Storms — Mississippi River

Day 100 Mississippi River

I had hoped to get an early start on the water this morning. Once the 6:15am alarm rang I peeked my head out of the tent to find dense, low lying fog engulfing the river. I calmly laid my head back onto my pillow and drifted off. This process replayed itself three or so more times before I found the fog burning off. Satisfied with the conditions, I made a quick breakfast and hit the water.

While still busy, the traffic today has considerably slowed down (thankfully). I still have cargo ships, freighters and barges buzzing by, but at this point both edges of the river are open. No containers moored to either side.

I got a lot of love on the water today. A horn toot from a towboat, lots of waves from folks on the shores and cheers from workers on the docks. At one point, a massive cargo ship passed me on the left side. On my right a ferry was docked, and the worker ushering cars onboard gave me a calm wave. I then heard a voice yelling from a distance. As I looked to my left the captain of the cargo ship (true to form in his all white captain "uniform") and another were out on the catwalk that extends from the cockpit. One fellow was waving his arms emphatically back and forth, yelling my way. I gave him a big wave, fist pump and thumbs up back. They loved it. A few horn blows later they passed, and on the stern of the vessel was painted "HONG KONG", their home port.

barges, Storms, LouisianaWill CollinsJune 5, 2019bargesComment

Day 91 Mississippi River

After a chilly night in the low 30s I woke up to condensation drowning the inside of my tent. Packing it up wet, I quickly made oatmeal and coffee and did my best to get an early start to the day.

The sun shone through a group of clouds for an hour or two in the morning. Once it disappeared, however, it was gone for the rest of the day. With little wind I was able to make good distance through the sunless afternoon.

At 11am I made a call to one of my Illinois classrooms, which was ended early due to poor service. At 2:45pm I chatted with one of my South Dakota classrooms.

As I was talking to the kids in South Dakota, I floated past the final state border of the trip- the Mississippi/ Louisiana line. From southern Minnesota to this point, there has always been two states to choose from, one state on the eastern bank of the river, and one on the west. After crossing the last state line of the trip, however, its one State until the Gulf- Louisiana.

Louisiana, Mississippi, StormsWill CollinsJune 3, 2019Comment

Day 75 Mississippi River

I woke up with plans of reaching Memphis, Tennessee by mid afternoon. Just 24 miles down river, I figured I would make decent speed and stroll into the city with daylight to spare. Boy was I wrong.

A viscous headwind made progress difficult. With large whitecaps layering the main channel and waves crashing into shore I thought about stopping and chalking up a low mileage day to the wind. However, tomorrow's forecast is looking grim and with the thought of Memphis BBQ on my mind I reluctantly pushed on.

A few miles north of the city limits I decided to make a crossing to the opposite shore (toward Tennessee) in hopes of mitigating some of the wind. As I worked across the river rolling waves, several feet high, crashed into my boat. The bow took on water as it dipped under white capped breakers in the midst of the main channel. My mind began kicking into overdrive. A small portion of it reminded me of the stakes at hand (cold day, fast moving water about a half mile wide, and no one to help if things went bad), while I forced most of my head to focus on the task at hand; safely traversing the river.

Once across I was able to loosen the white knuckled grip on my paddle and be thankful to be near shore.

Just before the sun ducked behind the trees of Arkansas, the skyline of Memphis, Tennessee appeared to the east. As I approached I reached out to an old friend, Kelly, who lives in Memphis and offered to put me up of the night.

Memphis, Tennessee, Good People, Storms, ArkansasWill CollinsMay 31, 2019Comment

Day 72 Mississippi River

Wind, big waves and a cloud covered sky. A challenging day on the river makes for a rewarding evening camped on the shore. Struggle is the process of growth.

In the afternoon the persistent headwind picked up force. With waves whipping in the main channel a few feet high I stuck to the shore line in hopes of mitigating my exposure to the open water. Large rock dams built horizontal to the rivers current stretch from one shore out into the main channel. Wing dams, as they are called, were constructed in the early days of commercial traffic on the Miss in hopes of forcing more water into the main channel, with the idea being more water means more depth and easier transport for large steamboats.

Navigating the Wing dams in my canoe, however, is almost always interesting and/or challenging. The dams create odd currents and standing waves that form at an angle and can be tricky to navigate.

The Wing dams and strengthening wind had finally forced my hand. Around 2pm I pulled off the river, finding wind shelter tucked behind a structure. After an hour or so of waiting for a break, I hopped back in the boat and worked a short distance to Caruthersville, MO, a town of about 6,000 folk.

