After 2,250 miles of paddling over the course of 85 days, Ann Raiho and Natalie Warren are the first women ever to paddle from Minneapolis, MN to Hudson Bay... a substantial feat for anyone.
Called Hudson Bay Bound, this adventure represents only the fourth time anyone has completed this arduous trip. A few weeks after finishing, Ann and Natalie found a few minutes to join us for 10 Questions.
1. Can you give us an overview of your route? Distance. Time, etc
85 from start to finish (Minneapolis -- June 2nd to York Factory -- August 25th). 70 of those days we were canoeing (including 7 wind bound days on Lake Winnipeg). It took us about 3 weeks for the Minnesota River, 2 weeks for the Red River, 18 days for Lake Winnipeg and 18 days for the last stretch (including 4 layover days).
2. What were some of the biggest challenges that you faced along the way.
Our biggest physical challenge was paddling upstream on the Minnesota while the river was in flood condition and the state was experiencing record high temperatures for June. However, our biggest emotional challenge was finishing Lake Winnipeg. We had a made a mistake near Popular River and thought we were much further along than we were. We spent three days thinking we were almost done when we weren't and it was really discouraging to have to keep paddling into what seemed like a never ending lake. When we finally did see the end of the lake (as marked by an opening to the Nelson River), we both cried and then sang until our throats were raw. We knew at that moment we would probably make it to Hudson Bay because Lake Winnipeg was our largest obstacle.
3. You were canoeing for a long time through some varied terrain. How did the landscape differ along the route?
When we were in Minnesota, it was hot and moist. The trees towered over us and the willows were releasing tons of cotton into the air. There were all sorts of birds and at times it almost seemed like we were paddling in the jungle. Natalie was often reminded of the everglades near her home in Miami, FL. By the time we got up to North Dakota, there were fewer trees and a lot more development along the Red River. We saw farms and farm houses and more cities and suburban developments. When we went through Winnipeg it was like paddling on the Mississippi through Minneapolis with towering skyscrapers and highways. We went through a channeled marsh to eventually run out onto Lake Winnipeg. The southern basin of Lake Winnipeg is full of white sand beaches while the middle section is largely dominated by granite rock outcroppings and islands much like you'd see in northern Minnesota. In the north basin, the land is "muskeg" or swamp. Often we would only have 10 meters of land to camp on in front of us Lake Winnipeg and behind us a spongy swamp that seemed to go on and on. The last stretch started on the Nelson River. A large winding river with several islands and a boreal feel, large pines and big rocks. The Echimamish is a creek of sorts with muskeg and beaver dams to wade through and pull over. Once the Hayes starts there is a granite canyon with quick and narrow CII rapid sets that flush you out in shallow lakes that are covered in a very tall grass. Oxford Lake and Knee Lake are next and pick up waves just as big as the ones on lake Winnipeg. The rapids after Knee Lake are around every bend as we went through braided islands and picked between three or four channels. The channels join up and the rapid sets get bigger. The trees this whole time are mostly spruce and never really grow that tall or disappear. After Whitemud Falls, the banks of the Hayes are really steep towering 50 feet over head. The river widens out and becomes a shallow float to Hudson Bay.
4. Any scary moments?
Yeah. There was a day on Lake Winnipeg where we had a big tale wind from the southeast (5 foot surfing waves). The big lake is known for being shallow and beaching canoes on hidden boulders. I saw some boulders a little too late. We had to go between them. There was about 5 feet of space between them. When the waves crested, they were underwater, but you could see them very clearly because the waves had gotten so big. We were about 15 minutes from the point we were headed toward, but we were pretty far off shore. In other words, swamping would have been really bad. When we went between the boulders they towered above us for one second, then a big wave carried us out. My hands were shaking so bad I almost couldn't rutter to keep us straight on the surfing wave. It turned out to be a pretty fun ride to shore once we made it that far. There were other times running rapids that were kind of worrisome but our time on Lake Winnipeg was the scariest because of the volatile weather.
