Course Correction

According to our original plan, the crew, along with Lionel and me, should be on day 5 of our Boundary Waters adventure by now,  and roughly 45 miles in. But as fate would have it, we had to make alternative plans.

About three and a half weeks ago, one of the trip’s leaders and planners, Brian (who joined us for the first two days of last year’s RAGBRAI ride), broke his ankle… playing disc golf. I was actually on the course with him when it happened. It was one of those classic “let’s just play three more holes, then call it a day” moments. A thunderous cracking sound followed by a crumpled body told me instantly that the trip would need to be reworked. But stoic as ever, Brian insisted, “Nah, I think I can walk,” and, “It doesn’t hurt too bad” delaying the inevitable.

A $23 trip to the hospital ($24 if you include the machine coffee) and a CT scan later confirmed: the foot was definitely broken.

 

Now, I like adventure and pushing boundaries—but maybe not as much when those boundaries are water-based and I’m the one responsible for orienteering. I quickly realized I couldn’t launch into a 100 KM backcountry trip just 36 hours after a 20-hour flight across the world, with only Lionel and my friend Charlie.

 

We would need some time to make a new plan. So we regrouped. We decided to push the trip back to mid-August and restructure it into a 5-day, 50 KM route. With fewer adults, we’re tempering our original goals. The new route will still challenge us, but it includes more bailout and communication points in case anything goes sideways.