This is the end...this is the end...my only friends...the end...
On Saturday, August 18th at approximately 11am central time Jeff "The Platypus" Petrie and Edmund "The Electric Eel" Eilbacher reached mile zero of the Mississippi River!
From Vicksburg we headed down the river with our eyes set on Louisiana's capital city, Baton Rouge. The time spent between Vicksburg and Baton Rouge was pretty uneventful although high temperatures, humidity, and the increasing distances between sandbars to use as camping spots kept the days interesting.
We arrived in Baton Rouge on Thursday, August 9 about mid-day. After a little discussion we decided to park/lock the canoe to a railing on the levee just down river of the large red letters spelling out Baton Rouge to river goers. We kept our less valuable gear in our totes and hid them in a bush hoping the vagrants would not happen upon them. With our backpacks on and paddles in hand we headed into the city.
First stop, the library. With a little direction from some helpful strangers we made it there relatively quickly and started our search for places to stay. There were a few cheap hotels outside of the city but we learned from Vicksburg that the taxi fees add up and it is just as cheap to pay the inner city price.
So, we stayed at the Hilton right down-town. It turns out the management was so impressed by our trip that they reduced the room rate! If you are reading this, thank you Rebecca for helping us out with the room and getting us connected with Woody. We will definitely be in touch next time we come through Baton Rouge.
After a dip in the pool and a nap we headed out to see what the city had to offer for food and nightlife. It turns out there are not many places to eat in Baton Rouge after 2pm. Since there is so much activity in the city during the day most eateries are only open during the lunch hour. With very little knowledge of any open restaurants we had to settle for appetizers at the Roux House. We couldn't complain though as there was live music to entertain us.
We made friends with Julian, an employee of the Roux House that got done with work early for the night. She told us all the hot spots in town and what museums/historical spots to see during the day. We spent the rest of the night on 3rd street.
The next day the two of us split up and searched the city on our own. I took a walk along the river, saw the old state building and the new state building. Petrie ended up meeting back up with Julian and got the local tour of the city. Julian introduced Petrie to a few old high school friends who happened to be in town running the Art, Ready, Go Scavenger Hunt being put on by the LSU Museum of Art. They told Petrie we should attend, and later that night attend we did.
The scavenger hunt was a blast. They opened three of the city's museums after hours for this event: The LSU Museum of Art, the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, and the Louisiana State Museum. We were given a list of questions and the answers were hidden in each museum. We ended up getting back with our answers third however did not finish too well in points as we had a few questions wrong. They held the after-party at a place called Tsunami, a very hip sushi bar on top of the Museum of Art that has a patio overlooking Mississippi River.
Here we met Paige, Sarah, and Ashley the ladies who helped put the event together and who would later become our tour guide to all the charms Baton Rouge had to offer such as Louie's late night and Boutin's for a Cajun dinner and dancing. We had such a good time in Baton Rouge that we decided to stay another night and head out on Sunday instead of Saturday. It was a good thing we did because Sarah and Ashley got us in contact with the local news station, Channel 2, and they did a story about us. It aired that Sunday first as a short mention at 5pm and then as a full story at 10pm. We are working on getting the tape!
As we shoved off for New Orleans with the camera rolling we had no clue what was about to unfold in the days ahead. 230 miles was all that we had left of the trip and we expected it to take just under five days. However, the river had a different idea as to our arrival time at mile zero. We hadn't anticipated that the river would stop flowing altogether and that we would be back to making thirty mile days.
It ended up taking us four days to paddle the 130 mile to New Orleans due to the current slowing down considerably and a 20 m.p.h. headwind every day. The traffic on the river picked up considerably. Tankers were introduced to our environment. However their introduction was not a hostile one as despite their enormous size they put off a very small wake and they are easily spotted from far distances giving you time to maneuver out of their way. In some locations on the river there were tankers lined up for miles. It was an impressive sight with a grouping of 12 tankers anchored along the banks of the Mississippi. Barges also lined the banks with tows moving all over the river.
Industry was apparent as grain elevators and oil refinery's line the banks of this portion of the trip. As we passed one factory we noticed the water had gotten considerably warmer, in fact you could feel the heat radiating off the water. The water at the point must have been near 100 F. Whichever plant it was was getting rid of it's heat waste in the Mississippi.
When we finally arrived in New Orleans we met up with Edmund's relative, Jeanne Woods. She bought us a great meal, put us up for the night, delivered an electric motor with two marine batteries and a solar panel which was donated by Tyler Leben (an old rugby buddy of Petrie's), and brought us back to the river the next day. We both lightened our loads considerably, leaving a lot of equipment behind so that we could get the motor and batteries on board without sinking the canoe.
That next day, Thursday the 16th, Petrie got to working on piecing together the trolling motor and modifying the canoe so that we knew it would work. You might be asking yourself why we would need a motor...the last town accessible by highway on the Mississippi is Venice, LA. Venice is located on mile 10 of the Mississippi, we did not think we would be able to fight the current for ten miles back up to Venice, that's where we would use the motor to power us back up the river. After all, we never said we were going to paddle back up the river!
After Petrie did his checks on the motor, all systems were go. We took the motor apart and placed it in the canoe with a "Do not open 'till mile zero" sign on it. Not really, but we both agreed not to use it until we hit mile zero. You get the point.
With only 98 more miles to go we were both pretty anxious to see the end. As we started to paddle off we realized we were making horrible time. It seemed that the river did not want us to finish as in some parts, when we took a break, the current was flowing back up river. We came to the conclusion that we were making between 1.5 - 3 miles per hour paddling our hardest. It was frustrating. Especially when the winds kicked in.
If we continued at this pace we would not have completed the trip until sometime in the middle of the next week. So we made a decision, we will arrive at mile zero on Saturday, August 18th, no matter how long we have to paddle. Even if it means paddling through the night.
Paddle through the night we did. I must admit, paddling at night is an experience! It is beautiful on the river under the stars and the moon. Everything in your view seems to pass by as if you were moving at light speed: the silhouettes of the trees lining the banks, the barges, and the tankers all whiz by at an incredible speed which is incredibly deceiving as time seems to stop. What seems like two hours of paddling turns out to have only been a half an hour.