Video, Storms, MissouriWill CollinsMay 31, 2019CaruthersvilleComment

Day 71 Mississippi River - T for Tennessee

Nov. 1, 2017

As I write this, I'm lying in my tent, which is pitched on a small patch of ground that looked flat enough when setting up. Once I lied down after a solid afternoon and evening, however, I have found out that it's definitely not flat. A fairly steep angled slope should make the night interesting. I've also squashed two small spiders and removed one ear worm/centipede from the tent floor. It ain't all glamorous living on the loose.

The day began with rain. Expecting the weather, I had set up a taught tarp to avoid having to pack a went tent. Around 8am I got up and walked outside to find low hanging clouds moving quickly across the sky. As I reentered the tent and began to pack up my sleeping bag and blanket the rain picked up again. The next three hours consisted of me lying in bed dozing in and out of sleep to the sound of rain tapping the tarp overhead, telling myself to just get up and get on with it. I cooked breakfast and made coffee under the tarp.

Missouri, Tennessee, Storms, VideoWill CollinsMay 31, 2019New MadridComment

Day 51 Mississippi River

I woke up after a cold and damp night hopeful for sun. I unzipped the tent door and peaked outside to find heavy cloud cover and mist once again. Dang it.

After the discouraging start it took me an hour or so to get moving and pack up my belongings inside the tent. With the rainfly still soaked from the the past 3 days of moisture I decided to keep it separate from the rest of my sleeping essentials in an effort to mitigate any seeping that could/would occur had they been packed together.

I moseyed around the morning mist in my rain gear, feeling a bit down about my circumstances. I was cold and wet, and had spent the past 3 days in the same condition, and to top it all off I had missed rendezvous with helpful folks offering warm beds the past two nights.

Iowa, Illinois, Hard times, StormsWill CollinsMay 27, 2019BurlingtonComment

Day 50 Mississippi River

I wasn't able to get much shut eye through the night due to a litany of events caused by rising water levels. By the time morning rolled around I had a few hours of on and off again dozing under my belt.

By morning I laid in the tent and tried my best to catch up on some writing. Halfway through finishing a journal entry I heard the sound of small rolling waves uncomfortably close to tent. I opened up the vestibule to see that once again, the water had nearly surrounded my shelter. At a moments notice I sprung into action, packing up the tent and all my gear, racing against the clock before the water completely engulfed the sand bar I was camping on. Less than 12 hours prior the sand bar occupied the space of about half a football field.

I got the boat loaded and pushed off, paddling over the area that only last night I had pitched my tent on. As the water forced my hand, I left camp earlier than normal, and without time to make breakfast.

Hard times, Mississippi Stories, StormsWill CollinsMay 27, 2019Comment

Day 49 Mississippi River

The morning sky was painted with a blanket of dark grey clouds. The forecast called for rain and wind today, and based off the cool air and uninviting cloud cover it looked as though the prediction was spot on.

After a quick breakfast I broke camp and hit the water at a decent hour. Much of the morning consisted of on and off again rain showers. By noon the rain fell consistently, with a fair headwind chipping in as well. In my rain jacket, pants and boots I continued to paddle, and by mid afternoon arrived at lock 16, just above Muscatine, IA. As I entered the chamber I asked the Lock master if there was a good place in town to stop and dry off at. He recommend the Mississippi Brewing Company, and with that I heeded his advice.

As the wind picked up and the rain rolled on I ferried across the river to the local marina. Pulling up to a public dock, I unloaded the boat and lifted the empty canoe up onto the floating walkway. A short jaunt across a railroad track and down a few blocks of downtown Muscatine put me outside the neon lights of the Mississippi Brewing Co.

Good People, Iowa, Storms, Hard times, Mississippi StoriesWill CollinsMay 27, 2019MuscatineComment

Day 10 Mississippi River

Today was the toughest day yet, but still a great day.

I woke up to the sunrise and my small makeshift campsite drenched in dew. Throughout the night I heard several big fish rise and feed off the surface, making big splashes. All kinds of waterfowl and river life was bustling around me.

I knew today that I needed to reach Grand Rapids, MN as my beloved CU Buffs kicked off their season with a rivalry matchup against little brother Colorado State.

The day called for cloudy skies, a stiff wind and a chance of rain. Clouds and rain are no worries- but that wind....ouch. Small white caps were being blown my way for much of the day, making it look as though I was traveling upstream. It was tough, slow going. The thought of watching the game with a warm burger and beer in Grand Rapids kept me moving toward my 35 mile goal.

Video, Storms, Minnesota, Good PeopleWill CollinsJanuary 4, 2019Grand Rapids, Cohasset Comments

103 Days. 2,300+ solo miles. A pen, pad, camera and the adventure of a lifetime. Crossing America by Canoe. A Mississippi River story.