5. What was a typical day like?
We weren't very good at waking up early because we always got into camp so late, so usually we woke up around 8AM. We would eat a granola bar if we were in a hurry or make some elaborate breakfast if we felt like it. We would paddle all day usually without stopping for anything. That part kind of seems strange now, but we didn't really need to stop because usually we could eat in the boat and stand up or whatever. We would go until we felt like camping. A lot of times we would push it until we couldn't really see anymore. I (Ann) would set up camp while Natalie made dinner. We would usually fret about noises at night, so we would journal or play music for a long time until the sun kind of came up and we could sleep easy. When we got the dog, we went to bed earlier.
6. Two team members, a canoe and a lot of water.... You were out for a long time together without a lot of distractions. What was your team dynamic like? How did you solve problems? What things did you learn about each other that you hadn’t know previously?
We're like sisters I suppose. We fight about dumb things like where to put the tent and how spicy dinner was and then five minutes later we're joking around. We only got really mad at each other one time and it turned out to be really good for the relationship because we talked openly about our issues. We didn't really have that many problems to solve. If either person felt uncomfortable we stopped.
7. SD gear. What did you take and how did it perform?
The
Meteor Lite 3 tent we used from Sierra Designs was perfect for every section of this journey. In the Minnesota heat, it allowed us to stay cool at night. On Lake Winnipeg, it held up in any wind and was easy to take down if we had to move our camp quick. On the Hayes River, we were often camping near swamps, and we found that the tent could fit in any small spot. It was so easy to get up quickly when we got into camp late because it only has two poles and not very many steps in the set-up routine. But the best part about our tent is that no matter how much our new puppy scratched at the screen the net never got a hole or even a mark on it. She loved the vestibule and would stand guard or sleep under it's protection at night. Our sleeping bags kept us warm even when fall came creeping up and we could see our breath near the end of the trip.
8. What did it feel like when you finished?
Let me tell you about that last day. The night before we got in really late at the confluence of the God's River and the Hayes River. We decided to stay up all night and leave at like 3AM. We made a big fire, but when we sat down we both wanted to go to sleep. It was probably the best sleep we'd gotten the whole trip even though we were worried about polar bears. We missed our alarm and woke up at 445AM. We knew we were traveling at 10 km per hour, so we knew exactly how many hours we had left. I have never felt so antsy. It's like the last day of class or something. Of course it was really beautiful. We lucked out and had perfect weather that day. When we eventually got to York Factory, we realized we hadn't eaten anything all day. So we informed the caretaker of our arrival and started cooking right away. There was a polar bear in the area, so they stood over us with shotguns the whole time. They were very nice and brought us to their place to sleep for the night. In the morning we woke up to gunshots and barking. They were chasing the polar bear off with ATVs. We left in a hurry that afternoon because the weather was going to get bad. We didn't really have time to process that we had actually done it.
9. You’re now the first women in history to paddle from Minneapolis, Minn to Hudson Bay, but more than just a record, your trip was about something else? What was your over arching goal and did you meet it?
We wanted to be the first women to paddle the historic fur trade route from Minneapolis to York Factory on Hudson Bay. We hoped that our trip would bring awareness and inspiration to women who do go on and/or want to go on wilderness canoeing adventures. We did make it, so the first part of our goal is fulfilled. Now we will work at spreading our story to inspire other people to get out there.
10. What’s next?
We are both traveling this fall to visit our friends around the country. In the spring, I'm going to grad school at CSU for ecology. Natalie is going to find a job hopefully near her family in Washington, D. C. But as for canoeing... I recently had a conversation about doing the entire Back River with someone. The Hood River is another dream. We'll see what happens. We both want our next trip to be more remote.
Bonus Question: Anything else?
Our motto was: Never try too hard. I think one of the reasons this trip went so well is because we took our time to meet people and wait out bad weather. Sometimes wilderness adventures are all about the push and that's how people get hurt. There's a time to push and a time to wait it out.
This was an adventure of a lifetime and I hope that there will be many more!!!!
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