We maneuvered all around barges hard at work into the night and tankers gliding across the river. We passed numerous, huge oil refineries that lit up the sky with a golden glow that you could see from miles away as we paddled into the night. Finally, at about 2am we had reached mile 58 and I, Edmund, could not keep my eyes open anymore. We ended up tying up to the mile 58 buoy platform and taking a four hour nap underneath the stars. Petrie slept in the canoe as Edmund climbed the platform and slept.
As the sun rose so did we. We had a quick breakfast and started into another long day of paddling. This portion of the trip was a lot less congested. We did not see any barges. The only traffic were the tankers heading for the Gulf of Mexico or up to New Orleans/Baton Rouge.
We paddled all day and again into the night, this time reaching Venice, LA (mile 10) at approximately 11 pm. All the while as we paddled we started to realize this would be our last full day on the river. Our dinner of ramen noodles and canned chicken would be our last for a while. We would be rejoining society within the next 24 hours and we would no longer be taking baths or washing our clothes in the river. Our openness towards belching and farting would probably no longer be accepted.
When we arrived in Venice, we looked for a place to sleep. We found an industrial harbor and ended up tying up underneath a wooden structure that looked like an abandoned part of a dock. Petrie fell asleep right away, but Edmund kept bumping his head on a beam of the dock. He decided he would get a better nights sleep on the grass so he climbed up the dock and swung onto a patch of grass where he laid his head down for the night.
I should have stayed in the boat! At approximately 4:30 am I woke up to an army of fire ants biting me all over my body. The next day I had about 30 welts on my back alone. My hands, feet, and buttocks were also covered in welts. One good thing came out of this event, as the ants acted as a natural alarm clock and got us up and moving before sunrise.
We had breakfast, dropped off any unnecessary equipment such as our tents and backpacks, loaded the canoe with the motor, batteries, solar panel, a little food, water, and some sunscreen and headed for mile zero.
It turns out that Venice is a very busy fishing village. As we headed out at about 6am a ton of private/commercial fishing boats were heading out to the their favorite fishing holes.
At around 11 am we arrived at mile zero! 89 Days from the start of the river in Lake Itasca, MN we had paddled 2,320 miles to mile zero! We climbed up onto the buoy platform, gave each other a hug, called our loved ones and let them know we had done it. We spent about an hour up on that buoy taking pictures and recalling all the events that had lead up to that one moment and just soaked it all in: two individuals, proud as we could be standing at the end of our accomplishment looking back up river.
Then we realized we could be celebrating in New Orleans and it was time to get back to Venice to meet the individuals that would be purchasing our canoe and giving us a lift back up to New Orleans. We put the motor back together, wired up a battery and opened it to full throttle. No more paddling! We sat there as content as could be. Again, sharing stories and memories of the best and the worst moments of our trip.
When one battery ran out we replaced it with the other. However, right around mile 7, with 3 more miles to go, the second battery started running out of juice and we might have had to resort to paddling once again. Luckily, a boat of fishermen came up alongside of us and offered us a lift into Venice. We took the lift! Thank you Jerry, Sammy, and Tommy for your help and the meal! We really appreciated it. We will definitely take you up on your offer of fishing for Reds the next time we are in the area.
From Venice we were given a ride back up to New Orleans and dropped off at Edmund's relatives house: The Wood's residence with Jeanne, Dave, Chris and Will. We were treated to an amazing meal at K-Paul's in the French Quarter. Edmund tried the Cajun Martini which is topped with a jalapeno instead of olives. Ashley and Sarah from Baton Rouge came down to celebrate and Will stayed up to show us the hot-spots of the French Quarter.
On Sunday, we split our separate ways to experience the city. We are still very good friends even despite being so close to each other for such a long period of time. In fact, our friendship has definitely grown.
Thank you all for your support. We look forward to passing the money we have raised off to UNICEF in the very near future. It meant a lot to us to see friends, family, and even strangers rally together for such a good cause and to help us achieve our goal of making it down the river.
Please visit the site in the near future for an after-thought from both of us. Also, we will be putting up the rest of the pictures in the upcoming week to give everyone the complete picture of our accomplishment.
Onto the next big challenge,
Edmund "The Electric Eel" Eilbacher & Jeff "The Platypus" Petrie
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Friday, August 3, 2007
August 3, Vicksburg, MS
It's been a while since we reported in, but you will probably find this update is worth the wait:
We find ourselves in Vicksburg, Mississippi which is a very historic landmark for both the Civil War and the Coca-Cola Industry. First, let us tell you how we got here.
The last update we posted was from Cape Girardeau, MO. Thank you Jeff and Polly Graves for setting us up with such fun hosts that showed us a great time in town! Mark, Tracey, Smiles and the kids we had a blast and hope our river stories weren't too boring.
From Cape Girardeau we headed south for six days enduring 100 % humidity and temperatures over 100 F until we reached Memphis, TN on July 25. We ended up finding a hostel in the city and reserved a couple beds for two nights. That night we went to Beale St. to check out the blues halls and nightlife. In between our venue hopping we met Jamie and Kim, two ladies on a road trip from Minneapolis, MN to Phoenix, AZ. They ended up being our tourist counterparts as the next day we met up with them and headed to Graceland, home of Elvis Presley, and toured the National Civil Rights Museum, the location at which Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated.
Memphis is a very interesting city with a lot of entertainment and history. We were almost going to stay another day or so to soak in a little more of the city but in an effort to get back before school starts we had to press on. Let it be noted we are definitely going back to Memphis!
From Memphis we got back in our aquatic mobile home and spent another six days on the river enduring the same 100% humidity and high heats all the way to Vicksburg, MS. We toured the Vicksburg Battlefield which was a very important moment in the history of the Civil War and toured the original Coca-Cola bottling factory.
Thunderstorms are a daily occurrence and sometimes nightly. Sometimes we get off the river, other times we paddle right through the lightning and rain. A couple nights ago one storm produced 30-40 m.p.h. winds that ended up uprooting Ed's tent stakes. The only thing keeping it anchored was his body.
