01/10/2007
In the summer of 2008, we will set off on the Minnesota River in downtown Chaska. For several weeks we will paddle upstream until we reach the Minnesota/South Dakota border. We will then go through a chain of lakes, swams, marshes, and streams. After a week of this we will have reached the Red River of the North.
The Red River is one of two rivers in the world that flows straight north... the other being the Nile. This river however barely flows. It averages a one to three inch drop per mile and is on some of the flattest land of North America. To compensate for the areas flattness, the river must twist and turn vigorously; in thirty miles of river paddling, one will go only about eight miles as a crow flies. The Red River will take us into Canada and passed the town of Winnipeg.
After the Red River ends, Lake Winnipeg begins. Being the 12th largest lake in the world and still being extremely shallow, the waves on this lake are monstrous. One has to paddle about a mile from shore because of the reefs and bad weather is said to come without warning.
After Lake Winnipeg, we will attempt a dangerous wilderness jump of 500 miles down the Hayes River. This area is said to be the highest polar bear concentration in the world.
The Hayes meets up with Hudson Bay at York Factory. Our goal is to make the 2,250 miles of paddling in less than 90 days.
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04/20/2007 | Ade Peyrat (ade dott peyrat dott cox dott net)
Dear Sean and Colton,
Good luck on your planned trip to Hudson Bay. In 1958 I made a canoe trip from just north of The Pas to Churchill following the Churchill River drainage to a point east of Southern Indian Lake, then going north into the N. Knife River drainage to Hudson Bay. I found your site and thought I'd send a hello and words of encouragement. We were a foursome; three of us had spent several summers guiding canoe trips at Camp Menogyn in the BWCA in the mid 1950's. We were |
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09/13/2007 | Travis Williams (lashow2000 att hotmail dott com)
lets be honest here.. you better take care of those polar bears..or we will never see you again
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01/19/2008 | Stephanie (Springlemons att gmail dott com)
Ah, wonderful to hear you two are giving this a try. Someday, I'd like to make this trip from the eastern half of the BWCA. But for now, I'll just dream about it. Good luck you two.
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05/05/2008 | Pat Bloomfield (bloomfieldp att comcast dott net)
Sean and Colton are on their journey, and not able to monitor this website. Please go to colton-seanhudsonbay.com, a new website that has been created. It includes updates of their progress, links to articles about their trip, and contacts for Sean and Colton's parents.
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05/08/2008 | Ken Koolmo (ken dott koolmo att alaska dott gov)
I would like to be added to your mailing list of updates, I'm sure this is only the first many "trips of a life time". Good luck
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05/14/2008 | Gene P. Johnson (genepj3 att yahoo dott com)
A Mpls friend tipped me off on this. I live in Fargo and velieve I am the only person to canoe from Fargo to Mpls solo. I completed it on my 64th birthday in 1998.
I too stayed at Milan Beach Resort. Very heavy winds blew me off the lake for 4 days. I slept on the floor with the big dog at the Cafe-bait shop thanks to Jane and Jason. I almost drowned when I capsized and was trapped under a 65 ft tree downstream from Granite Falls. Nearest town was Sacred Heart. That was in 1997. Lost so much gear I had to hang it up and buy stuff to replace $1600 of gear. GPS back then was fouled by the military. Sometimes it told me I was in a nearby corn field. In Winnepeg is a friend of mine that has the Guinness Book of Records longest canoe trip of 12,175 miles. Don Starkell. His book "Paddle to the Amazon" is exciting. He also read "Canoeing with the Cree." The Mpls Tribune wrote about me on 7/2/98 and had some photos. I admire you guys. Lots of guts. I am glad the weathe |
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05/23/2008 | Joe Vorgetts (jvorgetts att cablespeed dott com)
BEHOLD!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youghiogheny_River It flows north! Guess that makes three!? I am told that in the the language of the local native Americans, the name Youghiogheny River (pronounced yah-kuh-GAIN-ee) means river flowing north. The reason I saw your web site is because I have thought about trying to canoe on Hudson Bay. Send me info on this if you have some. Thanks. By the way, the Youghiogheny is one of the great white water canoeing rivers in NA and was the host river for some some Olympic kayaking in the past. |
01/09/2007
Hey everybody! I figured for the first entry I'd give a short bio of Colton and I.
Sean Bloomfield: I'm 17 years old and am currently a junior at Chaska High School. Chaska is a smaller suburb of Minneapolis, MN. The town lies in the Minnesota River Valley. I play hockey and lacrosse on our high school team and also enjoy playing golf in the summer and snowboarding in the winter (and of course the outdoors).
Colton Witte: I am 16 years old and will be 17 shortly. I also am a junior at Chaska High School and have been neighbors with Sean since first Grade. I play lacrosse on the high school team and also enjoy golfing and snowboarding.
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04/20/2008 | Lola Sibcy (lsibcy att frontiernet dott net)
Colton, I don't have your mom's e-mail address. Would you please add me to her list of people to notify as to how you're doing, etc? I purchased the book "Canoeing with the Cree" and finished it yesterday. What an adventure!! The best to you two and be safe!! Would you please send me your mom's e-mail address if you have time? Thanks and good luck!!!
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04/25/2008 | todd foster (todd att hudsonbayexpedition dott com)
Caught you guys on the news tongiht. I wish you the very best on your journey, if there is anything I can do to help let me know.
Good Luck!! |
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04/29/2008 | Troy Krause (editor att redred dott com)
I'm wondering when Colton and Sean are going to be coming through the Redwood Falls area. I would like to meet them and possibly do a story on them.
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05/05/2008 | Pat Bloomfield (bloomfieldp att comcast dott net)
Sean and Colton are on their journey, and not able to monitor this website. Please go to colton-seanhudsonbay.com, a new website that has been created. It includes updates of their progress, links to articles about their trip, and contacts for Sean and Colton's parents.
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05/07/2008 | Peter Varley (pvarley att fool dott com)
This is wonderful. What an adventure! Please take lots of pictures and post them here so we can enjoy it with you. I hope to do a similar trip one day but I've found few photos online.
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06/08/2008 | Mary & the Yogastudio (mary att yogamn dott com)
Happy paddling and best of luck to you both on this fantastic journey! Many good thoughts and prayers will follow you (from us and countless others)...You Can Do It!!!!
Love, Mary A. and the Yogastudio in Plymouth |