Peppy La Pew Attacks...

Waking up today it looked as though God had answered my prayers and given me the beautiful day I had asked for. There was not a cloud in the sky and not a hint of wind. It appeared a great day for walking. I headed off around 7:30am and made some good ground by 10am. Around this time I noticed some type of animal lying up ahead on the track i was following. As I got closer I noticed it was black and white and the size of a large cat, it was a skunk. The poor little guy had been hit by a passing car or was obviously really crook as he was not moving away in a hurry. I got a little closer (5 meters or so) to see how he was. This stirred him into noticing me. 10 seconds after this moment the smell hit me. He was obviously to sick or injured to spray me but he was not too sick to let off his perfume! It was bad. Think of your worst memory of a bad smell and times it by 10. This was enough for me to shuffle off as fast as I could with my 25kg pack weighing down my getaway. I hope the little fella comes good anyway...

At the moment I am sitting in a garage at a mechanics using his wi fi internet. Internet has been tough to come across up here in the North as the towns are few and far between each other, and when I do arrive in one finally, they usually consist of a pub and.. that's it! Hopefully I will be reaching Grand Rapids in around 3 to 4 days. here I can hopefully have a bath, wash some clothes and sleep in a bed and hopefully talk to my family and fiance. Will wait and see where the next few days take me.

P.s Saw 5 or 6 deer today, gotta love bambi...

Arrival & First Day of Walking...

28^th September 2011

Since arriving in USA to say I have been lucky with meeting good, helpful people is a massive understatement! From the plane to Minneapolis I met a lady by the name of Lee who was kind enough to invite me to stay at their home in Minneapolis for the night. The next morning whilst we  were all eating our breakfast, Lee’s brother arrived. His name was Chuck who drove me to the outdoor shop, Gander, to pick up my GPS. I bid this great family farewell around 10am and was planning on taking a bus from Minneapolis to St Cloud. Before I was to grab the bus I quickly jumped into a supermarket to grab some food for the day and for dinner. While waiting at the checkout I got chatting to a guy about why I was carrying a huge backpack. I explained why and he offered to take me to St Cloud personally. Good start to the day!

From St Cloud I managed three more lifts by hitchhiking and finally met another couple who took me all the way to the lake Itasca where the Mississippi starts. Now I have set up camp about 4 kms from the starting point of the trek which makes for a quick little hike tomorrow morning to my starting point.

After a good meal of a vegie and steak stew and a long day hitch hiking I am about due for bed.  Has been a good start in the States itself, but the tomorrow the real challenge begins, the Mississippi itself.

30^th of September

 After a breakfast of noodles and vegies and repacking my pack (I had to sacrifice some goods as I was trying to reduce the weight) I was on road around 9am. Arriving at the head of the Mississippi after all this time planning it, it was really bizarre to be actually there. After taking a few terry tourist photos I began the first leg. I followed the MR for maybe 500 mts or so to where it turned off into swampy ground. From there I took a road which followed it parallel. The MR passed under the road I was on maybe four times through the whole day and was no more than just a tiny creek. The water was beautiful and fresh though which fixed my problem with finding water when I needed it. I arrived at a tiny town named Becida at around 4;30 and set up camp just on the outside of the town. I mean a tiny town too, it is 5 houses and a pub.

Today I saw all the seasons of the state of Minnesota. In the morning we had sun shining, birds singing, squirrels running and playing, a perfect scene from a children’s movie. This did not last long however. Around 11am I could see the clouds rolling in of the horizon, and arrive quickly they did. I quickly got my wet gear on and just in time. For the next three hours I had to walk in good steady rain and a strong wind which at times almost blew me off my feet. Eventually the rain eased but unfortunately the wind did not which made it fun setting up the tent. It is 6am now and I am in my tent and am glad to say the wind has eased. It is still dark so I will now start to try get my gear together so I can head off at light which is usually 7am here in Minesota.

I have changed my route a little. I will be heading straight across to Grand Rapids where the river is on a larger scale and can be followed more closely. I hope when walking alongside the river I will find another burst of energy. Grand Rapids is around a three day walk from here, hopefully the weather is kinder to me for the next few days!

Distance covered 29^th Sep: 29kms

Where It All Begins...

This blog is to follow my experiences on a trek that I will be attempting this year. I will be following the entire length of the Mississippi River from North to South to raise money for a charity in Colombia - and at the same time, hopefully having the experience of a lifetime.

On this journey I want people to almost feel as if they are on the Mississippi with me. My diary entries will be honest, passionate and sometimes probably, a little nuts -  in a way, kind of like  how I would like people to see me as an individual.

The string of events that got me here makes for a story in itself which I will explain a little further down the track maybe. For now check out the rest of the blog to find out more about myself, the journey and the cause in Colombia, a place very close to my heart.

I fly out of Australia on the 26th of September (in 4 days) to begin this adventure. I hope you continue to follow and share this experience with me... as I think it will be worth sharing....