Friends, we are coming to the end of our trip. We have approximately 440 miles of river left to paddle. This should take us 8 days to complete. Add 2 days for some time in Baton Rouge and we should be finished by August 15.
We have posted a few new pictures, take a peak.
To all of you that have donated, thank you! The donation meter currently stands at $3,050 which is an awesome number and we are very proud of this accomplishment; however, we would still like to shoot for the $5,000 goal.
If you know of anyone that is thinking about donating and just keeps putting it off, let them know we will stop accepting donations on August 22 and we could definitely use their help!
*We will not accept any donations after August 22*
Down the home stretch,
Eel & Platypus
We find ourselves in Vicksburg, Mississippi which is a very historic landmark for both the Civil War and the Coca-Cola Industry. First, let us tell you how we got here.
The last update we posted was from Cape Girardeau, MO. Thank you Jeff and Polly Graves for setting us up with such fun hosts that showed us a great time in town! Mark, Tracey, Smiles and the kids we had a blast and hope our river stories weren't too boring.
From Cape Girardeau we headed south for six days enduring 100 % humidity and temperatures over 100 F until we reached Memphis, TN on July 25. We ended up finding a hostel in the city and reserved a couple beds for two nights. That night we went to Beale St. to check out the blues halls and nightlife. In between our venue hopping we met Jamie and Kim, two ladies on a road trip from Minneapolis, MN to Phoenix, AZ. They ended up being our tourist counterparts as the next day we met up with them and headed to Graceland, home of Elvis Presley, and toured the National Civil Rights Museum, the location at which Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated.
Memphis is a very interesting city with a lot of entertainment and history. We were almost going to stay another day or so to soak in a little more of the city but in an effort to get back before school starts we had to press on. Let it be noted we are definitely going back to Memphis!
From Memphis we got back in our aquatic mobile home and spent another six days on the river enduring the same 100% humidity and high heats all the way to Vicksburg, MS. We toured the Vicksburg Battlefield which was a very important moment in the history of the Civil War and toured the original Coca-Cola bottling factory.
Thunderstorms are a daily occurrence and sometimes nightly. Sometimes we get off the river, other times we paddle right through the lightning and rain. A couple nights ago one storm produced 30-40 m.p.h. winds that ended up uprooting Ed's tent stakes. The only thing keeping it anchored was his body.
Friends, we are coming to the end of our trip. We have approximately 440 miles of river left to paddle. This should take us 8 days to complete. Add 2 days for some time in Baton Rouge and we should be finished by August 15.
We have posted a few new pictures, take a peak.
To all of you that have donated, thank you! The donation meter currently stands at $3,050 which is an awesome number and we are very proud of this accomplishment; however, we would still like to shoot for the $5,000 goal.
If you know of anyone that is thinking about donating and just keeps putting it off, let them know we will stop accepting donations on August 22 and we could definitely use their help!
*We will not accept any donations after August 22*
Down the home stretch,
Eel & Platypus
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
July 18th, Cape Girardeau, MO
Three more days on the river puts us in the river town of Cape Girardeau, MO where we were looking forward to meeting Jeff & Polly Graves ( a couple of UND alumni). Due to an unfortunate family circumstance they had to leave town. Through conversation, we have come to learn that they put us up for the night in a hotel and left us in the good care of Tracey and Mark who will later this evening show us around town. Thank you Jeff & Polly we are sorry we missed you and hope all went well up North.
We do not have much to report as we have just arrived and have not scouted out the town yet. We'll have to give you a report of the town in the future.
What we can report is the river current has definitely picked up. We hit our first 51 mile day on Monday and yesterday we hit 48 miles, just shy of 100 miles in two days.
We got stuck in a sever thunderstorm yesterday which had 30-40 m.p.h. winds, large rain, and a lot of thunder/lightning. We saw it developing behind us and thought we were in for an afternoon rain storm. However, once we realized that the wind that had been blowing in our face had stopped (the calm before the storm) and the thunder started rumbling we knew we should get off the river. We pulled off onto a sand-bar and seconds after we got off the river the storm started with the high winds. We waited the storm out, being pelted with rain. At the end both of us were soaked,which actually felt pretty good as the temperatures before the storm were around 100 F, and the canoe had about 5 inches of water in it.
Take a look at the pictures as we have posted the latest bunch.
Life's the experience, try something new,
Eel & Platypus
We do not have much to report as we have just arrived and have not scouted out the town yet. We'll have to give you a report of the town in the future.
What we can report is the river current has definitely picked up. We hit our first 51 mile day on Monday and yesterday we hit 48 miles, just shy of 100 miles in two days.
We got stuck in a sever thunderstorm yesterday which had 30-40 m.p.h. winds, large rain, and a lot of thunder/lightning. We saw it developing behind us and thought we were in for an afternoon rain storm. However, once we realized that the wind that had been blowing in our face had stopped (the calm before the storm) and the thunder started rumbling we knew we should get off the river. We pulled off onto a sand-bar and seconds after we got off the river the storm started with the high winds. We waited the storm out, being pelted with rain. At the end both of us were soaked,which actually felt pretty good as the temperatures before the storm were around 100 F, and the canoe had about 5 inches of water in it.
Take a look at the pictures as we have posted the latest bunch.
Life's the experience, try something new,
Eel & Platypus
Saturday, July 14, 2007
July 14, St. Louis, MO
We are currently in the great city of St. Louis, MO. We arrived on Thursday with plans of staying two nights but the owners of the Huck Finn Hostel in Soulard, we are staying at, gave us an extra night free; so, we took it as a sign and opted to spread our stay one day longer.
Before I get on the subject of St. Louis let's talk about Alexandria, MO. Earlier in the month we met up with a gentlemen by the name of Scot Hall while getting supplies in Lansing, IA and exchanged contact info. He was travelling the river by motorboat and told us that as we get further South to stop in Alexandria, MO at a place called the Purple Cow. Well, that's exactly what we did. As we pulled into dock @ the Purple Cow we were welcomed by the owners Boon & Denise as well as Scot and his nephews. Scot treated us to dinner at the Cow and gave us a driving tour of Keokuk, IA including the Mormon city of Nauvoo, IL. After the tour we went back to the Cow and shared some river stories with the locals Charlie & Duck and listened to some river advice from Carver who had taken the trip by motor boat twice.
