Photo shoot with the Northfield Newspaper

Hey everyone!

Ann met up with our Femmes guide, Em Torg, to make copies of the our maps up in Minneapolis today. We laid them all out to follow our route. It was an exciting experience to look at all of the places we were going to see. We laughed at how difficult it is going to be to navigate from Lake Winnipeg to the Hayes -- it looks like a bunch of lakes, glorified creeks, and islands going in all directions. It hit me that it may not be so amusing once we are out there trying to navigate the area, but for the time being even our biggest challenges seem distant. I just can't wait to get out there!

We had an interview and photo shoot with the Northfield Newspaper today. If you know me and Ann at all, the idea of us participating in a photo shoot should be pretty entertaining. I think we did great though. Vogue magazine here we come! Our interview went well too. The article should be out within the next few weeks and we hope to use this media momentum to get in the Star Tribune and other papers in the Midwest. It was great hanging out and talking with Shane and we can't wait to read the article!

As all of our gear comes together Ann and I are discussing specific funds. The float plane is going to be the largest cost (about $1,500) and the SAT phone will be about $9/day. Thanks to everyone who has donated already-- don't forget to keep spreading the word! We've still got a ways to go before we reach our goal.


This Wednesday I am headed up to Menogyn's Womens Night to connect with other Menogyn women and to talk about our Hudson Bay adventure. This is what our cause is all about and I can't wait to reach out to other young women explorers!

As classes start piling up at school I can't help but daydream about the river. I can't wait to see the wind ripple across the water before it even hits my face or to mistake a distant rock for a bear, and then argue with Ann whether or not it is actually moving. I can't wait to make up my own songs when I have exhausted the ones I already know. Life on trail is a simple one with simple pleasures; a life so distant from the business of school and work; a life few people ever get to experience. We sure are lucky.

I'll leave you with the wise words of Ann Raiho to sum up our trip-planning days:

"Hang on, I'm gonna make a protein shake and then we can strategize."

Peace,
Natalie