Day 65 & 66 - Making it to Memphis!
And passing the four Chickasaw Bluffs
Day 65: Ashport Golddust Island → Hen & Chicks Islands
Date: September 11th, 2022
LRM 790 → LRM 756
Distance today: 34 miles
River Time: 6 hours
Countdown to Memphis: 19 miles
Today I got moving at the normal time: 5:30 a.m. A 5:30 a.m. start time looks a lot different now than it did at the beginning of the trip. In the first weeks of the trip, first light was at 4:30 a.m., and by the time I started moving at 5:30, the sun had already beat me up.
Now, I get out on the water and paddle for half an hour until the sun rises. It will be a challenge to fit in all the paddling I want to do with the amount of daylight waning in the weeks ahead.
I left my layover site and was on the water before 6:30 a.m. I wanted to get to a spot just upriver from Memphis, which will make my arrival day smooth. I had a favorite spot picked out about 20 miles north of Memphis.
Speaking of which, today I am entering my “home turf.” Due to my time working with Quapaw Canoe Company, I have familiarity with the River from Osceola, AR to Vicksburg, MS. I know the best campsites and have some 5-star ones I plan to visit!
Once I hit Osceola, about 5 miles into my day, everything became familiar! I was looking straight at the first Chickasaw Bluff. There are four of these bluffs, all in a row on the Tennessee side of the River. Memphis was built on the fourth.
As I was passing through the land of the Chickasaw Bluffs, an odd sight captured my attention. It was so minuscule from where I was on the other side of the River, but it was unmistakable. There was a cryptic message scrawled out with rocks on a secluded sandbar:
Once past the second Chickasaw Bluff, the River became wide and choppy. The winds were definitely picking up! I checked the weather and saw thunderstorms coming. I pushed the last few miles, in suddenly heavy winds, and made it to the Hen & Chicks Islands! This is an archipelago of islands, where one is much larger than the rest. I am staying on one of the “chick” islands tonight. A beautiful island all to myself!
I set up a storm camp as soon as possible, then hunkered down. Turns out the rain didn’t really materialize, but there were some gale-force winds, and I was glad to be off the water!
Day 66: Hen & Chicks Islands → Memphis, TN
Date: September 12th, 2022
LRM 756 → LRM 737
Distance today: 19 miles
River Time: 4 hours
Countdown to Memphis: 0 miles!
Today I awoke with a pep in my step. There are many good things in store for me today, including a shower and air conditioning. That is powerful motivation!
I set off from the “chick” island I was camped at, and decided to go in the backchannel of the “hen” island. It’s a bit risky to take backchannels in such low water levels, but I followed the age-old rule of “water in, means water out.”
That is to say, if there is water flowing into the backchannel, that means water must be flowing out somewhere. No dead ends. However this still carries some risk, because water could indeed be flowing out even while a downed tree is blocking my passage.
Well, I took the risk and I’m glad I did — it ended up being well worth it! I paddled in the misty backchannel as the sun broke over the trees. It was a lovely and tranquil experience.
As soon as I emerged back into the main channel, I was met with a huge amount of barge traffic. They tend to all start moving on Monday mornings after taking Sunday off, so maybe I was getting some of that. In addition, I was right near a bottleneck point: Brandywine Chute. The water levels are such today that the tows cannot pass each other here; they must go single-file. So this caused some backups.
In any case, I was able to navigate the congestions with the help of my trusty marine radio.
Soon enough, the River carried me to my first view of the Memphis skyline, and its iconic pyramid.
As I approached closer, a large towboat — 7 barges wide — passed me and went under the I-40 bridge. There’s not much leeway for him in that crossing!
I finally had made it to my first real civilization since Hannibal, MO! I turned the sharp corner and headed up the Mud Island Harbor, to the Mud Island Marina. I will leave my canoe here for two days, and come back to continue paddling on Wednesday, Sep. 14th.
Weekly Review
It’s Sunday. Here’s what I did this week:
I woke up last Monday, September 5th, at Dogtooth Bar, 20 miles away from the Ohio River Confluence. Now I find myself at the Hen & Chicks Islands, 20 miles north of Memphis, TN.
Start Point: Dogtooth Bar, 20 miles from the Ohio River Confluence.
End Point: Hen & Chicks Islands, 20 miles from Memphis.
Starting River Mile: URM 20
Ending River Mile: LMR 737
Total Mileage: 236 (With 1 rest day!)
Highlights/Milestones:
Meeting the Ohio River
Switching from the Upper Mississippi to the Lower
Meeting the A-Team and camping together on Island No. 20
A rest day on Ashport Golddust Island
Camping in Kentucky for one night! (before promptly leaving)
The 2-month anniversary of my paddle. I began on July 9th — it’s now past September 9th!
River Log Days 64 & 65
823 - Obion Bar : LBD, good low water camping
784 - Plum Point Island S. : LBD, before last wingdam of Plum Point. Decent low-water camping. Best on Plum Point.
774 : RBD, good sand, and good low water camping spot at the foot of the Sunrise Towhead Revetment.
Congratulations on your two month milestone! And on reaching Memphis ahead to schedule. Enjoy your shower and the AC!