River and Bayou

If yesterday I said that barges don’t work on Saturday, well then, they must save all that work for Sunday. Because today was barge after barge after barge. They were relentless and non-stop. And as much as I would have just enjoyed the day drifting and floating slowly down river, it seemed most of my time and effort today was devoted towards staying out of their way. And often, that meant staying close to the shoreline where the boils, eddies, and most choppy and turbulent waters are.

For example, as I was hugging the right descending bank today through Worthington Cutoff and about to enter the faster constricted waters of Cracraft Chute, a bit whirlpool just opened up right in front of me. A whirlpool big enough to swallow up my entire canoe. And me with it. No warning. No telltale signs. One minute it wasn’t there. The next minute it was. As if it had been conjured up from the deep waters near the edge of the channel and found its way up to the surface. And with no chance to avoid it, my only option was to ride it out. Fortunately, my little canoe is a gem, and it danced its way around and through the cauldron with nary a hint of capsizing. But every bend in the river, and every chute of fast water, is like that. I never know exactly what lies for me in the waters near shore. Except I know what doesn’t – barges. And barges must be avoided at all cost.

I paddled past a lot of islands and back channels today. But the water is low and all the back channels are inaccessible because of the exposed dikes and wing dams. If only the water were higher. Then I’d take the back channels behind the islands as often as I could, shave off a few miles, and avoid the barges in the main channel. But, alas! That’s not going to happen anytime soon. The river is still falling. The voice on the weather radio this evening said it’s falling by as much as four or five inches day. And forecast to continue to do so. So more tricky water near the river’s banks and the edges of the main channel. I just have to be careful, pay close attention to the water and currents, and not take chances. Vicksburg is only two days away, Natchez a few days later, and then the Lock and Dam through to the Atchafalaya. There are barges on the the Atchafalaya, but not as many and not as big. And I think that river’s waters will be far less trouble for a lone man in a canoe than the big Mississippi.

Anyway, that’s for tomorrow and beyond. Tonight, I’m camping on the river’s bank again (not a sandbar.) It’s a pretty nice spot in a narrow straight part of the river a couple miles north of Cottonwood Bar. It’s got trees for shade, firm sand, some mosquitoes, and of courses, barges!

The days are getting shorter. Sunset arrives earlier. Sunrise later. I still crawl into my tent just after sunset but rise each day in the dark before dawn. I make coffee, update my blog, and wait for the sun to rise. It’s the start of a brand-new day.