Minnesota River Raftng

I rode the Greenway west to the LRT trail and went out to Chaska, then cut across the Minnesota River on HWY 101. Right beneath an old abandoned bridge I packed the raft and entered the swirling, muddy, and slightly smelly Minnesota River for a 2 day trip...


I left Midtown MPLS at about 4:00 pm and pedaled west for about 2 hours. It was a beautiful ride. It was a relatively warm day and there were a bunch of babes on the trail so within the first hour the ride had already been deemed "worth it." I even had the wind at my back, who could of asked for more? knowing that even if I got to my predetermined rafting point and the wind was against me, the river current would still push me forward, towards my destination, was a bonus. I arrived at Bluff Creek road, hung a left, and crossed the river on HWY 101. 2 hours later, 6:00pm

The sun was supposed to set around 8:08 so I hung out for a moment and then packed my gear onto the Alpacka Raft and pushed off. Dry bags are must and I would recommend carrying something along in the raft to piss in, I found a cottage cheese container floating in the river, since urinating off the side of the raft is
pretty difficult and needless to say a
little unsafe.
The river currents run strong this time of year, very strong, and to be separated from your raft would not only mean almost certain destruction of your gear, but possible death. I wear a PFD, I carry a throw bag with 77' of 950 pound test rope, carry a first aid kit, chemical heat packs, have a knife strapped to my chest, and carry "stormproof" matches in my pockets. These things are all attached to me, just in case. The seat and back rest in the Alpacka raft inflate separatly from the outer tubes of the raft, allowing them to act as a back up floatation device.

After paddling down river for about an hour I passed a couple walking along it, obviously quite in love, or something like that. We chatted abit from shore to raft and we both agreed that yes, this is living. "Enjoy Indian Country!" He yelled as we parted ways. Another hour later the sun was setting and I pulled into a small cove to make camp. I could see the Valleyfair sign glowing though the trees about 3 miles away. That was kind of weird, but I made the best of it.
The shore was quicksand. I quickly sank up to my ankles in less then a second and struggled for a couple minutes to to pull the bike laden packraft and myself through the Never-Ending-Story esque roots, quicksand, and onlooking turkeys. There were turkeys everywhere, not to mention tons of assorted waterfowl. These kept my mind going all night long. At night, I think it was the turkeys, there were some of the most crazy sounds I've ever heard in the out of doors. I wasn't freaked out, but they had me going for a little bit. Eventually I dozed off. I woke up a bit chilled in the night. I thin this could have been prevented by slinging an extra tarp

In the morning I was greeted by a thick vale of fog sweeping through the river valley. I set up my Esbit stove and went to make my oatmeal and tea and realized I hadn't brought enough water, or a purification device. The thought of boiling and drinking water from the Minnesota river made me nervous. I scooped up a pot of water from what looked like a "clean" spot and boiled it for about 15 minutes. The recommended time for treating water by boiling is only around five, but I didn't want to take any chances. Soon I was drinking tea and munching my oatmeal down. I pre-make my oatmeal mix so all I have to do is boil water and then add my clump to the hot water, put the lid on, and voila! Here it is:
1/2 cup oatmeal
Dash of Vanilla extract
1 heaping spoon of Peanut butter
1/4 cup cashews
and a bit of Raw cane sugar
in the winter months I add a big chunk of butter and double the ration.

I packed my hammock, stove, sleeping bag, and book (Running The Amazon by Joe Kane) up and clambered into the packraft. Pushing off of shore has become one of my new favorite sensations. Your in the river, you've studied the map, yet you still have no idea whats really waiting around the bend. It's unexplainable really. All these half submerged still standing trees are neat too.

Eventually I reached a point that I thought was good to get out at. After clambering through the Tolkien-esque quick sand and muck, re-assembling my rig, and looking about, I realized I was at the western edge of the River Bottoms bike trails. What luck. There was only one thing I could do... ride!

This was one of my best days out. Biking, paddling, trail riding, coffee. I've got nothing to complain about.