St. Louis River, September 29th, 2001
Sixteen ISKers gathered at Fond du Lac on the St. Louis River for a ten mile paddle towards Spirit Lake. What a day!
Those who camped Friday night at Jay Cooke State Park experienced a night in the thirties. It's been a while since we could see our breath during dinner... We warmed by the campfire and by taking a moonlit walk down to the Swinging Bridge.
We organized a shuttle on Saturday morning which worked smoothly and relatively quickly. Although the morning was foggy and cold, the sun did burn through and we were surprised by a day in the seventies. We had a picnic lunch midway through the paddle. The leaves were turning and it was a pretty day to be kayaking. Sure, it was opening day of duck hunting and we found ourselves occasionally listening to the staccato of guns and even coming around a bend a bit close to a duck blind -- but we enjoyed the paddle, each other's company, and the scenery alongside the river.
We did not see too much wildlife, a little disappointing, but binoculars were close at hand anyway -- even Dana's -- which took a 30 minute ride unattached and precariously balanced on his hatch cover. Please note: they did not fall into 15 feet of cold water and need to be fished out (see Isle Royale report to find out what happened the last time he tried this one).
 Jay Cooke State Park |  Jay Cooke State Park |