Day 14

Day 14

Yesterday we had already decided we would take a zero day (zero miles paddled) due to more bad weather on the way. Knowing I would not have to paddle in the morning, the night before I walked over to the local watering hole after I finished updating my blog. As I walked in the door I was greeted by a few dozen locals who were having a good time enjoying drinks and the juke box. At first I was greeted with suspicious glances and little else. It took me a few minutes to order a drink and start a tab. I was relieved to see they carried a bourbon, Makers Mark, not my favorite but better than the Canadian whiskey that was available everywhere else. A friendly lady quickly asked who I was and more to the point why was I talking so funny. I told her I was paddling the river and was from Mississippi. The rest of the crowd was soon calling me Mississippi and escorted me outside for an in depth inquisition. Spent the next hour answering questions as quick as they could fire them off. After a few drinks a couple of the guys decided they needed to take me for a ride to see something. Normally I wouldn't jump into a truck with total strangers for a ride to the unknown but good bourbon has a way of blurring the lines between good and bad ideas. After a short ride we pulled up in front of fort made of logs. The front gate was quickly opened and I found myself inside a recreation of an early American fort. The compound was a square measuring about 150 paces on each side, walls were 15 feet high and made of pine logs sharpened to a point with a covered tower on each corner. The inside had a blacksmith shop, store, bar and other buildings built onto the walls. The guys explained a group of Vietnam veterans had built the fort after the war and started a group called the mountain men. I must say it was not like anything I had ever seen before. With more storms moving in they dropped me back at the campground.

The next day we slept late and woke to sunny skies but the sound of thunder could be heard to both the north and south. Around noon I walked into town for a burger, in the few minutes it took to get there the sky turned dark and the wind began to howl. Within minutes violent winds kicked up and hail the size of golf balls began drop, followed by swirling winds and driving rain. Suddenly the power went out and the rain ended. As I walked back towards camp the town was littered with downed trees and debris. I was congratulated by a local for surviving a tornado. I arrived at camp to find our tents safe under the pavilion. The rest of the day I spent reading and napping while thunderstorms dumped large amounts of rain. The river level was climbing all day and a swift current promised a swift trip to the next town Aitkin.