Daily stats Start: 6:30 AM- 30 miles above Natchez MS Finish: 2:30 PM - On the river Time: 8:00 Daily dist: 65 miles Total dist: ? miles Companions: None Weather: Clear with brisk north wind - chilly when I slow down but warm when I match speed with the wind. Notes: Very nice day on the water.  Ice on my boat for the first time since Cairo. I thought Louisiana was supposed to be warm! Today was delightfully routine…just me and the river… a bend up ahead to navigate all else moving into the past. I was up at 4:30 AM ate breakfast, broke camp, and was on the water by 6:30. Try as I might I still haven’t improved on my morning routine time. It simply takes two hours to take care of everything I need to do in the morning. Once on the water I maneuvered into the main flow of the river and began my system of running down the river. I have learned that to make the best time you need to stay in the main flow of the river. On a small river the main current is normally found in mid channel on straight sections and along the outside bank on curves. Centrifugal force pushes more water to the outside of curves often creating faster water there that eats away at the bank and slower water on the other side (inside of the curve) where sand is deposited creating sand bars. To make the best time on the Wisconsin river where I started this trip. I would run right along the outside curves of the river in the deeper and faster moving current. When the river would curve the other way I had to pick my way across the middle of the river to find the deeper faster water on the other side. The Mississippi, because of its size river and the sheer volume of water it’s carrying, behaves differently than smaller rivers. The fastest moving water is most often not on the outer edges of the outsides of curves. Instead it’s a couple hundred yards off of that bank. What happens is the amount of water piling into the outside of curves is so great that it bounces off the bottom and outer shore line creating a confusing pile of eddies, whirlpools, and boils. Very often the water in these areas is moving upstream rather than down as one should expect. The same thing happens on smaller rivers but at a much smaller scale. Actually everything on the Mississippi is on a grand scale. On the inside of bends in the river you do see the water slow and deposit sand in huge sandbars called Towheads. Like I said in a previous post the Army Corps of Engineers has installed a system of dikes to try to deflect this slow moving water toward the main channel. With the river at flood stage, like it is now, the dikes are completely submerged under water. They can be detected only by the turbulent water found on the downstream side of the dike. Because the dikes are submerged, there is a huge temptation to try to paddle across the flooded areas in a more direct line toward points downstream. Cutting corners does indeed shorten your distance to travel. However, because of the basic nature of inside of curves having less current, combined with the turbulent water found after each submerged dike, it is rarely any faster (if not slower) to try to cut corners. The approach I have come up with is to follow the buoy lines that mark the navigable channel around every bend. These buoys (and the related navigation beacons on shore) are placed and maintained by the United States Coast guard. Essentially the Army Corps of Engineers creates the boating channel and the Coast Guard makes sure everybody knows where it is. Moving upstream from the Gulf all the way to Minneapolis (as well as into any port in the United States) you will find red colored buoys and beacons on the right hand side. The tops of the buoys taper to a point (like a cone) and related navigation beacons are triangular with the point to the top mimicking the points on the buoys. On the left side you will find green buoys and beacons with a square shape. The different shapes allow a person to identify which buoy type they’re looking at in less than ideal light situations such as low light or glare. The buoys are placed to show a boat captain where the safest (or preferred) channel is located. All a captain needs to do is keep his boat between the buoys and on the correct side (when there is traffic) and things should work out. For a shallow draft boat like a kayak you generally don’t need to know where the main channel is to keep from running aground. It is nice to know where the navigable channel is however, because it allows you to know where most of the big boat traffic is going to be and gives you a rough idea of which direction it may be going. On the upper Mississippi where the channel is shallower and narrower it is delineated by buoys and beacons on both sides at regular intervals. On the lower Mississippi the channel is so wide and deep that very often only the most necessary buoys are placed, such as at the edge of the channel along insides of curves. I imagine it’s believed that common sense can keep a captain from running into trouble. On the upper river the lanes established by the buoys are almost always adhered to. Up river traffic normally stays on the east side of the river and down river traffic on the west side. Exceptions are made when steering the unruly barges around corners, but for the most part the rules apply. On the lower Mississippi the buoys seem to serve only as suggestions. Very often I’ve encountered tow boats with huge rafts of barges traveling less than 50 yards from shore way outside the delineated shipping channel. What the captains are trying to do there is hide from the main flow along the inside of curves to make more efficient headway upstream. It’s a little unsettling for a paddler who relies on the space outside of the channel as their safety zone away from tow traffic, but you adjust. Now, knowing that the buoys mark the edge of deeper water and that in shallow water the river flows slower, I’ve come up with the technique of using the edges of the shipping lane rather than the edges of the river to navigate. For example, on a curve, rather than cut the corner as close as flooded dikes will allow, I stay in the main current paddling from buoy to buoy all the way around the curve. Once the river straightens out (traffic permitting) I drift into the middle of the channel then cut a long diagonal to the other side in order to follow the buoys on the opposite bank on the inside of the next curve (which normally bends back the other way). It is like this, curve to curve to curve, that I run the river all day. Barge traffic can force me to one side longer than I’d like but for the most part I pretty much run from inside of curve to inside of curve (delineated by buoys) all day long. On long straight sections of river I simply just paddle down the middle of the channel avoiding any turbulence along either side. With the river at flood stage like it is I end up centered between the banks indefinitely (with a half mile of river to either side of me) unless there is tow traffic. I wouldn’t recommend this kind of positioning in the river with a slower boat, you do need to be able to move out of the way of oncoming tow traffic. But for a swift kayak like the Ikkuma there is no reason not to take advantage of every drop of current that you can. CommentsJan Kleck 01/05/2010 12:26am
I am soooo happy. Paddle on as your friends say! We do give credit to a swift kayak like the Ikkuma. But, let's not forget the strong, swift kayaker like the Jake!! It is 1:15 a.m. and I decided to get up and see if we all heard from you. Most interesting reading I've ever read at this time of morning! The happiest thing I've read, "I'M BACK!" and the words "delightfully routine". YES! linda 01/05/2010 2:18am
Pardon me Jan Kleck, but are you related to Jen Kleck? It is confusing on the blog. lyn stachovak 01/05/2010 6:56am
take time to enjoy the high and dry for a couple of days. I've heard that Baton Rouge is a nice place - just stay out of the bad sections of town!!!! Dad and I love you and it's great to see your back and in good spirits. lyn stachovak 01/05/2010 7:17am
I wonder if Huck Finn knew this much about the Mississippi? Jan Kleck 01/05/2010 7:57pm
Sorry Linda for the confusion. I am Jen's mother! I, like anyone who has had the privilege of spending any time at all with Jake, like him and care about him and am interested in and supportive of what he does with his life. Possibly I should stop blogging to avoid confusion. I apologize to anyone who has been confused. lyn stachovak 01/05/2010 9:15pm
Jan - don't stop blogging. I really enjoy your input and look forward to seeing what you have to say to Jake. He's lucky to have people like you in his life. Jan Kleck 01/05/2010 11:55pm
Lyn, you cannot imagine how happy I am to hear from you. I have wanted so many times to say something directly to you but hesitated. We think your son is the greatest guy and from what we have heard from him about you all, it is obvious that you are just as great as he is. I was sure that your unconditional love and guidance has a lot to do with his character. Loved seeing the wonderful pictures of you both and I will follow this journey along with you - feeling blessed all the while. Thanks so much. Leave a Reply | Best of the Blog
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