tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20621596038146668232024-03-13T08:56:43.105-07:004 Feet 4 Paws4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-74691615651231495232013-02-18T09:27:00.000-08:002013-02-18T09:27:16.794-08:00Day 86: F 12/7- Plaquemine, LA<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
had not been able to find a spot in Baton Rouge to get water and resupply, so
we stopped at Plaquemine the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When we woke up, however, there was a dense blanket of fog and we couldn’t
have left if we wanted to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Instead, we read a paper, hung out and waited until 10:30 to push
off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it finally cleared, in a
quick burn off by the sun, it was sunny and warm and we were feeling much
better after days of dreary weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As we approached the small town, we got our first glimpse of one of the
large ocean ships in action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Honestly, the ship was so large, towering over the trees and buildings
along the banks, that it looked ridiculous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the first time since Minneapolis, the Mississippi River
looked small in comparison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
the ship passed us, heading south to sea, we crossed to the Plaquemine landing,
dogging construction and barges and walked into town.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It
was a tiny place and it took a few tries to find supplies, but we managed to
get cereal, eggs, bread, some snacks and some much needed adult
refreshments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a small
church just on the other side of the levy where a nice man, one of the pastors,
let us fill up our water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
pushed off into the sunshine and finished the day at the Bayou Goula Towhead
around 196.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We paddled into a
lagoon-ish area on the bank side of the island and climbed out onto a broad
shelf of sand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The vegetation was
thick and creepy farther inland and the cove was filled with dead trees that
made the camp look even more unsettling.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
had a pleasant evening, until Aaron spotted something swimming back and forth just
in front of our fire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tried to
convince ourselves it was just a curious beaver, but its persistence had us
thinking scary alligator thoughts all evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We kept a close eye on Lilly and Aaron even through a few
burning branches at our assailant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Whenever he did, it would dive under water with a splash and disappear
for a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as we’d begin to
relax, one of us would spot the dark bump in the water trailing a wake as it
swam back and forth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finally
made a break for the tent with images of man-eating monsters clawing their way
in to get at us and the dog and slept fitfully, to say the least.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-35352488574698650332013-02-18T09:26:00.000-08:002013-02-18T09:26:08.253-08:00Day 85: R 12/6- Baton Rouge!
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
started the day at mile 248, just 13 miles outside of Baton Rouge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather of the previous days had us
worried about fog and rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Paddling through cities was always a nervewracking experience and we
didn’t want to head through Baton Rouge with low visibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, however, the day held off
the worst of the fog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was still
overcast and threatened rain, but we could see fine and decided to try to get
through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The several miles leading
up to the city proper were filled with barge and construction traffic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we rounded the final bend at 235, we
could see the length of the city; we had a roughly ten mile stretch straight
south to get to the other side.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Baton
Rouge marks a critical change in the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this point, the nine-foot channel deepens to forty feet
to allow large, ocean-going vessels to use the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From Baton Rouge south, there are no low bridges and we knew
we would have to share the river with the huge, fast moving ships for the rest
of the trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we didn’t see
any moving on the water that day, there was one moored on the east bank.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Huge doesn’t begin to describe it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several of the largest barges we had
already passed could easily have fit inside the behemoth. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Other
than being catcalled with shouts of “Stroke! Stroke!” from the barge workers,
the city passage went smoothly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Fine, light rain began as we left the city, but sunshine was struggling
to break through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped
briefly on a sandbar at 222 for lunch and to celebrate getting to the last leg
of the journey before finishing for the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped at 216, having gone 35 miles for the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were finally able to have a real
fire and a hot dinner and were satisfied with the day!</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-65531814339575773182013-02-18T09:25:00.001-08:002013-02-18T09:25:22.987-08:00Day 84: W 12/5- Animal Control
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Unfortunately,
when we woke up early the next morning there was no message from the owner and
the dogs were still hanging around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They had apparently spent the night in some brush not far from the
