Day 63
I woke this morning at sunrise to a strong storm slamming into my tent. I had to sit up and brace the tent poles before it was blown down on top of me. The game of me vs storms was getting old after two rounds of storms during the night, I just wanted to break camp and move along. I packed up best I could and laid wet gear out on the canoe to dry as I paddled into another stiff south wind and nasty sky. I found the current waves again and bounced up and down making slow but steady progress towards New Madrid MO. After noon the winds picked up again and I found that only by sitting cross legged in the bottom of the canoe and letting the current push the canoe along could I make any forward progress. To make matter worse I was fighting a series of small rain storms that were passing over every 30 to 45 minutes. Late afternoon I made New Madrid where I visited the museum and refilled my water jug. Like many old river towns it may bustled in its day but has fallen on harder times in the last 50 years. I pushed on past town making camp some hours later. I knew yet more storms were coming and went to sleep early confident I would have to wake up several times to battle mother nature. The weather the next few days is supposed to be more of the same. I have been joking with myself and saying Old Man River doesn't believe in credit, when I got off for family vacation my river ticket was erased so I am being force to earn a new one in order to access the beautiful days and nights. I am OK with that because I know the price is worth the show.
Friday, August 17, 2018
Day 62
I woke early to an increasing south wind, by the time the boat was loaded it had grown to a constant 10 mph wind with stronger gusts every 20 to 30 seconds. When the south wind gets up above about 7 mph it starts to blow the surface water back upstream, the deeper current fights the top water and lines of stationary waves build on the surface in the areas of higher current. I have only noticed this a handful of times on the river and if you can find the waves/current then you can make a slow but steady progress. So the first half of the day was spent working to keep the front of the canoe pointed into the waves and making slow progress. By around 1 the wind had picked up to a point that even with the current I was not able to make any noticeable headway so I put to shore. I spent several hours waiting for the wind to drop off and reading a book. About 4;30 the wind died down some and I back paddling. The barges had stopped running during the high winds but just like me they wanted to make up for lost time. I paddled along rocking on the current waves and barge rollers till close to dark. As I made camp and ate dinner I checked the radar and saw several lines of bad storms headed my way. I loaded my food buckets, water jug and backpack into the tent to give extra weight and stability during the storms. The first storms hit about 9, I spent an hour holding onto tent poles to prop the tent up against the wind and rain. After the storm passed I used my sponge to clean up the water and sand blow into the tent by the storm. Round two of storms hit just after midnight and I repeated the process a second time. Just after I finished cleaning up the tent I was jolted by the sound of tons of steel slamming into and grinding against rock. A looked towards the channel and saw a big tug trying to stop his barges from pushing further up on the underwater wing dam he had hit. The big tug spent an hour plus gunning his big engines working himself back off the rock before finally floating free. I settled in for another short nap before the sun came up.
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Day 61
Day 61
I woke early to a river blanketed in fog and a overcast sky. I could hear a barge just off shore but could not see it in the dense fog so I went back to sleep. I woke again just before 8 and quickly packed up camp and pushed off into the remaining fog. I was excited because today would mark my departure from the middle Mississippi River into the lower Mississippi starting at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. The first few hours I made good progress in the steady current and no winds, but by noon a stiff wind was blowing directly at me slowing my pace considerably. The headwind was the product of a cold front that was moving over the area and was predicted to bring rain. Sure enough just after noon as I approached the Ohio River a slow steady warm rain began to fall. I had hoped to climb a tower at the confluence of the rivers but the low clouds and rain had visibility down to half a mile so I paddled on into the meeting place of the two rivers. The confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi is the worlds 4th largest confluence of rivers and created a large wide lake like area for 10 plus miles downstream. The waters fought against each other and current slowed down to a drag, the opposite of what I had hoped for. As I read the river mile sign showing mile 954 I had mixed feelings, the river mile makers had started at 1365 and had been counting down to zero for 60 days, now I was starting over at mile 954. 954 more miles till I reach pilot town and the Gulf of Mexico. Just downstream I paddled out of Illinois and into Kentucky. The Kentucky bank was a high yellow bluff marking the entrance into a new state. The river here like many places has changed course over the years and a good sized chunk of Kentucky sits on the western bank of the river something I didn't know till today. There were barges and tow boats parked along both sides of the river for many miles downstream and I decided to tuck myself up next to the west bank and ride the good current created by the endless rows of parked barges. By this time my hands were really starting to bother me, the days of soft living and swimming on vacation had all but removed the calluses I had built up. The rain from before had made my skin wet and the days paddling was producing a new line of blisters on my palms. I decided to stop for a late lunch and pick up some liter while I was there. I found a huge variety of liter on this short sandbar, a soccer ball, a foot