Days 78 & 79 - The Last Heatwave
And arrival to Vicksburg!
Day 78: Leland Cutoff → Hidey Hole near Lake Providence
Date: September 24th, 2022
LRM 539 → LRM 487
Distance today: 52 miles
River Time: 12 hours
Countdown to Baton Rouge, LA: 258 miles
It’s hot today. Really hot. I thought I had avoided this by getting to the South in September, but apparently it had other plans in store for me. Tomorrow is hot too, but hopefully after that it simmers down for good. I know I may have just jinxed it, but I want to speak it into existence: this is the LAST heatwave of my trip!
Today I didn’t expect to be good mileage, the forecast called for strong winds in my face. But they never really materialized. Every time I rounded a corner and expected to get some, they never showed up, so I kept rolling along. That’s not to say today was easy, I had other things to contend with, the heat and the sun chief among them. Any 50 mile day is a long day.
I had sort of given up on it, but given my mileage today I will try for Vicksburg, MS tomorrow.
I got on the water first thing in the morning today, before the sun got up even! I wanted to begin paddling before the worst of the heat set in for the day. I began paddling under the stars, and with a lot of tow traffic! The Leland Cutoff had just opened up for northbound traffic, and there were a lot of them waiting in line!
After the day had brightened up a little, I passed under the new Greenville Bridge. This is one of if not the most recent bridge constructed on the Lower Mississippi, in 2006 I believe.
I carried on, buoyed at every turn by the lack of headwinds, but with the heat of the day steadily rising.
I encountered something odd along the way, a barge container in the middle of the channel! Apparently a tow ran aground in this shallow water, and couldn’t get it dislodged, so it was simply unattached and left there. A powerful warning to all future tows to avoid that spot!
This is also the first day that I’ve heard the tow pilots wishing for more rain on the River. Because the water is so low, it’s a constant traffic jam down here: everyone is squeezed into a narrower space. Not to mention the increased traffic due to the harvest. It’s a tough job for them out here.
In the afternoon, I was forced to stop for some swim breaks to cool off — the hat dunks were just not cutting it today. I did however opt for a floating lunch, peebers and snacks. It was nice to float along and enjoy my lunch from the water.
In the afternoon, I passed a large dredging tow. It was not actively dredging, but changing location. Included on the barge were the hoses, the barracks, and more. It was a very large operation and was moving very slowly upriver.
I also entered into Louisiana today! Now I have Mississippi on my left, and Louisiana on my right! It was cool to pass Cracraft Island which has the tri-state border.
When it came time to find a campsite, I looked as I normally do on the western bank of the River. This way my campsite has early shade, which I am always immediately grateful to be in. However, today there was no good sand on my right hand side, only a 15-mile long line of revetment (large rocks placed to keep down erosion).
I had to decide between going to the east side of the River, and getting hours more sunlight, or to find a ‘hidey hole’ or a break in the revetment. Sometimes these form when the flow of water gets concentrated in one spot, and it eats away at the rock wall. Well, I found one! It is very steep, as it is carved in a rock wall, but it will do for me! This is where I call home for the evening.
Day 79: Hidey Hole near Lake Providence → Vicksburg, MS
Date: September 25th, 2022
LRM 487 → LRM 437
Distance today: 50 miles
River Time: 11.5 hours
Countdown to Baton Rouge, LA: 208 miles
Today was another slog in the heat, but I was spurred on by thoughts of air conditioning and a bed!
Once again I got started before the sun, but this time in a much more remote area without any barge traffic. I carried on in the morning without much activity, watching for wildlife and listening to an audiobook. It was a good morning before the heat hit!
I had to pull over a few times in the day to douse myself in the muddy stream, just to keep the heat off. Whenever I begin feeling lethargic, I chug at least a half liter of water, and take a swim break. On hot days like today this was every ~2-3 hours. I go swimming with my clothes on, so the evaporative cooling lasts longer.
Today was a day of birds, I saw tons of eaglets fishing at the end of wingdams, as well as a very stoic pair of terns hanging out on a buoy. They didn’t get scared away when my canoe floated quite close to them!
The river is low so there’s a lot of new mud showing. Mud that hasn’t seen the light of day in a few years. The tow captains openly talk about needing more rain, so their lanes become just a little bit bigger. Right now the upstreamers have to pull over to let the down streamers pass in many places, because they have the right of way. It’s a constant traffic jam for them down here, and it requires a lot of coordination and choreography.
Arrival in Vicksburg
Not too long after lunch, in the sweltering calmness of the afternoon Mississippi, I slowly but surely rounded the Yazoo Cut-Off Bend. Into my sights came the distant view of the bluffs of Vicksburg, MS. A distant twinkle at first, it grew to fill my entire scope of view, and the hustle bustle of the cityside tows became a racket. Even on a Sunday, the River never sleeps.
I lazily paddled the remaining ~6 miles to the city. I was conserving energy because I knew I’d actually have a bit of upstream paddling to do! The Vicksburg harbor is actually built on the smaller Yazoo River, which feeds into the Mississippi here. I floated down and was joined by thousands of swallows feasting on dragonflies in the later afternoon light. They paid no attention to me, swooping and diving a few feet from my boat.
I made it to the mouth of the Yazoo, and turned my nose upstream. Immediately I was met with a swift current. I powered through the ~1.2 miles to the Vicksburg boat ramp where my good friend and fellow Quapaw Canoe guide Layne Logue was there to greet me! If you’re in the Vicksburg area and want to get on the Mississippi River in a 30-foot voyageur canoe, he’s your guy! Check out the Quapaw Canoe Co. Vicksburg Outpost.
After all that paddling, I’m ready for a bed, some AC, and some powerful beauty sleep. It’s going to be glorious!
This has become my nighttime ritual and I really enjoy getting a sense of your daily accomplishments. Triggered a smile with the photo of the American Splendor as Jack, Rosie and I caught a glimpse of it and snapped some photos on August 11 disembarking from Winona, MN, just 2 days after meeting you a few miles south from there. And here you are passing by it so many miles south, and the river roll, roll, roll......
We are getting our first frost up here near the headwaters. Thinking of you and your heatwave as we prepare for two nights in the 30s and 20s. Stay cool and best wishes to you!!!