River and Bayou

I’ve spent the last five weeks getting prepared for this trip.

Unlike my previous attempts at canoeing the length of Mississippi River, today there’s a whole host of knowledge available on the internet about what a long-distance paddler can expect on the Lower Miss’. So, I’ve been pouring over maps, river charts, and satellite images. I’ve located back channels to paddle through and island to camp on along the way. I’ve been reading of other paddlers’ experiences – and I’ve been learning.

What I’ve learned is that over eighty percent of the Lower Mississippi River miles from where I’ll put in at Ed Jones Boar Launch near Hales Point, Tennessee to where I’ll reach the Gulf south of Morgan City, Louisiana is ‘wild miles.’ This means the scenery viewed from a canoe paddling down the river looks and feels wild. Legendary canoeist and river guide, John Ruskey, describes the Lower Mississippi River this way.

“Nature dominates the miles and nothing is seen of mankind save passing tows (and other river traffic) and maybe a tiny hunting camp or a single fisherman buzzing by in a john boat. These are miles where the landscape is filled with giant islands bounded by endless mud banks and sandbars, where the river is overseen by big skies and where sunsets can be viewed uninterrupted by buildings or wires. Here each rise and fall of the big river creates shifting sand dunes and sandbars, resulting in an ever-changing riverscape and beauty. This is a floodplain valley where only deer and coyote tracks are seen along the sandbar. And where enormous flocks of shy birds like the white pelican and double-breasted cormorant are comfortable enough to land for the night. These are quiet places where the stars fill the skies like brightly shining jewels, almost as thick and vibrant as the night skies of the Great Plains or Rocky Mountains.”

And I’ve learned the best way for a long-distance Mississippi River paddler to reach the Gulf is to avoid the ‘chemical corridor’ and ocean ports between Baton Rouge and New Orleans all together. And to exit the Mississippi at the Old River Lock and Dam below Natchez. Once through the lock, it’s a short six miles by canal to the Atchafalaya River and over a million acres of the largest river swamp in North America.

I’ve also learned that canoeing the Lower Mississippi River is going to be a logistical challenge. All but a few cities and towns are located several miles behind the levees. As I’ll be traveling alone and unsupported, leaving my canoe and gear unattended at a rural boat ramp and walking several miles into town to get food and water is a non-starter. So I’ll be carrying enough food to last the entire month-long journey. And enough water (about two weeks’ worth) to get me from one sparsely located water stop to the next. And I’ll have a small electric trolling motor rigged to the canoe with enough power to get me fifteen miles or so – just in case.

I’ve learned that the length of the Lower Mississippi is wild and has many moods. And, for a paddler in a small canoe, this ever-changing river may be at turns be enlightening, frightening and overwhelming. It can inspire a paddler to new perspectives and subdue them to the point of boredom. It can leave them confused, alone, and utterly humbled. The trip will be a challenge. But the reward promises to be an adventure of a lifetime.

This will be my third attempt. This time, I’m ready to go the distance.