Page 44 - "Mississippi in the 1st Person" - Michael James Stone (Demo/Free)

I sent my wife Lori to the headwaters cam site and got into my lead kayak and pushed off. As
typical to every Inflatable kayak that is not loaded down with gear, I nearly ate it.

I mean I NEARLY EMBARASSED MYSELF IN FRONT OF ALL OF LAKE

ITASCA.

Of course at this time of year there really wasn’t anyone around, so I recovered and started
North up the lake and saw some people on the beach to my right, east of me. I waved and felt

excited. I was finally on the water.

No wind. Lake was smaller than I imag-
ined. A minor swell, no chop. I tried to

gauge my distance to the rocks that would
herald the beginning of the Mississippi

River but I couldn’t tell so I sat down and
started paddling in earnest.

The ten foot paddle was nice. I liked hav-

ing it extended far out and easy to cup the
surface when I wanted to or dip the depth
when I wanted to pull. The funny thing was

I kept getting passed by my tow “the Sea
Eagle 420” -Eloquence.

Keeping track of time for the recording to

start, I began to paddle harder. No one was
on the lake, the sun was up and shining but no real warmth. I had on several layers as well as
my fishing PFD for it’s pockets. I didn’t work up a sweat per se, but I certainly was getting

over the peace and quiet of the Lake and getting into the typical Paddlers adrenaline rush.

Normally the North End of Lake Itasca is over grown with grasses, rushes, wild rice. Serious
People say Wild Rice and Bulrushes, but if something looks like grass to me, I call it grass till I

can figure it out.

ALL I KNOW IS LATER IN THE SEASON THIS WOULD LOOK LIKE A MARSH

Clear water, smooth paddling finally I could see a blond head on a shore not “too far off” and
as I stood up to continue paddling in I could see she was on the Phone. (Not a big surprise, but

soon I would be told it was one of my sisters “Chick”.