Joe and I woke up about 8:30 and to our surprise we saw Shawn at the top of the dam ready to join us in the river below. I walked up to help Shawn carry his gear over the dam and hear his story. Shawn had gotten on the water at 3 AM in order to try to make it the rest of the way across the lake and join back up with us. He said he fought high winds and waves all 13 miles. With everyone back together we set off in the face of high winds. The river in this area had straightened out to 1/4 to 1/2 mile mile runs with a series of curves in between each one. The river released from the dam provided a nice current until the wind picked up. The winds were blowing 15 mph and gusting to 30+ mph. I would be making good time and then a gust would blow towards me stopping me dead in the water. Some sections I would paddle as hard as I could to make just a mile per hour. The river was again moving through a large marsh and I had a great views of hundreds of Teal as they raced about in the high winds as I rested. The winds made for a brutal day for all of us. We reached Gamblers Point campsite late in the day, all of us worn slap out. Shawn had paddled 32 miles and Joe and I had done 19 miles. I took a swim in the river to soak my tired muscles and retired to my tent for the night.
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