submitted by underhil@augsburg.edu
The second River Semester launches this week, with 15 students heading off for a 100-day expedition down the Mississippi. On Thurs., Aug. 23, the group will gather at 9:00am on the front steps of the Christensen Center and hike off from campus at approximately 9:30, making the 9 mile trek to Ft. Snelling State Park and B’dote. Family and friends are welcome hike with them along the river gorge, stopping at Minnehaha Falls Park for lunch before continuing on to Ft. Snelling and their first camp site at Picnic Island.
On Fri., Aug. 24, the group will have a short ceremony, send-off, and “blessing of the fleet” at approximately 7:30am at the boat ramp adjacent to Picnic Island. Directions to Ft. Snelling Park can be found on their website. The gate to the park opens at 7:00am, and there is a $7 entrance fee (unless you have a MN State Park annual pass). Once in the park, follow signs to Picnic Island. There is ample parking there and once you are in the parking lot it will be obvious where the group is.