Scot, if you're reading this, seriously thanks for all your generosity and setting us up with all the right people. You made our stay in Alexandria very memorable.
After Alexandria we got back on the river and paddled to St. Louis. We are completely done with the Lock & Dams! The river once again has a strong current. We completed our first 4o mile day and have officially hit the half-way mark as just prior to arriving at St. Louis we hit the 1,160 mile marker. All exciting stuff.
St. Louis is an entertaining city. There is almost too much to do. Thursday night we went to a comedy club and saw a show. Friday we hit the zoo (free & rated top 5 in the country), Petrie hit the History Museum and a Napoleon exhibit. Saturday we went up in the Arch and saw a documentary on how it was made as well as visited the City Museum which is a mind-blowing/entertaining experience which I could have spent days exploring. At the City Museum there was a yo-yo competition going on, a huge cave to explore that lead you to a steel jungle gym, slides leading you to all different levels, an indoor skate park, fish tanks all over and an assortment of other random exhibits that all seemed to fit.
On a night out on the town we met up with two individuals that had the power to get us on top of the Edward Jones Dome in downtown St. Louis. Their names will remain anonymous for the time being, but thank you for the view!
This update would not be complete without a mention of an amazing family consisting of DeeDee, Joette, Carly, Gretchen, Allan, Kathy, and Rose who literally picked us off the streets and showed us a great time in the city. Happy Birthday Carly! To the rest of the family, thank you for the good time and sorry we missed out on the crepes. We will keep in touch. DeeDee, if you need a helicopter pilot for your wedding I would probably be able to arrange it.
Time's up, time to move South,
Check back soon as we will be able to post some more pictures in the very near future.
-Eel & Platypus
Before I get on the subject of St. Louis let's talk about Alexandria, MO. Earlier in the month we met up with a gentlemen by the name of Scot Hall while getting supplies in Lansing, IA and exchanged contact info. He was travelling the river by motorboat and told us that as we get further South to stop in Alexandria, MO at a place called the Purple Cow. Well, that's exactly what we did. As we pulled into dock @ the Purple Cow we were welcomed by the owners Boon & Denise as well as Scot and his nephews. Scot treated us to dinner at the Cow and gave us a driving tour of Keokuk, IA including the Mormon city of Nauvoo, IL. After the tour we went back to the Cow and shared some river stories with the locals Charlie & Duck and listened to some river advice from Carver who had taken the trip by motor boat twice.
Scot, if you're reading this, seriously thanks for all your generosity and setting us up with all the right people. You made our stay in Alexandria very memorable.
After Alexandria we got back on the river and paddled to St. Louis. We are completely done with the Lock & Dams! The river once again has a strong current. We completed our first 4o mile day and have officially hit the half-way mark as just prior to arriving at St. Louis we hit the 1,160 mile marker. All exciting stuff.
St. Louis is an entertaining city. There is almost too much to do. Thursday night we went to a comedy club and saw a show. Friday we hit the zoo (free & rated top 5 in the country), Petrie hit the History Museum and a Napoleon exhibit. Saturday we went up in the Arch and saw a documentary on how it was made as well as visited the City Museum which is a mind-blowing/entertaining experience which I could have spent days exploring. At the City Museum there was a yo-yo competition going on, a huge cave to explore that lead you to a steel jungle gym, slides leading you to all different levels, an indoor skate park, fish tanks all over and an assortment of other random exhibits that all seemed to fit.
On a night out on the town we met up with two individuals that had the power to get us on top of the Edward Jones Dome in downtown St. Louis. Their names will remain anonymous for the time being, but thank you for the view!
This update would not be complete without a mention of an amazing family consisting of DeeDee, Joette, Carly, Gretchen, Allan, Kathy, and Rose who literally picked us off the streets and showed us a great time in the city. Happy Birthday Carly! To the rest of the family, thank you for the good time and sorry we missed out on the crepes. We will keep in touch. DeeDee, if you need a helicopter pilot for your wedding I would probably be able to arrange it.
Time's up, time to move South,
Check back soon as we will be able to post some more pictures in the very near future.
-Eel & Platypus
Thursday, July 5, 2007
July 5th, Fort Madison, IA
We are currently in Fort Madison, IA where we spent the 4th of July watching an amazing fireworks display. In approximately two days we will be out of Iowa and into Missouri. We are not sure we want to leave as the hospitality in Iowa has been amazing.
Our new friends in Burlington, IA: Larry, Lou, Chrissie, Johnny and the rest of the gang, thank you for showing us such a good time. (Apologies for mis-spelt names)
We took today off in an effort to relax, refuel, and re-stock on the essentials. The weather is getting hotter, and the humidity is rising as well. The good news is the current is supposed to pick up South of St. Louis which may just give us the 50 mile days we have been looking for.
Pass it on,
-The Eel & The Platypus
***New photos are up, take a look, let us know what you think!
Our new friends in Burlington, IA: Larry, Lou, Chrissie, Johnny and the rest of the gang, thank you for showing us such a good time. (Apologies for mis-spelt names)
We took today off in an effort to relax, refuel, and re-stock on the essentials. The weather is getting hotter, and the humidity is rising as well. The good news is the current is supposed to pick up South of St. Louis which may just give us the 50 mile days we have been looking for.
Pass it on,
-The Eel & The Platypus
***New photos are up, take a look, let us know what you think!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Half-way Through Iowa
Today is June 29th and we find ourselves halfway through Iowa. Actually, we're writing from a library in Fulton, Illinois on the East banks of the Mississippi River. Yes, we are still having fun.
We have completed 826 miles to date which means we have completed over 1/3 of the river. Yes, it has taken much longer than what we had originally planned for but we are still as passionate about completing the trip as ever.
The river has opened up greatly since its beginnings in Itasca. In many places it is miles wide. In fact, we have stopped calling it the Mississippi River and have renamed it the Mississippi Lake. The locks & dams that the Army Corp of Engineers put in place in the 1930s, to make transportation easier, have reduced the current to almost nothing which means we have to put more effort into paddling to achieve our new goal of 33 1/3 miles per day.
