Abort! Abort!

I slept last night! Praise God. I did have to get up around 3 AM to pee, lesson learned, not so much water before bed. It was a bit cool at night but made for great sleeping. We woke up around 7 AM to pack up our gear and make breakfast. We had dehydrated hash-browns, pre-cooked bacon, and Lottinville's farm fresh eggs. It was hardy and delicious. Siting on the dock waiting for everyone to finish packing up I still can not get over how beautiful it is here. Like northern Michigan but even quieter and calmer.

Paddling today was really tough for me. I was sore from yesterday's paddle and switch positions with Maggie which meant j had to learn a new job. We made it to the portage location: Grassy Lake Portage. I was quite nervous about carrying all our gear and the canoe 1/2 mile. We were the last canoe to the portage spot and were prepping our gear when we hear others coming back from the trail. It was really swampy at the entrance and apparently it got worse the further you walked. Our lead instructor Bill ended up in mud to his crotch with a canoe on his head. His wife Sue was yelling back at the rest of us Abort! Abort! We dodged that portage bullet but our reward was paddling back the 4 miles where we came from. Total mileage today was about 12 miles. After we stopped for lunch and I got some coaching from Gib the afternoon paddle was much better. It's important to paddle using your whole torso rather than just your arms! Who knew? We arrived to our beautiful camp site. Large rock formation in the front that is great for lounging, excellent swimming, and  great views from the tent sites. We also had another throne type latrine, this time with better cover. I don't feel clean necessarily but I don't feel filthy either. The afternoon swims are refreshing and I did wash my hair in the lake quickly. 

When we unpacked our gear to set up the tent I realized my trash bag had leaked. I had crushed an egg earlier yesterday and just put it in a ziplock. It leaked. There is egg goo on everything in my bag. I was able to wipe things down with a wet bandana but I'm concerned about the smell for the next couple days. Nothing else to do about it now I guess! 

Dinner was cheese tortellini with spaghetti sauce and parmesan. It was damn good if I do say so myself. We were all cleaned up and packed away by 7:30 PM. 

Paddling 101

Our day began fairly early with our last shower until Sunday night (thank goodness the dumpy motel had excellent water pressure). We loaded up all of our gear and packed the bus. Breakfast was the first stop at a little mom and pop diner. Most had the special of eggs, bacon, and toast. I had my last caffeinated beverage (Pepsi) while others drank copious amounts of coffee. We also had to make a last minute stop at Lucky Seven (gas, tackle, guns, ammo, mini mart) for fishing licenses and bottles of water. We had a bit of a drive up to Crane Lake and hit the water around 11 AM right after Paddling 101 class. We went over the parts of the canoe, basic strokes, and life jacket wear. Maggie is my canoe partner. She sat in the front with the job of being the motor. I sat in the back to do the steering. We started out a bit rough, zig zagging the lake, and mostly uncoordinated but got the hang of it after a while. Canoeing is fun but also takes some skill and physical work. I'm sure my arms and shoulders will be sore in the morning. Durning the last leg Maggie and I started to play games to distract ourselves from fatigue naming a camping or canoeing related item for each letter in the alphabet. 

We stopped for lunch on a giant rock by the shore. The beef jerky, apple sauce, trail mix and carrots definitely filled me up. Our first taste of lake water was next to refill out bottles before heading back on the water. We are using a gravity filtration device that works pretty quickly taking out all the stuff that will make you spend the next 5 days on the toilet. The color is still a bit brown but it tastes like mineral water and quenches the thirst. 

The scenery is amazing. I couldn't possibly explain it but try and picture large rock shoreline, pine trees, a blue sky, and big puffy white clouds everywhere you look. 

We had some wild life sightings today as well. A few deer on our drive up here including a button buck in velvet. A bald eagle (God Bless America). A few loons that also serenaded us this evening. A baby squirrel running around the campsite. A very small fish caught and released by one of the guys. 

Dinner at camp was uneventful. We did learn how to light the camp stoves and clean up after. Maggie and I are also meal partners. We had cheese quesadillas and rice. There was too much food but if you don't eat it then you pack it out so we stuffed ourselves. This may be a common theme this week. 

A camp fire and telling stories passed the time until the mosquitos got to bad and we climbed in our tents for shelter. Good night everybody. Yau Betcha! 

Travel Day

We hit the road early this morning to drive the 522 miles to Virgina, Minnesota. Made a few stops along the way for breakfast, gas, and lunch at Culver's (we were in Wisconsin so cheese curds were a must). To pass the time I logged in to our our bi-weekly company conference call, and listened to the first couple Shark Farmer podcasts. If you haven't heard of the Rob Sharkey, you are seriously missing out. Google him. I got his autograph a few weeks ago! I especially enjoyed 003 were he talks with another friend of mine about roping badgers and other cowboy tales. 

We arrived at the hotel we will stay at tonight before hitting the backwoods in the morning. The instructors distributed all our gear and helped us pack up. Bill helped me eliminate a few unnecessary things including soap... He said I won't be needing that and that even though it's environmentally friendly, I can't use it in the river. Ugh. Salty it is. 

All my personal things as well as the following gear is in this small orange bag. 

Tent, ground cover, rain fly, water purification device, camp stove, gas, food for the next 4 days, sleeping bag, sleeping bag liner, and sleeping pad.

