Daily stats
Start: 6:30 AM - South of Caruthersville, MO
Finish: 3:40 PM - 35 miles north of Memphis, TN
Time: 9:10:00
Daily dist: 65
Total dist: 488 miles
Weather: Rainy breezy and warm (50s)
I woke to the sound of rain drops splatting against the roof of my tent. As much as I wanted to curl deeper into my sleeping bag I knew it was time to get moving. My goal for the day was to get within striking distance of Memphis where I will be hooking up with Elmore Holmes and his wife Martha for Christmas.
There are storms and big winds predicted for tomorrow so I knew that in order to make it happen I’d have to get as close as possible today to shorten the potential slog tomorrow. People have warned me time and time again about the wind being a huge factor on this river. Today I learned first hand that they weren’t kidding. Because of it’s width there aren’t many places to hide from the wind on this river. If you get caught in a bend where the wind is blowing against the current it doesn’t take long before you encounter 1-2 foot waves stacked up by the opposing forces.
I spent most of the day running from bank to bank trying to stay out of the wind. My normal strategy of cutting corners and drawing the straightest line as possible took a back seat to trying to get out of the constant blow. I had another reason to not cut corners as well. Early this morning I took a side channel made passable by flood waters as a short cut on the inside of a bend. One dike was shown on the map which didn’t concern me as I’ve gone over dozens in the last several days. Even as I neared the dike and could hear the sound of rushing water I was not concerned. Often on the main channel water flowing over a dike makes plenty of noise but is very deep. This one was louder than normal so I even recorded it on my camera.
 It wasn’t until I was right on top of it did I realize that this dike was a bit shallower than others and the sound I could hear was a bony (rocky) class two rapid. All I could do was clinch my cheeks and grimace as my loaded boat went over the lip. I thought I’d get lucky until the boat hit up front with a scraping thud. I immediately pulled out to survey the damages and discovered to significant gouges in the boat’s gel coat on both sides about five feet from the bow. I squeezed and poked and it seems as though I got lucky and only did cosmetic damage. Still this one is down to the fiber so it will have to be sealed until a more permanent gel coat repair can be done. I just need a dry day to do it. With that experience in mind I tested the waters on another chute further on then heard the same rushing water sound so I turned on my heals and paddled back up stream to get back in the main river. I think from now on my use of side channels is going to be limited as well as running over dikes. The river has dropped over two feet since Cairo and things are starting to get boney (shallow).
Picture
On rainy days the tent becomes a drying rack for my clothes
Picture
It only 'looks' like I'm cooking in my tent. That would be wrong
Of course as I started the day in a little bit of rain I finished it in a downpour. Seems how there’d be no chance of drying things outside in the remaining sunshine of the day I paddled a little longer to get a few more miles behind me. Right now I have all my (always wet) clothes hung from lines on the ceiling of the tent. As the water drains to the end of a sleeve or leg I use my camp towel to squeeze it out before it drips on the floor. One should only imagine the (not experience) the smells associated with being nested under the wet clothes one has been sweating in for the last two days. I have a rule written in my list of personal camp rules that states “Rule #4 - Your clothes stink…there is no need to smell them.” In a set up like this I have no choice. Still, any amount of water I can squeeze out of my layers tonight will make that much easier to put back on in the morning. I’m seriously contemplating wearing my camp layers under my paddling clothes tomorrow but, if I don’t make Memphis I wouldn’t want to endure a night without something warm and dry to put on at the end of a long day on the water.
Picture
Me in the tent with clothes hung to dry. Watch out that pant leg is about to drip
 


Comments

Ann Daley

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 8:14:59 am

Merry Christmas, Jake!

 

Wagner

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 8:54:42 am

Don't take this the wrong way but I think about you every day dude. It's weird but it happens at the strangest moments. I'll be sitting here coding or making dinner or something and it'll just pop into my head - "wonder what Jake's up to".

We are all very fortunate to have a roof over our heads and listening to you makes me appreciate it more every day.

Have a very Merry Christmas and be safe.

Kevin.

PS. You probably don't smell too different from what we're used to -joke

 

Dave J

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 10:16:02 am

Glad to hear that you are indoors getting everything dried out for Christmas. You mentioned the bad smell of your gear, which I guess mostly means your base layers. I've been experimenting with merino wool lately and have been pretty impressed with it. It resists developing a bad smell but needs to be hand washed -- but on the river hand-washing is all you can do anyway.

 

Larry, Susan, and Otto

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 10:55:29 am

Merry Christmas Jake!

 

lyn stachovak

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 11:21:16 am

Merry Christmas again Jake. We'll be thinking about you all day and I'm so glad you're out of the rough stuff. When I was watching the Weather the other night I was so hoping you could find a warm and dry place to wait out the worst of the storm.