Recently, a typical day sounds like this:
Wake up between 6:00 - 7:00 am
Break down camp
On the river between 8:30 - 9:00 am
Paddle until 2:00 pm
Take an hour for lunch
Back on the river between 3:00 - 4:00 pm
Paddle till 9:00 pm (sunset)
Set Up Camp
Eat Dinner
Take a swim in the river
Pass out between 10:00 - 11:00 pm
We keep our days interesting singing songs, telling jokes, and annoying each other throwing Ed-Nemesis around. Ed-Nemesis are a bug that only live for 24 hours and have, as of this week, made their appearance by the millions along the banks of the river. They wait for a passing boat or in our case a canoe and they jump out of the trees hoping to land on the vessel and hitch-hike. Their real name is the Fish Fly but they annoy Edmund, so we call them the Ed-Nemesis.
We have beefed up, pardon the pun, our diets as all last week we realized we were not eating enough food for the amount of work we are doing.
Tune in next time....
We will not be able to post any new pictures until we get to a faster internet connection which may take a couple weeks, apologies.
-The Crew
We have completed 826 miles to date which means we have completed over 1/3 of the river. Yes, it has taken much longer than what we had originally planned for but we are still as passionate about completing the trip as ever.
The river has opened up greatly since its beginnings in Itasca. In many places it is miles wide. In fact, we have stopped calling it the Mississippi River and have renamed it the Mississippi Lake. The locks & dams that the Army Corp of Engineers put in place in the 1930s, to make transportation easier, have reduced the current to almost nothing which means we have to put more effort into paddling to achieve our new goal of 33 1/3 miles per day.
Recently, a typical day sounds like this:
Wake up between 6:00 - 7:00 am
Break down camp
On the river between 8:30 - 9:00 am
Paddle until 2:00 pm
Take an hour for lunch
Back on the river between 3:00 - 4:00 pm
Paddle till 9:00 pm (sunset)
Set Up Camp
Eat Dinner
Take a swim in the river
Pass out between 10:00 - 11:00 pm
We keep our days interesting singing songs, telling jokes, and annoying each other throwing Ed-Nemesis around. Ed-Nemesis are a bug that only live for 24 hours and have, as of this week, made their appearance by the millions along the banks of the river. They wait for a passing boat or in our case a canoe and they jump out of the trees hoping to land on the vessel and hitch-hike. Their real name is the Fish Fly but they annoy Edmund, so we call them the Ed-Nemesis.
We have beefed up, pardon the pun, our diets as all last week we realized we were not eating enough food for the amount of work we are doing.
Tune in next time....
We will not be able to post any new pictures until we get to a faster internet connection which may take a couple weeks, apologies.
-The Crew
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Almost Out of Minnesota
Today is June 19, 2007 and we find ourselves in Hastings, MN at the home of Josh Walker (Mouse) and family. They have offered us a bed and a home-cooked meal which we have more than willing accepted. Historic Hastings as it is known is approximately 30 miles South of the Twin Cities, as the fish swims.
The last time we wrote we were about a week and a half away from Minneapolis. On June 9th we stopped in St. Cloud, MN for a visit with Kurt Wensmann (PT) and family. The Eel milked his first cow, and the whole crew had a great night out in St. Cloud when they met up with Jason Malmanger (Pile) and painted the town red.
Last Wednesday, June 13, we arrived in Minneapolis and shared a lot of good conversation with some familiar faces over our four day stay in the cities.
We had a few host familys during our short stay in the cities.
Megan and Doug Braun put us up for a few nights and filled our stomaches with a steak send-off meal. Megan also helped us re-stock on Aloe Up products which have been extremely helpful on our trip.
Petrie's Unlce Doug and his wife Peggy also hosted us for a couple nights. They were more than accomodating with excellent meals and a couple relaxing boat rides around the lake in their back yard. Here we were also visited by Petrie's Father, Ron during our stay.
Some would say the real reason we picked this weekend to show up in Minneapolis was to partake in Adam Bader's bachelor party. I would agree. On Saturday, we had a night out on the town in honor of our friend's commitment. The events of this evening we cannot disclose, really, we signed a piece of paper. hahahaha, However I can say we had a very good time in the company of old friends such as Adam Bader, D.U.G, Squirrel, Cowboy, Rufio Danger, and Sunshine.
After all the fun we said farewell and jumped back on the river yesterday. We paddled through the cities in a thunderstorm and experienced our first three locks. No more portaging from here to the Gulf!
New Pictures will be up soon!
Keep checking back...
Staying clear of the barges,
Edmund "The Electric Eel" Eilbacher & Jeff "The Platypus" Petrie
The last time we wrote we were about a week and a half away from Minneapolis. On June 9th we stopped in St. Cloud, MN for a visit with Kurt Wensmann (PT) and family. The Eel milked his first cow, and the whole crew had a great night out in St. Cloud when they met up with Jason Malmanger (Pile) and painted the town red.
Last Wednesday, June 13, we arrived in Minneapolis and shared a lot of good conversation with some familiar faces over our four day stay in the cities.
We had a few host familys during our short stay in the cities.
Megan and Doug Braun put us up for a few nights and filled our stomaches with a steak send-off meal. Megan also helped us re-stock on Aloe Up products which have been extremely helpful on our trip.
Petrie's Unlce Doug and his wife Peggy also hosted us for a couple nights. They were more than accomodating with excellent meals and a couple relaxing boat rides around the lake in their back yard. Here we were also visited by Petrie's Father, Ron during our stay.
Some would say the real reason we picked this weekend to show up in Minneapolis was to partake in Adam Bader's bachelor party. I would agree. On Saturday, we had a night out on the town in honor of our friend's commitment. The events of this evening we cannot disclose, really, we signed a piece of paper. hahahaha, However I can say we had a very good time in the company of old friends such as Adam Bader, D.U.G, Squirrel, Cowboy, Rufio Danger, and Sunshine.
After all the fun we said farewell and jumped back on the river yesterday. We paddled through the cities in a thunderstorm and experienced our first three locks. No more portaging from here to the Gulf!
New Pictures will be up soon!
