A trip to pay tribute, teach others
By Amy Bowen
St. Cloud Times www.sctimes.com

Canoe with the explorers
Explorers Todd Foster and Scott Miller have created a Web site to track their Hudson Bay expedition. Log onto www.hudsonbayexpedition.com to watch them get ready for their adventure next year. The men said they hope to communicate via the Web site during the trip. They are looking for a technology sponsorship

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St. Cloud will serve as the backdrop for two modern-day explorers. Todd Foster of St. Cloud and Scott Miller of St. Paul plan to canoe from the Sauk River to Hudson Bay in May 2005. The friends are preparing for their about 2,000-mile journey through Minnesota and Canada. They've already secured nine major equipment and educational sponsorships, and are planning the trip's logistics. With little more than six packs, a canoe and other equipment, the two men will retrace the path that two other Minnesota explorers carved in 1930. Eric Sevareid and Walt Port canoed from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay, braving uncharted wilderness. Sevareid wrote about the experience in the book "Canoeing with the Cree." Foster and Miller read the book and decided to pay tribute to the original explorers last October. They hope their trip will educate people about the water quality of the area's rivers and about the 12 different Native American reservations along the journey. Above all, they want to encourage people to become explorers, they said. "I think if people are inspired to live out their dreams -- even one person -- that would be wonderful," Miller, 28, said.

Trip of a lifetime
Miller and Foster, 27, met 10 years ago at the summer Boy Scout camp, Many Point Scout Camp, near Park Rapids. The friends have done smaller canoe trips but nothing of the magnitude of the Hudson Bay expedition. "There's something about living out your destiny," Miller said. "It's when you can wake up in the morning and decide what you're going to do. I'm not on anyone else's time, and I get to choose what to do each day." Foster and Miller will start on the Sauk River, near Foster's home, then travel to the Mississippi River. They will then paddle on the Minnesota River to the Red River, then across Lake Winnipeg to the Hayes River finishing along Gods River. They plan to reach Hudson Bay in September 2005. They expect the trip to cost $10,000. Along the way, they will work with the Minnesota Historical Society to teach the public and with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency testing water quality on the Minnesota River
and Red River. The trip is difficult, they said. They'll use their strength paddling upriver on the Minnesota River. On the Red River, they'll battle the thick mud, then the treacherous waters of Lake Winnipeg. Once they reach northern Canada, they might see polar bears. Foster and Miller will face new difficulties. The Minnesota River has lost some fish species because of pollution. Hydroelectric systems have changed the landscape and water levels in Canada, they said. "We're not going to put a motor on the canoe," Miller said. "We're still going to have to navigate the waves." Not to mention that Miller and Foster will spend almost every minute together. They'll canoe 12 hours a day. "It's not going to be rosy all the time," Foster said. "I'm sure there will be some friction, but we'll work through it."

Taking time out
Spending four months canoeing and camping might sound like a dream vacation, but it's
difficult breaking it to your family, Foster said. Foster is married and has two daughters. Last month, he quit his job as a n occupational health coordinator at Electrolux Home Products freezer factory to prepare for the journey. His wife of five years, Molly, supports him, Foster said. His parents and in-laws weren't pleased. After all, Foster needs to pay bills and support his family. He has created a budget and has stopped eating fast food to help save, he said. "All it means is that I'm going to have to work harder to figure it out," Foster said. "Probably the bottom line is financial. I'll have to save up my savings." Miller has similar concerns. While single, Miller doesn't have health insurance. Foster and Miller work at Many Point in the summer and at North Wind Winter Adventures, a Boy Scout camp program near Annandale. The two understand they have unusual jobs, but they said it'll be worth the hardships. They've already received support from the Sevareid and Port families and explorers Ann Bancroft and Lonnie Dupre. "We were committed to do doing this project ‹ even if we have to eat ramen noodles for two years," Miller said.

Preparation
Miller and Foster still are looking for a company to help them with the necessary technology to tell their story on the trail. They've already told canoe enthusiasts and students at the St. Olaf College about their dream. They hope to continue public speaking. Miller and Foster will spend the rest of their time working at the Boy Scout camps, figuring out the trip's logistics and taking practice runs. They have the simple goal of being explorers. "People are so enamored in our story because it's unconventional," Foster said. "People would love to do these kinds of things. They see us having figured it out. People like to hang out with cool people."

Read the book
Eric Sevareid wrote about his adventures canoeing from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay in the book "Canoeing with the Cree." In 1930, Sevareid and friend, Walt Port, embarked on the adventure. Next year, will be the 75-year anniversary of the trip. The book is available through the Minnesota Historical Society or at local bookstores. Readers can also buy the book to help support the Hudson Bay Expedition. E -mail paddlers@hudsonbayexpedition.com.