River and Bayou

If there was one day that encapsulated just about every different type of river conditions I’ve encountered thus far, today would be that day.

The day’s paddling started almost euphorically. I glided around Brown’s Point enjoying the lively currents pouring out of Paw Paw and Marshall Cut-Off and it seemed like my final lap into Vicksburg was going to be an easy ride. Then, without warning, and much to my dismay, the strong flow in the middle of the channel suddenly flattened out into a mass of gentle but giant slow-moving eddies and weird slow side-to-side motions. Nothing violent or extreme happened. But the current disappeared. What the heck was going on?

I recalled reading about this while planning the trip. The explanation is that the entire river drops over a 30 foot shelf. Not the top of the river of course (that would be a waterfall amongst waterfalls!) But the bottom of the river. My downstream current had been flattened by the “shoal effect.” When as the volume of the river channel expands so abruptly, as happens at the bottom end of any shoals,

the current slows and sometimes dissipates completely. Drats! My early exhilaration gave way to the realities of the river. And what I was beginning to think would be an easy and early stop for water in Vicksburg would happen much later in the day than I was hoping.

But just as quickly as the river slowed at the shelf, it sped up an became frenetic as I paddled through Centennial Cutoff to the mouth of the Yazoo River and the entrance to Vicksburg Harbor. Long known as one of the most dangerous places on the entire Mississippi, even experienced tow pilots are wary of this bend. Here big waves pile up as the river’s current speeds up dramatically. And for the paddler, if a tow or two has just passed by, their wake can easily grow to five feet or greater. And come from all directions in a myriad of wave trains that may last for 20 minutes or longer. It’s a bouncy, nerve-raking ride. And a real challenge to keep the canoe on a heading into the waves so it doesn’t become swamped. So that was me when three tows passed by in the less than 10 minutes. I’d be lying if I said my pulse and heart rate didn’t go up a few pegs when those huge, confuse waves hit!

But then, just as soon as I made a left turn into the Yazoo River/Harbor Entrance, all that hazardous water disappeared. I was becalmed again. No. Worse. In order to reach the city’s boat ramp where I hoped to leave the canoe in search of water, I had to paddle against the Yazoo’s current through the busy harbor entrance for a mile. Ugh. I hate paddling uphill.

But sometimes I get lucky. Probably more times than I deserve. Because when I finally made it to the boat ramp and tied off my canoe, what do you think was there at the very top of the huge ramp? An ice and water vending machine! Can you believe it! I had never seen a water vending machine before, but am glad they exist. So I put my 7 gallon water jug under the machine’s dispenser, paid my $3, and got a full 7 gallons of cool, clean, fresh water! How sweet is that!

After loading the water back into the canoe, I was paddling back down the Yazoo Channel, out of the harbor entrance, past a couple large casinos and hotels, under the I-20 bridge, and heading south out of the heavy barge and tow traffic of Vicksburg. Phew! An hour later, I was sitting in a cool, shady campsite at the north end of Racetrack Towhead. Relaxing in my camp chair. Feet up on my small camp table.

So, that was my day. Exhilarated. Stifled. A little frightened. A lot blessed. And now relaxed.