In 2020 my wife and I returned to MN after living on the East Coast for 17 years.
In 2021 we moved into our current house.
In 2022 I purchased a Merrimack Canoe. I ordered it in March and took possession in September. When I placed the order for the canoe, I had in mind one of my first river trips would be to explore The Sunrise River. It is close to my house, my route to most places has me crossing it 3 times out and 3 times back. Last year it seemed that after June the river r was more like a creek, and I knew that certain parts would be difficult to navigate. It would be much more likely that I would be dragging or carrying my canoe through these portions. I knew heading into this year, tripping in April or May would be my best bets.
Well here we are, April 2023, and with the local rivers at flood level due to high snowfall and precipitation, yesterday was the day to begin my exploration.
I launched my canoe at the outlet of Typo Lake in Anoka County, Mn.
The river, although in a relatively populated area, is relatively isolated. I think very few canoes travel some of these portions. What I found was that the properties that were on the banks of these rivers had a wide array of stuf they built. Duck blinds for sure, there are a lot of ducks. You can see in one of these pictures is an old canoe just floating amidst some brush. I suspect that due to the flooding the canoe, once on the ground, floated away from its original owner. How far down stream it traveled before it got here, who knows.
I had to portage across a 2 lane 50mph road to begin the best part of the trip. The Sunrise River grew wider and wider until it dumped into Martin Lake, Anoka County, MN. Martin lake is about 230 acres with a max depth of 20 feet, but as you can see is where many people have built their houses or lake houses. In the summer it gets plenty of recreational use. Today, however, being rainy and in the 50s, I was the only boat on the water at my crossing. Fortunately, although it was raining, the wind was at my back and made my crossing about as easy as it could ever be.
I had to portage another road once I crossed Martin lake. This began the portion of the paddle with the most wildlife. Ducks, Ducks, Geese, so many. Beaver too, and a beaver lodge. But still some reminders that we are in a populated area.
The best illustration of how high the water level was is the picture below. It’s a beaver lodge with only 1/4 of it remaining above water.
One last picture as I round the bend, a quintessential MN farm, with aging old farm equipment rusting away. When I got closer, it didn’t look like the house was currently inhabited. Just think of how many stories it could tell.
All in all, I paddled 4 hours down this segment of The Sunrise River. There are some sections of it, I would like to do again. Other sections, I am glad I paddled, but unlikely that I will do so again.
My future goal is to continue to explore this interesting river as it winds its way to the St. Croix. It is a long way, and will take many seasons, but I will be sure to share.
In 2021 we moved into our current house.
In 2022 I purchased a Merrimack Canoe. I ordered it in March and took possession in September. When I placed the order for the canoe, I had in mind one of my first river trips would be to explore The Sunrise River. It is close to my house, my route to most places has me crossing it 3 times out and 3 times back. Last year it seemed that after June the river r was more like a creek, and I knew that certain parts would be difficult to navigate. It would be much more likely that I would be dragging or carrying my canoe through these portions. I knew heading into this year, tripping in April or May would be my best bets.
Well here we are, April 2023, and with the local rivers at flood level due to high snowfall and precipitation, yesterday was the day to begin my exploration.
I launched my canoe at the outlet of Typo Lake in Anoka County, Mn.
The river, although in a relatively populated area, is relatively isolated. I think very few canoes travel some of these portions. What I found was that the properties that were on the banks of these rivers had a wide array of stuf they built. Duck blinds for sure, there are a lot of ducks. You can see in one of these pictures is an old canoe just floating amidst some brush. I suspect that due to the flooding the canoe, once on the ground, floated away from its original owner. How far down stream it traveled before it got here, who knows.
I had to portage across a 2 lane 50mph road to begin the best part of the trip. The Sunrise River grew wider and wider until it dumped into Martin Lake, Anoka County, MN. Martin lake is about 230 acres with a max depth of 20 feet, but as you can see is where many people have built their houses or lake houses. In the summer it gets plenty of recreational use. Today, however, being rainy and in the 50s, I was the only boat on the water at my crossing. Fortunately, although it was raining, the wind was at my back and made my crossing about as easy as it could ever be.
I had to portage another road once I crossed Martin lake. This began the portion of the paddle with the most wildlife. Ducks, Ducks, Geese, so many. Beaver too, and a beaver lodge. But still some reminders that we are in a populated area.The best illustration of how high the water level was is the picture below. It’s a beaver lodge with only 1/4 of it remaining above water.
One last picture as I round the bend, a quintessential MN farm, with aging old farm equipment rusting away. When I got closer, it didn’t look like the house was currently inhabited. Just think of how many stories it could tell.
All in all, I paddled 4 hours down this segment of The Sunrise River. There are some sections of it, I would like to do again. Other sections, I am glad I paddled, but unlikely that I will do so again.
My future goal is to continue to explore this interesting river as it winds its way to the St. Croix. It is a long way, and will take many seasons, but I will be sure to share.