Keep checking back...
Staying clear of the barges,
Edmund "The Electric Eel" Eilbacher & Jeff "The Platypus" Petrie
Thursday, June 7, 2007
First Two Weeks
As many of you know we have been on the river for the past two weeks. We should have been in Minneapolis by now however the weather has not been in our favor. There have only been three days in which it has not rained in the past two weeks and thunderstorms have frequently prompted us to either start later in the day or finish earlier in the evening than we would have liked cutting down on the amount of miles we have been travelling per day.
We currently stand at an average of 25 miles per day. We have basically scrapped the idea of finishing the trip in 45 days and are now planning the trip in week increments. By our new estimates the trip should take about 60 to 70 days. We are currently in Sauk Centre, MN visiting with Petrie's relatives Pam, Todd, Olivia, and Noah. We hope to be in St. Cloud by Saturday, June 9th and Minneapolis, MN by the following weekend.
The trip thus far has been what others have warned us about. The river starts off very narrow as it leads you into a maze of marshes lined with cattails. We got lost in the river's labyrinth a few times. It is very easy to get lost as what seems to be a shortcut turns out to be a misleading dead end. We caught ourselves frequently standing up in the boat looking for the river as it seemed to dissappear at some points.
Wind is definitely a factor. It seems like the wind has been in our face the entire two weeks except for a few days. Paddling on the leeward bank helps a little as we noticed we gained about 1/2 to 1 m.p.h. on our speed according to our GPS.
Lake Irving (2 miles) and Cass Lake (4miles) were bears to paddle through as we were caught crossing them in storms. We were hit with three to four foot waves, rain, and headwinds up to 20 m.p.h. We were able to get across them though with the help of our outrigger, some good rain gear, and brute strength.
Lake Winnibigoshish, the lake everyone had been warning us about (13 miles across), was all thing considered the easiest part of our trip so far. We lucked out as our weather radio forecasted sunshine and light tail winds. We started off planning to skirt along the banks then decided to take the risk and cut right across the lake. It turned out to be a great decision as if we had skirted the lake we would have added fifteen miles to the distance travelled. If a storm or winds had picked up while we were out in the middle of the lake we might have had a problem as the closest shore was 5 miles away. Luckily the winds did not pick up as even without the winds we ran into 3 foot waves in the middle of the lake. Some may call it luck, we call it proper preparation through the use of our resources and the understanding of our environment.
*** For those who plan to take this trip in the future, do not cross this lake unless you have some sort of stabilizer on your boat and you know the forecast is clear!!!
We are getting much better at canoeing. In the earlier stretch of the trip we struggled to make 20 mile days. We did not have very good chemistry as we both had different ways of steering the canoe; however, we have made up our own system, our canoe muscles have developed and 35 mile days are our norm. In fact we both feel comfortable enough to paddle in the front whole days at a time, switching seats daily giving the other guy a go at beating his last distance record. We are both looking forward to a sunny day that will allow us to shoot for 50 miles in a day.
All is well. If you are planning on being in the Minneapolis area the weekend of June 16th let us know, email us at paddling4apurpose@gmail.com and we'll meet up in the city.
That's all for now. Make sure to check out our pictures posted in the links on the right hand side of our site. (PHOTOS OF THE TRIP !!!)
Rain Off....
-The Eel & The Platypus
We currently stand at an average of 25 miles per day. We have basically scrapped the idea of finishing the trip in 45 days and are now planning the trip in week increments. By our new estimates the trip should take about 60 to 70 days. We are currently in Sauk Centre, MN visiting with Petrie's relatives Pam, Todd, Olivia, and Noah. We hope to be in St. Cloud by Saturday, June 9th and Minneapolis, MN by the following weekend.
The trip thus far has been what others have warned us about. The river starts off very narrow as it leads you into a maze of marshes lined with cattails. We got lost in the river's labyrinth a few times. It is very easy to get lost as what seems to be a shortcut turns out to be a misleading dead end. We caught ourselves frequently standing up in the boat looking for the river as it seemed to dissappear at some points.
Wind is definitely a factor. It seems like the wind has been in our face the entire two weeks except for a few days. Paddling on the leeward bank helps a little as we noticed we gained about 1/2 to 1 m.p.h. on our speed according to our GPS.
Lake Irving (2 miles) and Cass Lake (4miles) were bears to paddle through as we were caught crossing them in storms. We were hit with three to four foot waves, rain, and headwinds up to 20 m.p.h. We were able to get across them though with the help of our outrigger, some good rain gear, and brute strength.
Lake Winnibigoshish, the lake everyone had been warning us about (13 miles across), was all thing considered the easiest part of our trip so far. We lucked out as our weather radio forecasted sunshine and light tail winds. We started off planning to skirt along the banks then decided to take the risk and cut right across the lake. It turned out to be a great decision as if we had skirted the lake we would have added fifteen miles to the distance travelled. If a storm or winds had picked up while we were out in the middle of the lake we might have had a problem as the closest shore was 5 miles away. Luckily the winds did not pick up as even without the winds we ran into 3 foot waves in the middle of the lake. Some may call it luck, we call it proper preparation through the use of our resources and the understanding of our environment.
*** For those who plan to take this trip in the future, do not cross this lake unless you have some sort of stabilizer on your boat and you know the forecast is clear!!!
We are getting much better at canoeing. In the earlier stretch of the trip we struggled to make 20 mile days. We did not have very good chemistry as we both had different ways of steering the canoe; however, we have made up our own system, our canoe muscles have developed and 35 mile days are our norm. In fact we both feel comfortable enough to paddle in the front whole days at a time, switching seats daily giving the other guy a go at beating his last distance record. We are both looking forward to a sunny day that will allow us to shoot for 50 miles in a day.
We have camped out every night of the trip so far. Whether it be in an official campsite or in the woods next to a landing. Ramen noodle, oatmeal and easy cheese have been staples in our diets. This is the life.
The wildlife is abundant. We have run into all sorts of wildlife from white-tail deer to box turtles, herons, bald eagles, and river otters. Check out our pictures for a better view.