We have snow/slush/sleet/rain. Lovely Christmas weather. There's spots on Grand Avenue that are flooded cause there's no open drains (under snowbanks) right now. Again, lovely Christmas weather.

As for merino wool? Wouldn't that smell like a wet sheep when it got soaked? A wet sheep can't smell too good can it?

 

Aaron Stachovak

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 11:47:22 am

Merry Christmas Jake! Today is not a good paddling day here in Manitowoc - we have had a constant 20 mile an hour wind with even stronger wind gusts. Lake Michigan looks pretty angry, I am guessing that the waves are at 4 to 5 feet high and are pounding the shore.

I thought we would be able to go sledding today with Micah but the rain we had all day yesterday and overnight has deteriorated the conditions pretty bad. My hopes of driving out on the ice are also going to be put on hold until we have colder weather and I hope the ice on the marina doesn't take a pounding too bad from all the waves (the brown are starting to run).

I am glad you have had the opportunity to meet such generous people who are willing to take you in over the holidays. You are showing us all that we are truly connected by water. I hope you have a great day!

take care

stove

 

maris61

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 1:18:37 pm

Things do not change; we change. Thoreau's Journal

How to have warm boots...

Pour all excess water out of your boots. Shake them well to get the last droplets out. If there are removable insoles inside your boots, remove them now.

Step 2Stick the corner of a towel down into each boot and pat the insides dry as best as you can. This won't get them nearly dry enough, but it will help you get started.

Step 3Put several pebbles and small rocks into a metal container like a coffee can or bucket. Keep in mind, however, that you're about to heat this container over an open flame. Choose a container that can take the heat. If you brought along a skillet or Dutch oven, you could use that instead. Just make sure the rocks are as clean as possible and be very careful that you don't scratch the non-stick coatings on your cookware.

Step 4Prop the container up near or over your campfire. If you place it next to the fire, turn it every few minutes to ensure even heat distribution. Heat the rocks for several minutes, until you're sure they're very hot.

Step 5This is the moment of truth. You'll need to put your boots to the test to make sure that they won't melt under the heat of the rocks. Pick up a single pebble with your tongs or using your fire-ready gloves. Hold the pebble against the inside sole of your boot for about five seconds, then remove it and examine the area. If it looks OK, try it again for ten seconds. If it still looks OK, try the same procedure against the side of the boot. If at any point the material on the inside of your boot looks like it's melting or scorching, stop. You won't be able to dry them in this way. Fortunately, most boots designed for camping and hiking will stand up well to this extreme heat.

Step 6When you're ready to move forward, use your tongs or gloves to put half of the pebbles inside one boot. When the rocks are in the boot, shake the boot continuously back and forth so that the rocks don't sit in one place. Keep shaking for several minutes until the rocks have cooled. Then dump the rocks on the ground.

Step 7Repeat Step 6 with the other boot.

Step 8Allow both boots to cool completely. Feel inside to determine the level of moisture. If it's much dryer but not yet completely dry on the inside, it may be worth a try to repeat the hot rocks procedure.


 

devan hirons

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 2:19:32 pm

hi i am from portage, wi i am with the river crossing charter school i down in arkansas for the week i just checkin in with ya

 

Aunt Patty and Uncle Al

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 4:05:16 pm

Merry Christmas Jake!
Best of luck on the rest of your adventure. We'll be checking in once in a while. Take good care of yourself.

 

John V

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 6:41:39 pm

Merry Christmas Jake, you were in San Diego long enough to know "warm" is not 50's. Enjoying the read.

 

Tom S.

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 7:58:09 pm

Hi Jake,

You're making great miles, but the short cuts can stop you cold. Stop and get one of those 5 minute epoxy repair kits. All you need is a small piece of sand paper or emery cloth and you can seal the gel coat to the kevlar. Those boats are tough...been there...done that. The wet clothes...you need a dryer. The inside of a tent at night won't do it. I have washed my clothes in a dry bag (20 ltr) using filtered water. They don't get dry, but they smell a lot better. Fleece and polypro- dry faster than cotton. Merry Christmas

 

Patrick Kelly

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 8:34:58 pm

Hi Jake,
Merry Christmas.
Interesting trip so far. Look forward to the rest of it.
Patrick

 

David and Cheryl White

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 9:53:21 pm

We are hoping you have a dry bed to sleep in, good food to eat, and calm winds ahead. Your blog is a part of our every day routine now....you are our huckeberry finn! Be safe.
Merry Christmas Jake!
David and Cheryl

 

T. Van

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 10:50:28 pm

Hey Jake,

If you ever feel like giving up, just remember us poor souls stuck at our 9 to 5 jobs every day.
You are living the dream, man. Keep it up! You are an inspiration. Hell, you even inspired me to go kayaking on the Ohio river christmas eve, and I'm 53

 



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