tent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They seemed no worse for the
wear, so we gave them some breakfast; Aaron got the fire going and made our
breakfast while I looked up numbers for the local sheriff and animal control
guys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I talked to a few different
people, they all seemed to think it would be too hard to collect the dogs on
the river and I had some difficulty explaining that we would paddle them back
across to the shore and we’d walk them to the nearest road.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
finally made our arrangements, planning to meet the animal control officer on
highway 420, which the map showed was close to the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tried to get all three dogs in the
canoe, but Jack and the black lab did not seem to understand how to sit in a
boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After they jumped out for
the second or third time, I waded back to the island and walked them to the
other side while Aaron rowed the canoe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once we were opposite the landing, I climbed back in and we paddled
across to the mainland while the dogs swum along after us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once there, we walked up the broad cow
path to a fire pit and some benches, someone’s riverside hangout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walked through the wooded pasture,
scaring a herd of confused cows coming to drink and found a locked gate just
along the highway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I called the
officer and told him where we were; he picked up the dogs just a few minutes
later and we were on our way.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Later,
the owner called back and left us a message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was a young man working on the oil rigs offshore and had left
Captain Jack to stay with his dad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The dog had run off and found his black lab friend along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The guy seemed very grateful that we
had taken the time to return Jack, but we never did find out what happened to
the black lab.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We felt happy about
helping out, but the ordeal had put us behind schedule and we were eager to get
going.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
rest of the day was warm, but foggy and raining all day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time we stopped, at mile 248, we
were soaked through and ready to climb in the tent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We didn’t bother with a fire, just made some sandwiches in
the tent and called it a day.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-43177396222586224972013-02-18T09:24:00.004-08:002013-02-18T09:24:33.903-08:00Day 83: T 12/4- Dogs in the Fog
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
fought fog throughout the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Around 3 pm a dense fog rolled in as we made a crossing around mile
275.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We knew there was a barge
headed upriver, but had enough room to get across before it passed us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got about half way across when the
fog became so dense we could hardly see either side of the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had come in so fast we weren’t sure
where the barge was, so we hugged as tightly as possible to the opposite shore
once we found it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even so, we
could hear the giant engines of the barge pass close by, but couldn’t see it;
it was an intimidating experience.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After
we got across, we decided it would be wise to stop on a beach, at least until
the fog thinned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was close
enough to dark that we considered camping where we stopped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we climbed out, Lilly went off to
explore and quickly came running back with two dog friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One, a male mutt, had a collar that
said his name was Captain Jack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The other was a male black lab with collar but no tags.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We watched the three play for a while
then decided the fog was thin enough to continue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After
we pushed off, we realized the two strange dogs were following us along the
shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We thought we had glimpsed
a cabin back from the river and figured they lived there, but as we paddled
along, the dogs seemed more interested in coming with us than going home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, as we passed a cleared area
that looked like a cattle watering spot, the dogs took to the water and tried
swimming to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We paddled to
shore and checked Jack’s collar for a number.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We called several times, but only got the voicemail of his
owner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, we shouted for
them to leave and chased them off a ways before continuing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
was an island, the St. Maurice Towhead right off of the landing we had
stopped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was getting dark and
threatening to storm, so we made for the far side of the island to make camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as we were coming along the far
side of the towhead, we saw the two dogs running down the beach towards us,
they had swum the narrow channel to follow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tried calling the number again, with no luck, so settled
in to make camp with our new canine friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It started raining lightly and it took a long while to get a
fire going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With no word from the
dogs’ owner, we gave them some food, had our dinner and went to bed, soggy and