ball, a dodge ball, a flip flop, a hair brush, some rope, two medicine bottles, half a dozen unopened pack of butter and the normal selection of plastic drink bottles and Styrofoam. Adding all this to the 48 quart cooler and bag of other trash I picked up last night produced a large collection in the canoe. Back on the river I switched from the double blade paddle to the traditional canoe paddle as I made my way along the line of barges. Several times I noticed barges I was approaching were starting their engines and preparing to move into the channel, so I informed them of my location using the radio to avoid any issues. Soon the wind picked up again and I could hear thunder in the distance, problem was the line of barges left me no place to reach the shore and make camp. The quick moving storm rolled across the river and darkened the sky just as I reached a floating dry dock and work camp along the bank. I pointed the canoe into a opening and was able to duck under a large catwalk leading from the bank just as the sky let loose. I waited under the catwalk for about an hour till the worst of the storm passed before paddling on in search of a campsite. I only had to travel a short distance before I found a decently flat spot of sand between two old barges. I quickly set up the tent and hauled everything into it as it started to rain again. I took a quick bath in the river as the rain beat down again, not the way I like to make camp but that's life on the river. Clean and dry in my tent I started a dinner of Knorr broccoli cheddar pasta and chicken meat. While the pasta soaked I thought about how much I really love being out here in the middle of nature, it has always brought me a peace and contentment I can find no where else. With only 937 miles remaining I guess I will start considering what my next long distance nature trip will be.
I woke early to a river blanketed in fog and a overcast sky. I could hear a barge just off shore but could not see it in the dense fog so I went back to sleep. I woke again just before 8 and quickly packed up camp and pushed off into the remaining fog. I was excited because today would mark my departure from the middle Mississippi River into the lower Mississippi starting at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. The first few hours I made good progress in the steady current and no winds, but by noon a stiff wind was blowing directly at me slowing my pace considerably. The headwind was the product of a cold front that was moving over the area and was predicted to bring rain. Sure enough just after noon as I approached the Ohio River a slow steady warm rain began to fall. I had hoped to climb a tower at the confluence of the rivers but the low clouds and rain had visibility down to half a mile so I paddled on into the meeting place of the two rivers. The confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi is the worlds 4th largest confluence of rivers and created a large wide lake like area for 10 plus miles downstream. The waters fought against each other and current slowed down to a drag, the opposite of what I had hoped for. As I read the river mile sign showing mile 954 I had mixed feelings, the river mile makers had started at 1365 and had been counting down to zero for 60 days, now I was starting over at mile 954. 954 more miles till I reach pilot town and the Gulf of Mexico. Just downstream I paddled out of Illinois and into Kentucky. The Kentucky bank was a high yellow bluff marking the entrance into a new state. The river here like many places has changed course over the years and a good sized chunk of Kentucky sits on the western bank of the river something I didn't know till today. There were barges and tow boats parked along both sides of the river for many miles downstream and I decided to tuck myself up next to the west bank and ride the good current created by the endless rows of parked barges. By this time my hands were really starting to bother me, the days of soft living and swimming on vacation had all but removed the calluses I had built up. The rain from before had made my skin wet and the days paddling was producing a new line of blisters on my palms. I decided to stop for a late lunch and pick up some liter while I was there. I found a huge variety of liter on this short sandbar, a soccer ball, a foot ball, a dodge ball, a flip flop, a hair brush, some rope, two medicine bottles, half a dozen unopened pack of butter and the normal selection of plastic drink bottles and Styrofoam. Adding all this to the 48 quart cooler and bag of other trash I picked up last night produced a large collection in the canoe. Back on the river I switched from the double blade paddle to the traditional canoe paddle as I made my way along the line of barges. Several times I noticed barges I was approaching were starting their engines and preparing to move into the channel, so I informed them of my location using the radio to avoid any issues. Soon the wind picked up again and I could hear thunder in the distance, problem was the line of barges left me no place to reach the shore and make camp. The quick moving storm rolled across the river and darkened the sky just as I reached a floating dry dock and work camp along the bank. I pointed the canoe into a opening and was able to duck under a large catwalk leading from the bank just as the sky let loose. I waited under the catwalk for about an hour till the worst of the storm passed before paddling on in search of a campsite. I only had to travel a short distance before I found a decently flat spot of sand between two old barges. I quickly set up the tent and hauled everything into it as it started to rain again. I took a quick bath in the river as the rain beat down again, not the way I like to make camp but that's life on the river. Clean and dry in my tent I started a dinner of Knorr broccoli cheddar pasta and chicken meat. While the pasta soaked I thought about how much I really love being out here in the middle of nature, it has always brought me a peace and contentment I can find no where else. With only 937 miles remaining I guess I will start considering what my next long distance nature trip will be.
