Mississippi kayak challenge off to a good start

Well, this has certainly been more of a wilderness river adventure than expected. Who would have thought the Upper Mississippi has so much wilderness! Good news for the river and the surrounding environment, no doubt, but quite the challenge for a lonely kayaker trying to access the Internet, cell phone service, and facilities in towns and cities in general. A support team would certainly have been useful more often than not, but part of the goal I set for myself (and the challenge), is to do this solo. I will stick to my decision.

I am doing well and making good progress, but it certainly has not been without challenge, and most days have been eventful, to put it mildly. I've battled 20-35 mph headwinds for days; got blown clear off Lake Pepin by a 35 mph NW wind and had to portage around part of the lake; got rained on for an entire day; had to hide from lightning; had a few very humid days in the high 80's F; some nights in the low 30's; and I came under attack from mosquitoes and misc. aggressive insects, including spiders and biting flies. And, you guessed it, still having a lot of fun.

I've been averaging 25 miles per day, which is good going in these windy conditions. The fact that I don't have to portage around the locks and dams helps a lot - I can go through the locks like any other vessel. This saves me a good two hours each day. Having said that, at some locks I've had to wait an hour or more for barges to clear, but still, I'm ahead of the game. I've passed through 18 locks to date, with 9 more to go.

I'm happy to report that I have the best equipment and supplies for this type of adventure. Everything from having the best kayak for the job, to having exactly the right kind of quality supplements to keep me energized and healthy. Thank you to all my sponsors. I don't mean it lightly when I say that, without their generous product donations and support, I would not have been able to complete the first 40 miles, let alone the 450 miles I've done to date.

I'm stopping at the Schramm House B&B in Burlington, Iowa for a few days to rest, resupply and to update my blog and photo gallery. I posted more images yesterday, and will update my blog later today. Get the full story on my blog!

Remember, you can track my daily progress on the map on my web site

Jacob, a.k.a. The Crazy Kayaker

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Mississippi Kayak Challenge (last pre-trip post)

I went out yesterday with my good friend Ted Gornall to do a pre-trip photo shoot. My adventure is beginning to attract media attention, and I realized last week that I have very few kayaking pics of myself—I'm always the one behind the camera. The photo shoot also gave me an excuse to try out and show off some of my cool new gear. The day was windy and overcast, but we still managed to get 150 good photographs. I've posted 16 of these new images to my gallery. We were both rather pressed for time, so I didn't get a chance to set up the tent and unpack all my camping gear.

When I talk to reporters and friends about my trip, the question of danger usually comes up. There are five factors that can make kayaking dangerous: currents, tides, wind, boat traffic and stupidity. Of the five, boat traffic is the most unpredictable, and stupidity the deadliest. Large freighters and cruise ships can be intimidating to most inexperienced kayakers, but in reality they pose little threat. You can see them from miles away, so you have plenty of time to get out of their way; they stay in deep water, usually far from the shore and sensible paddlers; and they track a steady course and change direction slowly and deliberately, again giving you plenty of warning. I worry most about recreational power boaters when I'm on the water. Whenever horsepower and speed meet with a lack of common sense and consideration, somebody suffers—in this case the kayaker. Kayaking is, generally speaking, one of the safer recreational activities. Most, if not all, kayaking deaths are caused by errors of judgment and a lack of common sense, collectively known as stupidity.

The value of good navigation charts for this kind of undertaking cannot be overstated. I love maps, the more detail the better. The US Army Corps of Engineers have been custodians of the Mississippi for more than 170 years, and they have the most accurate and up to date navigation charts. The charts show all the navigation features I need for my trip: hazardous areas, historical sites, state and national parks, campgrounds, locks, dams, etc. They have a scale of 1:31,680, or one inch on the map for every half mile of river, which allows for great detail. I will also be using a handheld GPS receiver.

I'll be making my way downstream fully armed with notebook computer, cellular phone, hands-free digital voice recorder, GPS tracking device, and on the other end of the technology scale, but still very cool, waterproof notebooks and paper. The GPS tracking is really neat: it will be possible to follow my progress in real time on my web site, courtesy of Eye-On GPS tracking technology, provided by The Real Security Company. I hope to have that up and running by the end of next week.

So far everything is on track to set off from St. Paul on Sunday, May 13th. Visit my web site for media news and press releases.

Jacob van der Merwe, a.k.a The Crazy Kayaker

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Mississippi Kayak Challenge

This summer, I get to realize a childhood dream. I am embarking on a 2,000 mile Mississippi kayak adventure. My journey starts at St. Paul on May 13th and I plan to be in New Orleans by the end of August—a 100 day adventure! I'll be posting some of my reports here but to learn more about my journey and to follow my progress please visit crazykayaker.com.

All my life I have known that one day I will meet this river, and get to know its people, its places and its history, in an up-close and personal way. I can think of few more intimate ways than to make my way downstream in a kayak, paddle in hand, at the river's own pace. I will share my experience through my web site, blog and photo gallery. I'm also planning to a write book about my journey, the river and its people.

This venture would not have been possible without the generous support of Backcountry.com and my other sponsors. My adventure seems to have struck a chord with many people, not just to the extent that they are willing to support me with gear and supplies, but I'm finding genuine interest and enthusiasm from people in general. I guess some things will always have the power to appeal to our more imaginative and romantic sides. For a complete list of my sponsors please visit crazykayaker.com.

I plan to use an ocean kayak for my voyage. It is not the obvious choice for a trip of this nature. Earlier and latter day explorers have typically opted for rafts, canoes, barges, inflatables—the kinds of vessel more traditionally associated with the Mississippi. I decided to use a Prijon Kodiak. It's the perfect boat for the task. At 17 feet long and 23½ inches wide at the cockpit, it offers the perfect balance between stability and speed. I can stuff eighty pounds of gear into the hatches and comfortably paddle along at three knots per hour. It is made from polyethylene plastic that is virtually indestructible, so I don't have to worry about logs or other debris doing a Titanic on my kayak. I pay a weight penalty for all this strength: my kayak tips the scales at 62 pounds empty; the same design in fiberglass weighs around 50 pounds. But I do not want to end up with a mile of river on either side and a hole in my boat, so fiberglass is not an option for me. Besides, when you're hauling a lot of gear it's easy enough to make up the weight difference by leaving a few non-essentials behind.There is something to be said too for being familiar with your equipment.

I've spend so many hours in a similar kayak that it feels like an extension of my body when I get into the cockpit. Knowing your kayak intimately means fewer surprises on the water. There are enough variables a paddler has to contend with; equipment shouldn't be on that list. I know exactly what to expect from my kayak, and how it will behave in different situations—whether I'm facing five foot waves, battling a strong current or doing a recovery roll in rough water. It's a comforting feeling.

Supply and other logistical arrangements for this expedition are straightforward and for the most part without the challenges inherent to wilderness or ocean trips. Food and other supplies will be cached and replenished as required en route. There are stretches along the last few hundred miles of the river that cut through undeveloped terrain, where I will have to be self-sustained for a few days. This poses no problem since my kayak can hold a seven day supply of food and water in addition to all my gear. I plan to camp most of the way. I will stay in touch with friends, family, the media, my sponsors, publisher and agent via cell phone and a laptop with wireless connectivity. More about logistics, maps and GPS tracking in my next blog post....

Jacob van der Merwe, a.k.a. The Crazy Kayaker

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