worried about what to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We felt
a little guilty about leaving the dogs outside in the storm, but one large, wet
dog in the tent was enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
hoped they would decide to head home in the night if we left them alone.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-3315778844059013682013-02-18T09:23:00.002-08:002013-02-18T09:23:38.007-08:00Day 82: M 12/3- Rough Paddling
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
wind was mild as we started out, but picked up significantly as we rounded the
bend at 318 and started heading east.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is a stretch here that has a number of outflow channels, where
they draw water off of the main river for industrial purposes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The maps warned us to stay on the other
side of the river to avoid turbulence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We managed to do that, even with strong head winds, but ended up
crossing back to the east bank too early.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We thought we were clear until we heard warning horns and saw flashing
lights as we rounded the bend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
this point we were in 2-3 foot chop that came from all directions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were a couple of tugs and
construction boats who I’m sure thought we were insane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took it slow and made it through
with no problems, in part because there wasn’t much large barge traffic to
dodge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>By
the time we made it past that mess, we were exhausted and it was barely
noon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped for a break and
an early lunch and by the time we started again, the wind had let up,
thankfully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ended up stopping
at 298, having gone 26 miles for the day.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-12743130764834322902013-02-18T09:22:00.003-08:002013-02-18T09:22:46.509-08:00Day 81: Sn 12/2- Gator Tracks
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
left from 356 and made 32 miles for the day, stopping at 324.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather was nice and we could see
changes to the scenery once again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The sandbars were becoming smaller and we had to be more careful about
stopping when we found a suitable campsite, rather than going farther and risk
getting stuck in the dark with no where to stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spent Sunday night on an island that was pretty and
sheltered, but obviously a gator haven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were tracks crisscrossing the beach, but we didn’t really have
time to push back out to find another spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tied Lilly up for the night and tried not to imagine
giant reptilian monsters in the darkness.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-88794068970166432252013-02-18T09:21:00.003-08:002013-02-18T09:21:50.991-08:00Day 80: S 12/1- December in Natchez, MS
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>December!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And no snow, in fact, it was warm
enough in the morning for me to walk into the water and wash my hair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It felt wonderful, but the water was
still cold enough that I don’t think the soap washed out very well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was to find out that afternoon that
this area is also the home of alligators; had I known that at the time, I probably
would have refrained.</div>
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We fought a decent south wind coming down to Natchez, MS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though we could see the town and
the boat ramp, it took us a good long while to cross the river and beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Natchez is a small city perched high on
the MS bank and the ramp we stopped at is at the bottom of the steep bank in
their historical/tourist district.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
As we beached and hopped out a guy at the top of the ramp snapped a few
pictures and when we walked up introduced himself as Keith, a local kayaker who
hosts an annual 42 mile race on the river with his wife Melissa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were very nice, helpful couple and
drove us to a grocery to resupply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On the way back they took us around the historic district to see the
antebellum architecture of Natchez.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s a very pretty town with neat old buildings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Melissa and her brother own and operate
a bar right by the ramp, so we stopped in to have a beer and look around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we refilled water and they sent us
off with a couple of ball caps and stickers for their race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keith said he’d be submitting our pics
to a local paddling magazine he has worked with in the past, so that was pretty
neat.</div>
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After lunch we started out again, but my tummy almost immediately started
acting up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had to make an
emergency stop on the bank, after which I felt much better, but still a bit
shaky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was worried I had picked
up Giardia from all the boiled river water we had been drinking, but it wasn’t
a problem after that afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
Keith and Melissa had warned us that we were definitely in ‘gator
territory and a 12’ had been spotted north of Natchez a couple of years
back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With that in mind, we
carefully chose our campsite and made sure to keep Lilly close by.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-25653960909887212592013-02-18T09:21:00.000-08:002013-02-18T09:21:01.047-08:00Day 79: F 11/30- ...