All is well. If you are planning on being in the Minneapolis area the weekend of June 16th let us know, email us at paddling4apurpose@gmail.com and we'll meet up in the city.
That's all for now. Make sure to check out our pictures posted in the links on the right hand side of our site. (PHOTOS OF THE TRIP !!!)
Rain Off....
-The Eel & The Platypus
Monday, May 21, 2007
Continued Fundraising
To those of you have shown your support through a donation or participation in the car wash, Thank You! You have helped us raise over $2,300. 65% of this will be donated to UNICEF to put towards their Water, Environment and Sanitation program, and the other 35% will be use to reduce the costs involved with the trip.
As many of you know we have not reached our $5,000 goal as of yet. We are currenlty at $2,300. We have decided to keep the fundraising open througout the trip as we plan on raising awareness in every town/city we stop at in an effort to hit our $5,000 goal!
With this in mind, if you have not already made a donation and would like to you can make an electronic donation on this site or contact Edmund Eilbacher at edmund.eilbacher@und.edu for a mailing address.
:::::: Paddle On :::::
As many of you know we have not reached our $5,000 goal as of yet. We are currenlty at $2,300. We have decided to keep the fundraising open througout the trip as we plan on raising awareness in every town/city we stop at in an effort to hit our $5,000 goal!
With this in mind, if you have not already made a donation and would like to you can make an electronic donation on this site or contact Edmund Eilbacher at edmund.eilbacher@und.edu for a mailing address.
:::::: Paddle On :::::
Away We Go
At 5:00 am, May 22nd, we will be waking up and taking the three hour drive to our trips beginning at Lake Itasca, Minnesota. The weather is not supposed to be in our favor, rain in the morning and the forecast is rain for the next couple of days.
After we arrive at Itasca we plan on testing out the canoe once again, setting up the equipment and making sure everything feels right. Then we will make the Go-No-Go decision. Our time of shove off is expected to be between 9:00am and 10:00am.
Keep visiting the blog, we'll keep you updated on everything along the way!
Life is the experience, try something new...
Please feel free to post your comments on this site or send us emails, we would love to hear your thoughts about our plans. All feedback and information is welcomed!
After we arrive at Itasca we plan on testing out the canoe once again, setting up the equipment and making sure everything feels right. Then we will make the Go-No-Go decision. Our time of shove off is expected to be between 9:00am and 10:00am.
Keep visiting the blog, we'll keep you updated on everything along the way!
Life is the experience, try something new...
Please feel free to post your comments on this site or send us emails, we would love to hear your thoughts about our plans. All feedback and information is welcomed!
Training
For the past couple weeks we have been taking the canoe out on test runs in the Red River and in Maple Lake, MN. Our intentions were to test the speed, maneuverability, and stability of our Mad River Canoe.
The canoe handled well on the fast flowing Red River. You'll notice in the following pictures we swamped the canoe with full equipment. Packs and all were dunked in the water to simulate the conditions we may run into on the Mississippi.
After realizing the canoe was not as boyant as we had anticipated we modified the canoe with foam blocks in the bow and the stern. This proved beneficial as we were able to get the canoe to float with the gunwales a few inches out of the water fully swamped.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Small Delay
We had to make a slight change in plans:
We will be shoving off on Tuesday, May 22nd instead of Sunday, May 20th. We are waiting for some equipment to come in, specifically the bug shirts. Once we have all of our equipment we will be on our way!
Wish us vigilance and strength!
-The Eel
We will be shoving off on Tuesday, May 22nd instead of Sunday, May 20th. We are waiting for some equipment to come in, specifically the bug shirts. Once we have all of our equipment we will be on our way!
Wish us vigilance and strength!
-The Eel
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Fundraising Event
Great Success!
The Car Wash Fundraiser was held on Wednesday, May 9th outside of the ACE Hardware in the Grand Cities Mall.
We would like to thank the following individuals for volunteering their time and effort to make the car-wash such a success ultimately raising over $150!
Megan Barry, Organizer/Coordinator
Amy Rye, Traffic Control
Brianna Burggraf, Sud Queen
Kayla Gallagher, Shammy Specialist
Savannah Arnold, Quality Control
Laura Kienzle, Water Distribution Consultant
Also, thank you to everyone who stopped by with a dirty car, we appreciate your support.
The Car Wash Fundraiser was held on Wednesday, May 9th outside of the ACE Hardware in the Grand Cities Mall.
We would like to thank the following individuals for volunteering their time and effort to make the car-wash such a success ultimately raising over $150!
Megan Barry, Organizer/Coordinator
Amy Rye, Traffic Control
Brianna Burggraf, Sud Queen
Kayla Gallagher, Shammy Specialist
Savannah Arnold, Quality Control
Laura Kienzle, Water Distribution Consultant
Also, thank you to everyone who stopped by with a dirty car, we appreciate your support.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Media
The Grand Forks Herald picked up our story and wrote an article in this Sunday's Outdoor section. The article is titled "UND students plan Mississippi canoe adventure for a cause" and can be found at the following web address:
http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=35319§ion=Columnists&columnist=Brad%20Dokken
or by visiting www.grandforksherald.com and going to the outdoors section and looking for the title.
Also, the Dakota Student, The University of North Dakota's student newspaper, just published an article on the event, read up using the following web address:
http://media.www.dakotastudent.com/media/storage/paper970/news/2007/04/24/News/Canoeing.The.Mississippi-2877166.shtml
While stopped in Baton Rouge, LA the crew was interviewed by a local news channel, Channel 2. The story aired at 5pm and again at 10pm.
While on the banks in New Orleans we were interviewed by The Times-Picayune, a Gretna based local newspaper:
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1187854606119530.xml&coll=1#continue
Just recently Edmund's hometown newspaper, the Courier News, covered the story:
http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070905/NEWS01/709050328/1006
The Grand Forks Herald did a follow-up article and can be found at:
http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=50476§ion=Outdoors
http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=35319§ion=Columnists&columnist=Brad%20Dokken
or by visiting www.grandforksherald.com and going to the outdoors section and looking for the title.
