Two women paddling from Minn. to Hudson Bay

Two women are well on their way to paddling the from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay on the Minnesota River and Red River State Water trails.

On what is expected to be a three-month trip, recent college graduates Ann Raiho and Natalie Warren began paddling their 17-foot canoe upstream from Fort Snelling State Park on June 2. By June 11, they had paddled 150 miles up the swollen Minnesota River to New Ulm and were on schedule.

To complete their journey, the duo will also paddle the Red River State Water Trail, cross 270-mile-long Lake Winnipeg and canoe the wild whitewater of the Hayes River. Weather, wind and polar bears permitting, they anticipate arriving at York Factory on Hudson Bay by Sept. 10.

"We were shocked to find out that no women had done this trip," Raiho said. "Women have climbed every mountain and crossed every ocean, and women should paddle every river, too. By being the first women to paddle a historic route, we hope to show that wilderness trips are accessible to everyone."

Eighty years ago, Eric Sevareid and Walter Port canoed the 2,250 mile-route to Hudson Bay. Sevareid recounted the tale in a celebrated book Canoeing with the Cree. Though others have recreated this journey since, no women have completed the route.

The women plan to put their environmental studies education to use by speaking about local water quality at high schools along the way.

Follow the Raiho and Warren's progress at www.hudsonbaybound.com.