By Chuck Friedbauer
“We’re ready to go,” said Colton Witte. “Absolutely ready to go,” agreed Sean Bloomfield, a few days before their journey.
Matching years of adventurous dreams with recent diligent preparation, Bloomfield and Witte set off on a canoe trip, 2,200 miles from Chaska to Hudson Bay, at 7:30 a.m. Monday.
The pair graduated early from Chaska High School this past month. “Go big or go home,” said Witte. “That’s our motto.”
The duo will push out on the Minnesota River from downtown Chaska on April 28 with a goal to reach York Factory on Hudson Bay in 70 days. “The record is around 115 days,” said Bloomfield. “But those people took a lot more layover days than we are planning.”
Both said friends and family have been very understanding. “We’ve been thinking of this since the seventh grade,” said Witte. “I think our parents are masking their concerns, but our girlfriends are definitely worried a little bit.”
“Our fathers’ are very encouraging, but think we may be too cocky, and say we shouldn’t rush,” said Bloomfield. “They may be right, but we feel we have proven ourselves, have thought through our precautions and can handle whatever comes our way.”
Paddling
That proof lies in the paddling. The pair has been taking canoe trips with their families to the Boundary Waters Wilderness Area since they’ve been in fourth grade. They’ve completed a 145-mile trip down the St. Croix River in five days.
Last August, they spent 12 days canoeing approximately 400 miles from Lake of the Woods to Grand Portage through the Boundary Waters. “As our first long trip, we learned a lot,” said Bloomfield. “We had packed lighter than previous trips, but we know now to go even lighter.”
“We planned to do the Boundary Waters trip in 17 days and finished it in 12,” said Witte. “I think we started to gain the upper hand on anyone worrying about us then.”
With the big trips on their résumé, they’ve recently focused on shorter local outings. “We’ve been paddling on the Minnesota River since March,” said Bloomfield. “It was 32 degrees and we were paddling in the rain, hail and snow.” The weather only becomes a problem if you’re not prepared for it, said Witte.
“We’ve paddled in five- to seven-foot waves on Lake St. Croix, so we know what to expect, but we still plan to stay in sight of the shore along the way,” he said. “Besides, it usually doesn’t bother you while you’re paddling; it’s when you stop that it hits you.”
This duo won’t be spending much time not paddling. “We pretty much paddle from dawn until dusk,” said Witte. “Our days will be sleep, eat and paddle.”
Their menu is limited to the essentials. Pancakes and peanut butter for breakfast, Rice-a-Roni kits for lunch, spaghetti noodles, without sauce, for dinner and protein bars in between will be the standard fare. “By the end of the day, you’re so hungry, anything tastes good,” said Bloomfield. They set out with about a week’s worth of provisions and will head into towns to purchase food as needed. “If you look at the map, especially in the United States, there are towns all along the rivers,” said Witte.
The tandem has thought through precautionary measures, starting with their gear. “We’ll have extra paddles and two identical stoves to scavenge parts off one for the other if needed,” said Bloomfield.They have a light backpacking tent, sleeping bags and not much else. “We always carry our survival pack, with flashlights, first aid, fire starter and so on,” said Witte.
They will allow a few luxuries, however, like a bag of sweetened cereals, or a deck of cards. They’ll bring a small waterproof speaker, an iPod and a tiny solar panel so they can listen to music or books. “We’ll splurge a little to listen to Jack Johnson or Harry Potter to help keep our sanity,” said Witte.
Polar bears
Their knowledge on the weather and other natural elements has led to several safety precautions. “We usually paddle in shorts, but have the proper raingear or other clothes in case it gets cold,” said Bloomfield. Witte made a waterproof aluminum box in the school shop to protect their gear. “It’s light and strong, but can fit just about everything we need to keep dry,” he said.
Drinking water is crucial as well. “We’ll start with bottled water, because the Minnesota River is so dirty and filled with agricultural pesticides,” said Bloomfield. “But we’ll use a water purifier after that.”
And then there are the polar bears. “We’ll reach Hudson Bay at York Factory, which has a high population of polar bears,” said Witte. “The best time to see them is July and August, when we should be getting there.” They’ve done extensive research on passing through polar bear country, which has led them to bring along pepper spray. “Guns only make them mad,” said Witte.
They will also carry the Spot Messenger, a satellite locator, which can be used to call for assistance if needed. “It can also be used by our friends and family to track our progress with Google maps,” said Witte. Their route will take them along the Minnesota River to the Red River of the North and into Lake Winnipeg.
“We’ve done extensive research on our route, so we’re aware of things like watching out for the reefs along the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg,” said Witte. Their fathers will meet them in Winnipeg with gear needed for the more remote portion of the trip, like hatchets and bear spray.
“We’ll also swap canoes there to have one more suited for the rapids on the Hayes River,” said Witte.The pair has also met with Canadian government officials to discuss necessary steps to enter the country and don’t expect any issues.The duo won’t quite be paddling every day.
Their itinerary does include four layover days. “Some friends and family are planning on meeting us in Ortonville and Fargo for a barbeque,” said Witte.
Ice and crickets
So far, nothing has jumped up that would jeopardize the trip. “The cool spring we’ve been having has put the weather conditions into the back of our minds,” said Bloomfield. “We drove up to Lake Winnipeg recently and the ice was still on the lake, but it was off the river all the way up.”
The boys graduated early from high school so they could fit this trip in. “That went well, except for a senior prank we pulled by releasing some crickets in the school,” said Witte. “That may not have been the best thing to do,” said Bloomfield. “There’s some things we need to do for that, but it won’t impact our trip.”
With only their daily paddling preparations left to complete before the trip, each is looking forward to time with friends and family prior to setting out.
“We have our graduation parties and prom is the Saturday before we leave,” said Bloomfield. “Other than that, we’ll probably have a big family dinner and spend time with our friends.”