Just west of Eagle River, near Hwy. 70, Jay Thurston and Mike Kinziger battled a strong headwind on the first day of their of their 436-mile canoe trip down the Wisconsin River, Friday, at about 4:30 p.m.

The wind put in doubt the pair’s attempt to paddle down the Rainbow Flowage.

“It is really just gusting out there,” Thurston’s wife, Diana, said. “If the waves are too high on Rainbow Flowage they’ll have to sit and wait it out. Jay and Mike are hoping the wind dies down as evening comes, but right now it’s hard to tell if that will happen.”

The wind became the biggest challenge for the pair after they passed through Eagle River. Their itinerary has them paddling through Rainbow Flowage by the end of their time on the water, Friday.

Diana Thurston said the pair was about 45 minutes behind schedule.

The Broadcaster hopes to have one more update today when the paddling ends this evening. Website updates will be available subject to cell phone reception and the support needs of Thurston and Kinziger as they head downstream. Jay Thurston, 75, of Viroqua and Mike Kinziger, 60, of Moscow, Idaho, are attempting to paddle the length of the Wisconsin River. Their itinerary calls for them to finish in six days and 10 hours, which would set a new speed record for canoeing the river.