A number of folks have asked about the kayak I will be paddling.  It is a Folbot, and the model is a Cooper.  www.folbot.com  The Folbot is a collapsible and fits into a backpack.  The shell is made of a heavy fabric with a rubberized hull which zips/velcro's over a tubular frame which is assembled much like a tent with bungee-corded metal pieces.  Before it is loaded I can easily carry my kayak short distances which is a great relief after hauling my heavier hand-made wooden kayak in recent years.

"What sets a canoeing (kayaking) expedition apart is that it purifies you more rapidly and inescapably than any other travel.  Travel a thousand miles by train and you are a brute; pedal five hundred miles on a bicycle and you remain basically a bourgeois; paddle a hundred in a canoe (kayak) and you are already a child of nature."  -Pierre Elliott Trudeau, politician, writer, constitutional lawyer, prime minister of Canada (1919--2000).

Lake Washington training paddle.

Bonus View!

Welcome to the launch

Welcome to the  "launch" of the Paddle Pilgrim blog. In a little over two weeks I will launch my kayak in the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Minnesota's Lake Itasca.

You are invited to paddle with me "in spirit" or "in person".  I hope to hear from many of you and even see some of you along the way.  I plan to post pictures and reflections on this home page on a regular basis. The other pages will give you a better sense of what this journey is all about. Thanks to all who have already shown their support in a variety of ways and for your prayers for safety and favorable weather!

"Glorious it is when wandering time is come".  -Eskimo song