Also, the Dakota Student, The University of North Dakota's student newspaper, just published an article on the event, read up using the following web address:
http://media.www.dakotastudent.com/media/storage/paper970/news/2007/04/24/News/Canoeing.The.Mississippi-2877166.shtml
While stopped in Baton Rouge, LA the crew was interviewed by a local news channel, Channel 2. The story aired at 5pm and again at 10pm.
While on the banks in New Orleans we were interviewed by The Times-Picayune, a Gretna based local newspaper:
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1187854606119530.xml&coll=1#continue
Just recently Edmund's hometown newspaper, the Courier News, covered the story:
http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070905/NEWS01/709050328/1006
The Grand Forks Herald did a follow-up article and can be found at:
http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=50476§ion=Outdoors
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Equipment Sponsors
The Original Bug Shirt Company makes shirts and pants that keep bugs from biting you. All along our trek we expect to have problems with mosquitoes and other pesky insects and are glad to have these shirts as a layer of protection. Learn more about the gear at www.bugshirt.com.
Along the way we will stay protected from the elements using Aloe Up products including sunscreen, lip balm, and moisturizers.
"Aloe Up Suncare Products are happy to donate products to your Paddling For a Purpose trip. We wish you the best of luck on your trip and look forward to reading about this journey through your website. On behalf of everyone here at Aloe Up, Good Luck!"
-Megan E. Braun
We will be using Pres2Pure portable water filtration systems to filter our drinking water along the trip. Pres2Pure filtration systems are designed to clean 200 gallons of water, capable of up to 2 micron filtration eliminating organisms such as Giardia and Crytosporidium.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
A little Note from the Crew:
Jeff "The Platypus" Petrie:
"I am a 25 year old student at the University of North Dakota graduating in May with a degree in Air Traffic Control. I am the captain of the UND Rugby Club, and I was in the Army National Guard for 8 years. My passion in life is traveling. I want to go everywhere and meet everybody. I realize that this is an impossible goal, but I will succeed in striving for it none the less. I believe that the only thing of value in this world is experience."
Edmund "The Electric Eel" Eilbacher:
"I am 23 years old, and a student at UND studying Commercial Helicopter Aviation with an interest in Entrepreneurship. My mission: to live forever. If not in body, then in the minds of others: through memories of the good times and the bad. I am implying the idea that individuals such as myself strive to live life and are not merely just alive. With this in mind I will look at every new experience as an opportunity to learn; even if, at the time the outcome of the experience was not what I had expected. I will respect other individual’s experiences as valuable and never attempt to infringe on the right to life of another. I will move forward into the future armed with the lessons I have learned with confidence and realize that I can. With honesty to myself and others, persistence, and an open mind I will promote the growth of ideas and I will not hesitate to act upon them. I will be a man of my own mind and continue to question the intentions of others. However I will grow old, for to be old you must have lived."
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Planned Scheduled Stops
Our plan is as follows:
May 2007
22nd Leave Lake Itasca State Park, Minnesota at the headwaters of the Mississippi River.
June 2007
2nd Arrive in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota
8th Arrive in Guttenberg, Iowa
11th Arrive in Burlington, Iowa
15th Arrive in St. Louis, Missouri
19th Arrive in Memphis, Tennessee
22nd Arrive in Arkansas City, Arkansas
27th Arrive in Vicksburg, Mississippi
30th Arrive in Natchez, Mississippi
July 2007
1st Arrive in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
4th Arrive in New Orleans, Louisiana
6th Arrive at the Gulf of Mexico
***All dates are tentative and are subject to change due to weather and any other unforeseeable circumstances***
May 2007
22nd Leave Lake Itasca State Park, Minnesota at the headwaters of the Mississippi River.
June 2007
2nd Arrive in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota
8th Arrive in Guttenberg, Iowa
11th Arrive in Burlington, Iowa
15th Arrive in St. Louis, Missouri
19th Arrive in Memphis, Tennessee
22nd Arrive in Arkansas City, Arkansas
27th Arrive in Vicksburg, Mississippi
30th Arrive in Natchez, Mississippi
July 2007
1st Arrive in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
4th Arrive in New Orleans, Louisiana
6th Arrive at the Gulf of Mexico
***All dates are tentative and are subject to change due to weather and any other unforeseeable circumstances***
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Your Donations at a Glance
Today we developed an outline of anticipated costs that the two of us will endure along the trip. Food, lifevests, mosquito repellent and camping equipment were just a few of the costs we factored in to the $1,750 total. We already have much of the needed camping equipment in our posession which is why the number stands so low.
We are currently working on having a canoe donated for the cause through local outdoors shops. Other supporters such as Red Bull are also being investigated. It is important to note that if we are unable to reach our goal of $5,000 we will donate 65% of the existing proceeds to UNICEF and allocate the remaining 35% to equipment costs.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Two Students, One Mission
On May 20th, I Edmund Eilbacher and Jeff Petrie, two UND students will be setting out on an adventure of a lifetime. Our plan is to canoe the entire 2,320 miles of the Mississippi from Lake Itasca, MN to the Gulf of Mexico.
Both avid outdoors-men, with a combination of military and Boyscout experience, we have partnered with the local UNICEF chapter in an effort to raise $5,000 from individuals and companies. The majority of the proceeds will be donated to UNICEF's water, environment, and sanitation program which improves access to safe water and sanitation and promotes hygiene awareness in developing countries.
We need your help in raising the $5,000!
Feel generous and contact either myself, Edmund Eilbacher, or Jeff Petrie:
email - paddling4apurpose@gmail.com
phone - 701-777-8455
We will continually update this site with information regarding our fundraising efforts, trip planning, and provide up-to-date entries while on the river.
Both avid outdoors-men, with a combination of military and Boyscout experience, we have partnered with the local UNICEF chapter in an effort to raise $5,000 from individuals and companies. The majority of the proceeds will be donated to UNICEF's water, environment, and sanitation program which improves access to safe water and sanitation and promotes hygiene awareness in developing countries.
We need your help in raising the $5,000!
Feel generous and contact either myself, Edmund Eilbacher, or Jeff Petrie:
email - paddling4apurpose@gmail.com
phone - 701-777-8455
We will continually update this site with information regarding our fundraising efforts, trip planning, and provide up-to-date entries while on the river.
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