop that will need to be filled. Next October after I make it back to Portage I intend to come right back to Boscobel do just that. Perhaps then I will be able to convince some of the local paddlers in the area to join me for a beautiful week long trip to enjoy the fall colors as we float down the river to Davenport.