Day 60
Day 60
I enjoyed my family vacation but by 3 in the afternoon when I returned to the river I was ready to paddle. I pushed off from Cape G and headed downstream with a slight breeze blowing towards me. After 10 days off river I was mentally prepared to be back but I was unsure of how my body would react after the break. I had tweaked a muscle in my back a couple of days before and it was still very tight, I was hoping everything would work out for the best. I paddled downstream and after about a half a mile I crossed under the large bridge linking Missouri and Illinois. I picked up my phone to grab one last photo of Cape G back up river, as I twisted in my set my back popped from the bottom to the top releasing all the pent up tension. I felt great after wards and knew everything was going to be just fine. I paddled along at a slow pace, enjoying all the beauty the river had to offer. Around 7 I decided it was time to start looking for a camp site and notice a several mile long sandbar to my left. I decided to drift along the length of it taking in the start of the sunset and whatever else mother nature sent my direction. Midway down the sandbar I spotted a group of 30 to 40 white pelicans enjoying the sunset from the beautiful beach. It only took about 40 minutes to drift to the end of the sandbar and in addition to pelicans I saw eagles, several cranes, king fishers and wood ducks. After beaching the canoe I started a large fire and set up the tent. Next I started dinner and while it was finishing I put on my headlamp and went up the dark sandbar to gather more firewood. My headlamp quickly found the glowing eyes of a deer who had come out from the woods to drink. I quickly walked in her direction and with the light blinding her I was able to walk up within about 20 feet of her before she bolted into the short willows. Returning to camp I found the mosquitoes out in full force so I stood in the smoke from the fire and quickly ate my dinner of roast beef and mashed potatoes. After washing my cook pot I fled the smoke and mosquitoes for the safety of my tent. I made my bed and intended to read for a short time before going to sleep but sleep was the only thing my eyes found.
I enjoyed my family vacation but by 3 in the afternoon when I returned to the river I was ready to paddle. I pushed off from Cape G and headed downstream with a slight breeze blowing towards me. After 10 days off river I was mentally prepared to be back but I was unsure of how my body would react after the break. I had tweaked a muscle in my back a couple of days before and it was still very tight, I was hoping everything would work out for the best. I paddled downstream and after about a half a mile I crossed under the large bridge linking Missouri and Illinois. I picked up my phone to grab one last photo of Cape G back up river, as I twisted in my set my back popped from the bottom to the top releasing all the pent up tension. I felt great after wards and knew everything was going to be just fine. I paddled along at a slow pace, enjoying all the beauty the river had to offer. Around 7 I decided it was time to start looking for a camp site and notice a several mile long sandbar to my left. I decided to drift along the length of it taking in the start of the sunset and whatever else mother nature sent my direction. Midway down the sandbar I spotted a group of 30 to 40 white pelicans enjoying the sunset from the beautiful beach. It only took about 40 minutes to drift to the end of the sandbar and in addition to pelicans I saw eagles, several cranes, king fishers and wood ducks. After beaching the canoe I started a large fire and set up the tent. Next I started dinner and while it was finishing I put on my headlamp and went up the dark sandbar to gather more firewood. My headlamp quickly found the glowing eyes of a deer who had come out from the woods to drink. I quickly walked in her direction and with the light blinding her I was able to walk up within about 20 feet of her before she bolted into the short willows. Returning to camp I found the mosquitoes out in full force so I stood in the smoke from the fire and quickly ate my dinner of roast beef and mashed potatoes. After washing my cook pot I fled the smoke and mosquitoes for the safety of my tent. I made my bed and intended to read for a short time before going to sleep but sleep was the only thing my eyes found.
Monday, August 6, 2018
What do I eat?
The most common question I get asked is "What do you eat?". I am going to try an explain what I eat, how I prepare it and the tools in my camping kitchen. For a stove I use the MSR Pocket Rocket 2 stove. The stove burns Isobutane. a blended fuel that is designed to burn in a wide range of temperatures and elevations. Fuel canisters come in several sizes and I prefer the large 15.5 oz size. My cooking pot is a MSR Titan Kettle. It is a titanium pot and lid that holds just a bit less than a litter. A plastic teaspoon, can opener, fillet knife and a small grill grate are included in the kitchen as well. Additional I carry a spice bag that contains chicken broth cubes, red pepper flakes, sea salt, garlic powder, taco seasoning, garlic Parmesan base, olive oil, beef base and other rotating seasoning packets. I struggle to eat a good breakfast mainly because I don't have much of an appetite in the morning. My go to breakfast is Carnation instant breakfast drink. I mix two packages in a power aid bottle and try and drink it as I pack up my tent and store everything in the canoe. I will also try to force down a granola bar or a few chocolate coated mini donuts as well. When I get in the canoe to start paddling for the day I put 4 one quart power aid bottles refilled with water under my seat along with my snack bag. Having my water split into separate bottles helps me to monitor my water intake throughout the day. I also keep a bottle of Mio drink additive or sweet tea concentrate handy so drinking enough water for the day is a bit easier. I keep a snack bag under the seat as well. My snack bag contains Snickers bars, goldfish, cheez it crackers. Peanut butter crackers, granola bars, Cliff bars or other sports bars, and candy. I try to eat a snack about every hour or so while paddling. For lunch I prefer to stop at a town and grab a hot meal to help boost my calorie intake but more days than not it doesn't work out that way. A river lunch is normally a couple of flour tortillas filled with peanut butter or a couple of cans of sardines with some crackers washed down with at least a quart of liquids. For dinner I have a much wider range of options. Dinner is when I take in most of my calories and it is in general a two or three course event. I normally start with a small meal of one package of ramen noodles or a small serving of instant mashed potatoes, I will start cooking with a full quart bottle of water on hand and whatever I don't use to cook, I will drink. For main dinner I will make a Knorr paste side with can of chicken added or a can of black beans, shredded beef, rotel and taco seasonings rolled into a tortilla shell, or maybe mac and cheese with a slice of fried spam. Any canned item like beef stew, chili, chicken and dumplings, canned pasta, is a possible dinner item. I always drink a full quart of water with dinner. For desert I make a half quart of hot coco and eat a candy bar or few donuts. I try and eat as much as possible in the evening and drink at least a gallon of water. The long days of paddling burn huge amounts of energy and keeping weight loss in check is a constant battle for me. I will add olive oil or butter to everything I cook so I can squeeze in a few more calories. I will check and see if a town I am passing has a store near shore so I can run in and grab a hot dog, ice cream or other snack all in the hunt for a few more calories. Before bed while I am reading or working on a blog post I will have a final snack and try and squeeze in a some more liquids.
Thursday, August 2, 2018
Day 59
Day 59
I slept in a little later today, I may have had one too many sips of Jim Beam last night. The morning was cool and a heavy blanket of fog lay across the river. I struggled to make out my boat 40 feet away down the sand bar. I was in no rush today, I was camped just two miles above Cape Girardeau MO. Dad is driving up from Memphis to pick me up off the river. I will be going off river for the next 8 days or so for a family vacation. Each summer my Dad, sisters, brothers in laws, and my 6 nieces and nephews get together for a week of fun. I am excited to see everyone but know I will miss the river while I am gone. After the fog cleared I paddled across the river and down to the landing at the Cape. I was greeted by a nice mural painted on the flood wall by the old downtown as I paddled up. I pulled the canoe up the concrete ramp and started to unload. Using a Facebook group I found nice man who lives in town who is going to store my canoe and some gear at his house for me. I laid out my tent and rain fly to dry out from last nights heavy fog and dew and started to work cleaning mud and sand from the rest of my gear. After removing the sand from my tent I rolled it up happy knowing it would not be dirty or moldy when I returned to the river. Dad arrived shortly and we soon had the canoe and all gear loaded into the truck for transport to the storage location. I spotted a BBQ restaurant close by and we stepped inside for a bite of lunch. After a lunch of ribs and a rib eye sandwich we left to unload the canoe and gear. With my boat and gear tucked away it was time to start my vacation from my vacation. I am going to miss the river but it is not going anywhere while I am gone. While off river I hope to make a few posts about things I haven't talked much about so far like what I eat, load set up for the canoe, and other gear.
