Houghton, MI to Redridge, MI: Daily miles 18.9, Total miles 18.9
First day in the books. Got up at 6:30 after a sleepless night. The anxiety was terrible. We have been planning this for months and to be on the doorstep was almost too much. Finished up the last few things at the house and headed to Houghton. We met Arnie from Downwind Sports who hauled our boats down to the Portage for us. We can’t thank him enough for all the support he has given us for this trip. If anyone is in Houghton please stop by Downwind and thank him for us. After packing the boats, we said good-bye to our friends and paddled out onto the Portage around 9:30 am. The Portage was calm with a light breeze and some fog. We struggled to get our rhythm down the whole three hours to the breaker. We paddled onto Lake Superior at about noon. With our first strokes on the big lake, we met my parents for lunch and rested for about an hour then headed down the lake. Superior had a much different feel with small 1-3 foot, rolling waves. The shore line was gorgeous with 30-60 foot cliffs and waterfalls spilling out onto the lake. Got pretty sore and tired as the miles passed and was solidly beaten when we saw the smokestack at Redridge. It was still 2 miles off but good to see our destination. Unfortunately, as soon as we saw the stack the fog rolled in and it disappeared. We struggled into the fog for what seemed like forever until we saw my mom standing on the shore. My parents cooked us a meal and are hanging out for a bit before heading home. We are camped on the beach with the fog blowing in and out with our wetsuits and clothes hanging on some driftwood. It feels good to get a day in. The first step is always the hardest.