I'm not sure how I was able to get it all in there but it's done. 

Dinner was at the Sawmill where I ate a steak of course (loading up before our backwoods food adventures). We also consumed a couple of adult beverages. There is a great group of fun people on our trip. Looking forward to the next few days. 

Voyageur National Park

This lady farmer is traveling again! I'm keeping it domestic though! For the next 4 days I'm off the grid, camping and canoeing through the boundary waters of northern Minnesota in the Voyageur National Park! 

I've done some pretty cool traveling in the past but nothing like this. We are full-on pack in, pack out, no bathrooms, showers, or beds. I've got to admit, I'm a little nervous. 

I essentially have to pack in a carry on bag (we all know I can manage that for a two week track around the world) but this time I also have to include my bed, tent, camp stove, and food. This shall be interesting! This adventure is brought to you by the College of DuPage, field study's department where I will earn 2 pass/fail physical education credits (because I need those)! Aunt Dede is a professor at the college and we have traveled with COD before to China. Thus, I get postcards in the mail promoting all their field study's programs. When I saw this one, I couldn't think of a good reason not to go. I love adventure and this will certainly be one for me. 

Packing has been a challenge but I've been assured by the instructors they will help us with last minute packing to ensure we have all that we need and leave behind what we don't. The college provides sleeping bags, sleeping mats, tents, camp stoves, and cooking utensils. It was up to us to pack our meals that would be non-perishable and easily packable. I'll dive into that in another post. 

As we pack up the bus this morning it's clear that I need to pair down my bag quite a bit. Most people just have a backpack of personal items and food. Crap. We shall see how this all plays out. 12 hours and we will arrive in Virgina, MN for a quick night in a hotel before we hit the backwoods! I doubt I have service way up there, and certainly won't be able to recharge the phone battery but will continue to blog and post later. Wish me luck. 

Long day and early morning coming...

In lieu of a real blog post, here's what we did today: bus, gate, up hill walk, gun cannon, security, Why are you keeping my passport?, US Embassy, Mountain Dew, Thanks for giving my passport back!, humidity, bus, shopping mall, Which Wich, new dress, lion head tank-top, Vice Minister of Commerce, broken bus, new bus, fresh shirt, Uber, climate change is a real thing, sangria, best Tataki Tuna EVER, thanks Gary & Ann, tied cherry stems, the honorable chicken statue, make-out alley, Uber, black jack, Balboa, minus $20, and finally buenas noches mi amigos! 

Day 1 - Panama

Today was our first day in Panama. We arrived in the wee hours of Sunday morning in time to unpack and try to sleep for a few minutes. I think the time change from Japan to Panama got to us. There are a few differences between the two countries. For example, the Panama hotel is significantly nicer with larger rooms, soft beds, and beautiful views of the bay. On the other hand, the bathroom facilities are not quite to par with Japan. The Japanese just have us beat on that front and there's not much more to say about that. We had some free time Sunday morning to either catch up on sleep from out 30+ hours of travel from Panama or site see or attend church. A nice group of is decided to attend catholic mass at Iglesia del Carmen, a nearby and historical church. We got mildly lost due to no street signs but Mr. Easter flexed his Spanish skills and got us to the right spot. We were even on time. I guess it was God's will! We grabbed a quick lunch after and then boarded the bus to the Panama Canal. We watched a barge with containers pass through the Miradkores Locks and learned about the history of the Panama Canal construction. Our tour guide for the week, Kenny, is well versed on the historical context of the canal as well as the American occupancy and later departure. We had a traditional Panamanian dinner at a cute restaurant in the Casco Viejo area before taking in all that the Panamanian night life had to offer. Here's to a great week in Panama! 

 

 

 

I don't even know what day it is?!?!?

Since I last slept in a bed a lot has happened and I have no idea how many hours ago that was! We got up early and a bit hungover from a goodbye Japan all you can drink dinner the night before. I think that was Friday night and also one of our classmates Birthdays! Happy 29th to Katie! Ok maybe she is "only about 5 more minutes" older than that. A few of us girls went out exploring, sans map, for some last minute souvenir shopping. It was a great success! I managed to bring home a gift for my mother (star themed of course), chop sticks, a Japanese fashion magazine for Jess, and more KitKats! We didn't even get lost. Final packing was done at the hotel and we were off to the farmers market before going to the airport. We had a 9 hour flight from Japan to Denver. I was able to sleep for about 4 hours in a drug induced coma. A few of us decided to ship our goodies home from Denver via USPS to ensure plenty of room for Panama goodies in our luggage. I'm in the market for a Panama Jack Hat! During our layover in the US the most purchased items were: Pizza Hut pizza, fountain pops - mostly Mountain Dew or Diet Coke, and Dramamine. Since I'm such a savvy traveler I was able to wash my face, brush my teeth, apply more deodorant and change my underpants at the airport. It was pretty close to a shower but I'm still rocking the greasy ponytail hair. Our flight from Denver to Panama was about 6 hours, most of which I slept. It was 86° and after midnight when we arrived. Off to the hotel to get some real sleep in a real bed. Total time without a bed approximately 30 hours. Oh. Is that all? No problem. 

If you remember my previous post about the superior Japanese toilets; this is how we were welcomed to Panama...