MAY 10 TUESDAY DAY 26 ON THE WATER – Nobody said this was going to be easy, least of all me. In fact the only thing I have heard is I must be crazy and for sure have lost my mind. I woke up to rain this morning and the wind was still blowing out of the E/SE. Not good. I laid there for an hour or so and just had to attempt to make some headway. I paddled around the corner and went nowhere for 30 minutes. I let the wind blow me back around the point and went and sat down and had my breakfast. Once again yogurt and mini frosted wheat. I have a few Runa Energy drinks that Cam got me on to left so I had one of them.
Since I have had no cell service since Saturday, I decided to go for a hike and get up high on a hill. Once there I had good cell service, let Cam know via text that I might have to stay put for a day or so, checked the news and checked the weather but really didn’t learn anything. Once I was done I headed back, but for some reason I head due West instead of South the way I came. It became apparent after an hour or so, I was confused and discombobulated and was not where I wanted to be. I returned to the top of a hill, checked the map and sure enough, I was about 3 to 4 miles North of where I needed to be. I managed to get down on the shoreline and walked it back to the kayak.
I set the tent up, relaxed and just watched the weather, it was raining off and on and the wind continued to blow. After an hour or so, I noticed that my kayak was getting pounded by waves, which meant that the wind had changed directions and was now blowing out of the S. West which meant it would be blowing over my right shoulder since I needed to head East.
Once the kayak was packed again, I headed around the point and sure enough the wind was in fact blowing over my right shoulder. I got the umbrella out and went about 8 miles with it, before it just gave out. Unfortunately I did not think ahead or I would have had another close enough to grab but the 2 more umbrellas I have were tied up front on the kayak. I paddled until the wind decided to come directly out of the South, which meant it was pounding me on the right side of the kayak and it wasn’t long and I was wet, the kayak had water in it and that meant that was the end of the day for me.
I got to shore, got the kayak pulled up on the mud flats, staked it down and got camp set up. As usual to get out of the wind I had to walk a good 50 yards up off of the bank. The place looks like a Chinese Laundry, everything I had on and some of the stuff in the boat is hanging from trees. My river boots are soaked, but fortunately my hip waders are dry, will wear them in the morning. My insert for the sleeping bag got a little wet but probably won’t need it tonight, I didn’t last night.
I put my red long johns on, got things squared away, got the water out of the craft, consolidated the food now into 2 food bags
Instead of 3, did what I could do to get ready for in the morning. I got chilled to the bone with being wet and the wind blowing so have had the cook stove on in the tent, which works great.
It has cleared up, but wind is still blowing, directly out of the south. I expect it to stop blowing once the sun goes down and hope to wake up to the sun shining and a flat lake in the morning. I went 10 miles which is not bad for the challenges I have been dealing with. I have approximately 30 more to go to get to the dam.
I still may make it by the end of Thursday, if not for sure on Friday. Probably better, I am hoping that Sat morning someone will help me and put the kayak on the boat trailer and take me around to the boat ramp below the dam on the river. Perhaps if I get there soon enough, that can happened Fri, then I can go into town and restock up and get back on the water Fri not too late in the afternoon or first thing Sat morning.
All in all with approaching the end of the 4th week on water, I feel like I have planned well, have not taken any chances, have dealt with what has been presented me and have not put myself at risk. Obviously I have no control over the wind/weather and am trying to plan accordingly and to make the best of it, it is what it is.
