Tessa Larson is one of four young ladies that will test their mettle and fortitude as they paddle from Sea Gull Lake to Hudson Bay his summer. The ladies met at Wilderness Canoe Base where they worked as canoe guides. They are using their long paddle as a way to raise funds for WCB, and are calling their trip Journey 4 Renewal.
Four young women who have worked as canoe guides for Wilderness Canoe Base (WCB) on the Gunflint Trail will spend their summer paddling and portaging from Sea Gull Lake to Hudson Bay, a trip of 1,239 miles.
The former guides are Whitney Vogel, Chelsea Froemke, Tessa Larson and Stephanie Branch and they are calling their long paddle “Journey 4 Renewal.” The goal is raise funds for the camp, which provides wilderness outings for middle and high school youths. Along the way they will experience the beauty and nature of the Canadian wilderness. “We also hope we can inspire other young women to do trips like this. We hope to be good role models,” said Tessa Larson.
The crew plans to leave Wilderness Canoe Base on May 29 and if all goes well, finish 75 days later. They will paddle from Seagull Lake to Rainy Lake, follow Rainy River to Lake of the Woods, traverse Winnipeg River, Lac Du Bonnet River and rejoin Winnipeg River until they arrive at Lake Winnipeg. Once across this long stretch of water they will follow Playgreen Lake to Echimamish, Hayes, Robinson, Logan, God’s Lake, God’s River and on to Hayess River, which will take them to York Factory at Hudson Bay. From there they will hopscotch back home by charter plane, rail and automobile.
The women met at WCB. Larson spent four summers working there, starting in 2001. She last served as a camp chaplain and canoe guide in 2013. Chelsea Froemke spent two summers at the camp, ending her tenure in 2012, while Stephanie Branchaud spent the summer of 2013 there and Whitney Vogel worked five summers from 2008-2013.
Wilderness Canoe Base has been in operation since 1956. It is located on Seagull Lake with bases on Fishhook Island and Dominion Island.
Larson said the fundraising goal of $50,000 will go toward purchase of those islands. Larson said the group has a match of $50,000 from a private donor.
While the camp is still owned by Plymouth Christian Youth Center, Lake Wapogasset Lutheran Bible Camp has managed it since 2001, and it is in the process of purchasing the camp with the help of fundraising efforts like Journey 4 Renewal.
Logistics of the journey
Three of the four women work out of the area, so Larson, who is employed at Cook County School District 166 and Great Expectations as an art therapist and part-time at the Grand Marais Art Colony, agreed to answer some questions for the Cook County News-Herald about the upcoming trip.
Where are your paddle mates living now?
Chelsea is in Duluth working full-time at Dorothy Day House, a Christian community that shelters people who are homeless and hungry. She also works for St. Scholastica part-time.
Stephanie is in Denver getting her master’s degree in physical therapy.
Whitney is living in Minneapolis. She recently returned from the Peace Corps and is completing her NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) training.
How many miles of portaging will you have? And what is your longest portage?
Everyone asks that but I have no idea. I like to portage. It breaks up the trip and it is physical. I like the challenge of portaging and I’m not worried about it.
Where will your food drops be?
We are getting a lot of help from our families and friends. We will have three food drops. One at International Falls, one at Pine Falls (near Lake Winnipeg) and one at Norway House. Whitney’s mother is taking a vacation and driving our last food drop to Norway House.
Some people carry a SPOT locator in case of emergency. Will your group have one?
Yes. It is a gift from my uncle who is loaning it to us. We have also been loaned two canoes and a tent from Bill Hansen of Sawbill Outfitters. They are Royal X canoes. Sandown Canoe Co. is also making some lightweight paddles for us to use. They are made of wood but they add fiberglass to them to make them stronger and keep them light.
How many miles per day will you make?
We are hoping to average 15-20 miles a day but we know there will be bad weather days and we will need rest days. We could do a lot more than 20 miles a day if we needed to.
Do you know the most dangerous patch of water you have to paddle?
I’m not sure, but the trip across Lake Winnipeg does have me concerned. I’m thinking of taking my dog along. Avery is a five-year old black lab mix and I think she would be fine across the lake, but I’m not sure how she would do on rapids. I read that one person trained their dog to run along the shore when they were going through the rapids, so maybe I could train her to do that. I think I will take her with until we reach International Falls. My folks are going to do the food drop there and if she’s not working out, they can take her home. If she works out, she can also carry food on our portages in saddlebags strapped to her sides.
Will anyone carry a gun? Bear spray?
We will carry bear spray and a Bear Banger. That’s kind of a gun with no bullets. It makes the sound of a gun.
Who is trained in first aid?
All of us have wilderness first aid training and Whitney is getting even more training in that area. We will always have Stephanie too, with her training as a physical therapist.
How will you chronicle your journey?
Our plan is to text Wilderness base camp and they will put our progress on Facebook. We will take pictures along the way and I am planning some artwork projects we can do as a group. We can use that time to connect in a different way. It (artwork, pictures, journals) might go into a book or for an exhibit some day. I’m not sure.
All of us have different strengths. One of the things we all have to learn is how to fish. None of us know how. I fished some as a kid, but I need to relearn it. We need to learn how to not only catch fish but also fillet and cook them. That will be food that we don’t have to pack or carry.
Have you talked to others who have taken this trip?
We have talked to Ann Raiho and Natalie Warren (former YMCA Camp Menogyn canoe guides) and they have given us a lot of advice. Adam Maxwell (former Voyageur Canoe Outfitters guide) lent us a copy of the maps he used. They are very detailed. A lot of people have been very generous and helpful in the advice they have given us.
Are you nervous?
I’m more excited than nervous. Most of us are in our mid-20s. We aren’t trying to prove anything, at least not to anybody other than ourselves. My longest canoe trip is seven days, so this will be new, but I feel like I am prepared for it. Although I grew up in Iowa, my father was a canoe guide through the Ely area and my two older brothers worked as canoe guides at Wilderness. As a family we grew up canoeing and camping. There’s still more to do, but we are all taking projects and getting them done. We keep in touch through Skype. I’m excited. If people want to follow us or learn more about our trip they can go to our website wwwjourney4renewal.org.
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