Rich Kelley, a member of the Quetico Foundation board of directors and chair of the Heart of the Continent Partnership steering committee, paddled the Canoe the Heart expedition from Atikokan to Fort Francis/International Falls and then on to Crane Lake through Voyageurs National Park, had this to say about his experience:
“This has been an amazing experience from the Atikokan Canada Day Canoe Parade to the 4th of July International Falls parade to the great reception on Crane lake last night! I paddled 110 miles in 5 days and gained 5 pounds…yikes…our cook is too good!!
“The Canoe handles well. We had rough water on Rainy lake and treacherous waves and cross winds on Crane yesterday, but the crew handled it well! We covered 33 miles yesterday with a 6:30 departure and a 4:00 arrival. 5 minute breaks every 45 minutes, extended shore break every 2.5 hours, hour for lunch. On the water we averaged 5 mph. The pace of the Bowman is the key.”
Thank you to Pamela Hawley-Cain of the Fort Frances Museum for the following photos:
