First demoralizing day. All head wind all day. 10-15 mph, straight in our face. Two dams meant two lakes behind them, so no current to carry us downstream. We had headwinds at Lake Winnie, but that day was supposed to be hard and we felt triumphant. Today should have been a fun easy-going day of paddling and was not fun at all.
The portage around the second dam was a bloody nuisance. It took an hour, including me (Amy) slipping while carrying the tail of the canoe down a very steep railroad embankment. Landed on my butt and bruised something in my upper back or shoulder blade.
No rain, but at ~5:00 the sound of a hundred fighter jets roared an ominous sound which we interpreted to be a steady rumble of distant thunder. A quick check on the smartphone - severe thunder storm warning and tornado watch in effect for our county. Conservative Amy said get me off this river at the next landing. And that brought our first lucky break of the day. We landed at the Riverton Sportsmans Club boat ramp, where the Lion's Club was holding their annual picnic. Friendly people welcomed us with BBQ pork, a huge array of potluck side dishes, and very nice conversation. We are camped at their well maintained unassuming little campground with two other parties. River Mile 951.5.
All that work and we moved less than 25 miles and finished with an aching body. Yuck.
But we are well fed and the forecast is for a calm day tomorrow, so maybe we'll regain our oomph. I trust that tomorrow we'll be able to report that we are happy and healthy.
1 comment:
This is the worst portage on the whole Mississippi. Took me several hours because I did not have a boat cart. You are lucky to have been so fast....
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