Canoeing: overlooked photographic opportunities avail

PSA Journal, July, 1990 by Jack Covey

Overlooked Photographic Opportunities Avail

Sleepily I glanced at my watch, and was suddenly wide awake. It was 5:30 a.m. and I had not heard the sound of the 5 a.m. bull horn awakening us for the days river run. Did I oversleep? I woke up enough to come back to reality. No I did not oversleep. Our week of adventure canoeing the Mississippi River had come to an end. Now I was on my own again.

There are five major watersheds in North America. Two are in Canada, two are shared with Canada, and one, the Mighty Mississippi River, is in the United States. There are additional significant riverways such as the Colombia, Colorado, Rio Grande rivers. However, these rivers tend to serve more local areas. River highways, whether in the south, north, east or west played a significant part in the historical development of North America. The east, south, and north were commercial developed for barges and riverboats, while the west rivers yielded riches calling our nations people that direction. Today, most watersheds are recreational, but the Mississippi River and it's tributaries still plays a major commercial role in water transportation.

This year, in a quest of doing something "just a little different," I decided to join a group planning to canoe a stretch of the northern Mississippi River. The organizing group was named MADRAC (Mississippi Annual Down River Adventue (by) Canoe). It was a different experience for me. Canoeing provides a different view of a river or stream which can be photographed in a way most people will not see. For example, the Mississippi River, during it's creative days, formed 500 to 600 foot high bluffs along or near it's Minnesota-Iowa banks. One day we viewed 11 eagles soaring and playing in an uninhabited part of the river. Another day young deer were swimming the river and we had to deviate our course until they made it to the shore. The sandbanks and bluffs have their own scenic beauty, constantly changing, consistantly beautiful. Can one view and photograph new and different perspectives from the river than the river bank? You better believe it.

The environment of a river generates photographic responsibilities we don't often encounter on land. Water is deadly to photographic equipment, particularly todays electrical cameras. There are ways water gets into a canoe that you would not think about; but most water is because of a paddle dripping. Therefore, protection of equipment is a photographers prime equipment concern. These are a number of waterproof bags. Get one if you go on water because Ziplock type baggies are high risk. There are also a number of cameras designed for work in or around water. Aim to tote little equipment, but protect the equipment you do carry. A canoe is not stable so a beanbag may be better choice than a tripod. Plan well ahead if you are going on water, whether by a canoe, kayak, or a larger motorized boat.

Photographic items are very personalized equipment. You are the only person who can decide what you will need and how to protect that equipment. But as deadly as water is to your equipment, the elements are also dangerous to you. The sun is particularly hazardous to an individual. Sue, one of the MADRAC leaders, is an attractive lady on land but she protects herself well on water, dressing very conservative. One day I noticed her wearing a red flight suit, a towel over her head held on by a red cap. I thought Sue well represented the value of protecting yourself from Mother Nature's sometimes hostile elements. Most of the group put on high protective sunscreen lotions. The younger set made Indian warpaint designs on their faces with colorful ski sunblock. Many persons used the sun to obtain or deepen their tans. Be very well aware of the hazard of the sun and dress and apply lotions according to your need. You certainly don't want to set out the rest of the voyage because of severe sunburn.

The MADRAC group operated according to Coast Guard safety regulations. Everybody wore lifevests. There were three motorized escort boats for every mile of canoes (we didn't all paddle at the same speed), including a snack launch. This years MADRAC VII was 165 miles. Starting from Winona, MN, to La Cross, WI, then to Genoa, WI, Lansing, MN, McGregor, IA, Cassville, WI, Dubuque, IA and our end destination of Bellevue, IA. Each town was hospitable and offered it's own charm. We celebrated July 4 at Lansing with the fireworks being a highlight of the day. McGregor is a charming town having several blocks of antique stores, one after another making brousing easy. Each town provided meals at a reasonable cost. Showers and camping were also provided in each town. Many persons brought their families who would follow the canoes by land meeting their canoeing family members at the landing and then setting up camp. Interestingly, one elderly couple did not canoe the route. They had a twin bicycle and rode it from town to town, joining us for camping and the evening activities.