I slept in a little later today, I may have had one too many sips of Jim Beam last night. The morning was cool and a heavy blanket of fog lay across the river. I struggled to make out my boat 40 feet away down the sand bar. I was in no rush today, I was camped just two miles above Cape Girardeau MO. Dad is driving up from Memphis to pick me up off the river. I will be going off river for the next 8 days or so for a family vacation. Each summer my Dad, sisters, brothers in laws, and my 6 nieces and nephews get together for a week of fun. I am excited to see everyone but know I will miss the river while I am gone. After the fog cleared I paddled across the river and down to the landing at the Cape. I was greeted by a nice mural painted on the flood wall by the old downtown as I paddled up. I pulled the canoe up the concrete ramp and started to unload. Using a Facebook group I found nice man who lives in town who is going to store my canoe and some gear at his house for me. I laid out my tent and rain fly to dry out from last nights heavy fog and dew and started to work cleaning mud and sand from the rest of my gear. After removing the sand from my tent I rolled it up happy knowing it would not be dirty or moldy when I returned to the river. Dad arrived shortly and we soon had the canoe and all gear loaded into the truck for transport to the storage location. I spotted a BBQ restaurant close by and we stepped inside for a bite of lunch. After a lunch of ribs and a rib eye sandwich we left to unload the canoe and gear. With my boat and gear tucked away it was time to start my vacation from my vacation. I am going to miss the river but it is not going anywhere while I am gone. While off river I hope to make a few posts about things I haven't talked much about so far like what I eat, load set up for the canoe, and other gear.
Day 58
Day 58
I climbed out of the tent and greeted a river heavy with fog and barge traffic. I took my time with my breakfast of granola and a carnation instant breakfast drink, hoping the barge traffic would die down. I packed the boat and shoved off just after 9. I have been using a website called Rivergator, it was developed by Muddy Mike and John Rusky. The site lists all the islands, bluffs, boat ramps and other major places of note along the river. In addition to listing each location by river mile number it also has a section to tell you some information about each site. I had been reading ahead the night before and knew several geographical locations of note lay ahead today. The first location of note is Fountain Bluff, it is a large bluff towering over the river, large boulders some as big as houses have fallen to the waters edge. I slowly paddled along amazed by the size and shape of the boulders and imagining the splash they must have made when it fell into the river. The river smashes into the bluff base and creates a huge eddy of swirling confused water from shore to shore. Just below Fountain Bluff stands Tower Rock. Tower Rock is a large semi round tower of stone standing 100 feet out of the water. The top is covered in trees and would hold a small house nicely. As I get closer I can see the water is a massive eddy circling around the tower. I paddled into the eddy and am taken for a spin all the way around the massive pillar of stone. Tower Rock is the only rock like this in the river all the others have been removed. Between Fountain Bluff and Tower Rock I paddled over to a a boat landing to get some water and stretch my legs. I meet a tug boat crew preparing to start their two week rotation running the river. They asked me lots of questions and informed me they will go to New Orleans and back during their two weeks. I paddled the rest of the afternoon without incident. There were several large chutes on the river I would have liked to paddle but from reading Rivergator I knew I would run into problems with rock dams trying to do so at the current water level. Towards early evening I made camp at the point where Picayune Chute reenters the main channel. I made a nice fire and enjoyed a bottle of Jim Beam I had tucked away for today, my birthday. I enjoyed yet another amazing sunset before crawling into bed.
I climbed out of the tent and greeted a river heavy with fog and barge traffic. I took my time with my breakfast of granola and a carnation instant breakfast drink, hoping the barge traffic would die down. I packed the boat and shoved off just after 9. I have been using a website called Rivergator, it was developed by Muddy Mike and John Rusky. The site lists all the islands, bluffs, boat ramps and other major places of note along the river. In addition to listing each location by river mile number it also has a section to tell you some information about each site. I had been reading ahead the night before and knew several geographical locations of note lay ahead today. The first location of note is Fountain Bluff, it is a large bluff towering over the river, large boulders some as big as houses have fallen to the waters edge. I slowly paddled along amazed by the size and shape of the boulders and imagining the splash they must have made when it fell into the river. The river smashes into the bluff base and creates a huge eddy of swirling confused water from shore to shore. Just below Fountain Bluff stands Tower Rock. Tower Rock is a large semi round tower of stone standing 100 feet out of the water. The top is covered in trees and would hold a small house nicely. As I get closer I can see the water is a massive eddy circling around the tower. I paddled into the eddy and am taken for a spin all the way around the massive pillar of stone. Tower Rock is the only rock like this in the river all the others have been removed. Between Fountain Bluff and Tower Rock I paddled over to a a boat landing to get some water and stretch my legs. I meet a tug boat crew preparing to start their two week rotation running the river. They asked me lots of questions and informed me they will go to New Orleans and back during their two weeks. I paddled the rest of the afternoon without incident. There were several large chutes on the river I would have liked to paddle but from reading Rivergator I knew I would run into problems with rock dams trying to do so at the current water level. Towards early evening I made camp at the point where Picayune Chute reenters the main channel. I made a nice fire and enjoyed a bottle of Jim Beam I had tucked away for today, my birthday. I enjoyed yet another amazing sunset before crawling into bed.
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