canoe information

Jeff sounds like he might be an ideal source of advice and ideas, and if we can enlist him to join us, that'd be totally cool, too! right now, I'm feeling like the idea of inviting a whole array of different people to participate as they like might be a really wonderful thing. instead of the solo trip I originally envisioned, it becomes a sort of fragmentary ragged little caravan of assorted folks with a variety of perspectives and interests in doing the trip. I doubt it will get out of hand, because how many people are really crazy enough to drop everything and come along? but those who do will be self-selecting to be interesting companions, I think!

anyway, I'm trying to keep focused on a few things OTHER than this project, but I couldn't help doing a bit of googling about canoe travel after our conversation yesterday:

http://www.bucktrack.com/Mississippi_Canoe_Planning.html

http://sourcetosea.net/if-i-were-to-paddle-the-mississippi-again/

the latter had this little tidbit:

The canoe worked out fine, but was larger than necessary from the headwaters down to Bemidji. Bemidji State University’s Outdoor Program Center rents smaller (pre-scratched) canoes that would have been more appropriate for that first stretch.

so maybe we should rent a smaller canoe (or borrow kayaks) for the first part of the trip and then outfit an expedition canoe when we get to Minneapolis? this might mean no need to scope out MN in June, we could just show up in late July and get started...