Day 14 Mississippi River

It looks like fall has officially arrived. I woke up this morning to a chilly campsite. For the first time all trip I had no dew or rain on my tent or gear in the morning...a big plus to start the day! I slept in a bit later than normal, waking up naturally at 8AM. While making and enjoying breakfast I fired off a few photos and videos to the classrooms I am working with and scheduled our next video chat- tentatively set for Thursday.

I broke camp and hit the water later than anticipated, around 10:30-11ish. The weather today called for a high of 54 degrees, cloudy skies and a chance of sprinkles throughout the day. Why does it seem like the weatherman always gets the forecast right when it's not in your favor?

Rocking long underwear, a mid layer and carhart overalls with rain gear ready to go at a moments notice I was ready for action. The day mostly consisted of sprinkles on and off while deep thick clouds painted the sky. It seemed to me that about 30-40% of the trees had begun to turn, as evident by the floating golden leaves, both in the sky and water.

For whatever reason I found it difficult to push on in the afternoon...probably because I skipped lunch in favor of a few handfuls of trial mix. Note to self- food is energy. Use it.

I found camp at about 5:30, made some much needed grub (Campbell's beef stew, Bushes baked beans and ramen noodles. The definition of a gut bomb) and looked at maps. I also had a good conversation via Facebook with Lori, a river angle about 35 miles down stream who offered me all kinds of amenities once I get to her place. Unfortunately, she is out of town on a camping trip, so I won't be able to meet her in person, but she did entice me with tales of cold beer waiting and tips on the river downstream, including a diversion channel that could knock off as many as 18 miles of my path.

Low tonight of 39. I noticed I could see my breath just before I crawled into my tent. Perfect sleeping weather. Fall is in the air, and that's OK.

Day 14 is in the books. 2 weeks in, 234 miles paddled. A few towns passed, a few friends made and many more of each to come. Life is simple. Life is good.

Side note- went all day today and never saw another human. A bunch of eagles, a big beaver, some deer, and even a small mouth bass that rose to feed off an insect on the surface and just about jumped in my boat, but no Homo sapiens.