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Again,
a pretty smooth day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scenery
down here is pretty monotonous and their wasn’t much excitement for the
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped at 375 with quite
a bit of daylight left to hang out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There was a huge log for Lilly to play on.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-90275257356546212282013-02-18T09:20:00.002-08:002013-02-18T09:20:21.179-08:00Day 78: R 11/29- Nuclear Camping
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We were in
good spirits for this stretch of days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were making good time and the weather was holding since the
thunderstorms earlier in the week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We made finished the day at 26 miles and camped on the LA side, which
meant we had camped in every state along the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were almost directly across from a nuclear power station,
which made us nervous about sprouting extra limbs and/or getting in trouble for
trespassing, but neither ended up being a problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a pleasant spot with plenty of room for Lilly to
play.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-90806297057847563542012-12-08T17:37:00.001-08:002013-02-18T09:18:58.909-08:00Day 77: W 11/28- NPR & Vicksburg
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This time we
were ready to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A day of
relaxation in the tent had generated more trash and mesh than we had realized
and breaking camp was a chore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
also had to collect the chairs and our rain gear, which we had stashed under
the rain fly, from along the windswept beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather was chilly and breezy, but a far cry better than
the day before.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
made up for our lazy day by making 35 on Wednesday and camping at mile 433 just
south of Vicksburg, MS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
listened to NPR all afternoon, which was a nice treat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reception is rather spotty on the river
and usually we’re stuck with static.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were several casinos in Vicksburg that we joked about stopping at,
but once again paddled passed for a night of rice and pasta.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sandbar we stopped on was very
shallow and we were lucky the water didn’t rise at all during the night.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-75296584756186702022012-12-08T17:36:00.001-08:002013-02-18T09:18:25.099-08:00Day 76: T 11/27- Zero Mile Day
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At this
point in the trip we thought we were beyond the possibility of zero-mile
days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even in the nasty weather of
the north, we had always managed to break camp and at least push the canoe out,
even if it was only for a mile or two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This morning, however, the wind was still blowing hard and we were
exhausted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first we decided to wait
it out, try and sleep and take off around noon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We snacked in the tent, dozed and by noon had no more
ambition to move that we had at dawn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We finally resigned ourselves to a day off and spent the afternoon
reading and cuddling with the dog.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
did manage to eventually leave the tent to make dinner and call home, but it
was chilly enough that we retreated to the tent pretty quick after dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thunderstorms they had called for
had pretty much blown themselves out the night before, but the wind and cold
alone was unpleasant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With nothing
to do and no flashlights, we were asleep early after a much needed day off.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-49371491432994141642012-12-08T17:35:00.005-08:002013-02-18T09:17:56.035-08:00Day 75: M 11/26- Stormy Night
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We hadn’t
heard any rain during the night, so of course it started sprinkling as we woke
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was off and on and we
managed to break camp and made food during the dry spells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the day the rain continued off
and on, but we were well bundled up and the weather stayed pretty warm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather called for thunderstorms
and high winds on Monday night, so we tried to look for a sheltered camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Unfortunately, our timing was off and
we had to go around one last bend to find a suitable camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time we were able to pull off,
it was getting dark and we had to take what we could get.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That left us an open sandbar next to a
lagoon with a huge dead fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
made camp and food with no trouble, but woke up around 10 when the side of the
tent tried to attack Aaron.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
spent the next hour or so splayed out holding down the tent with our hands and
feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were able to batten down
the corners with water bottles and eventually the wind died enough for us to sleep.
</div>
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And
then it changed directions and it was my turn to get tent suffocated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time it didn’t die down and the
entire night was a lesson in tent staking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aaron eventually made a dash through the rain to the canoe
and brought all the paddles we had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He put the handles through the tent loops and dug the blades in as far
as the would go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This kept the
tent on the ground, for the most part, but the wind still wouldn’t let us have
a good night sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By morning we
were more tired than when we had gone to bed, but at least the tent was still a
tent and we were still dry.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-85282552579700272872012-12-08T17:35:00.003-08:002013-02-18T09:17:06.968-08:00Day 74: Sn 11/25- Louisiana!
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After the
short day and our Greenville stop, we wanted to make good miles on Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ended up going 31 miles, which
seemed to fly by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paddling for
hours on end can become very tedious, so a day like that was a nice
relief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We camped on the MS bank,
along an abandoned field that was becoming overgrown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather showed impending rain, but the evening stayed
dry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day was mostly
uneventful, but we did finally make it to the last state of the trip,
Louisiana!!</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-82195892646923941372012-12-08T17:35:00.001-08:002013-02-18T09:16:34.110-08:00Day 73: S 11/24- Southern Hospitality
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We were just
a few miles from Greenville, MS that morning and we decided to stop to resupply
while we could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped at
Warfield Park, a large camping and picnic area with water and a charge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Google said the closest place to shop
was a few miles away at a Kroger, so Aaron took off walking while I stayed with
the dog to charge the phones, blog and refill water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After what seemed like ages, Aaron came riding along in the
back of a pickup with two nice ladies, Martha and Judy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Apparently the Kroger was a Google maps myth and he had ended up walking
about five miles to find a grocery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On the way back, heavily laden with bags, these two ladies had seen him
and offered a ride back to Warfield.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They had been picking up pecans in their front yard and sent us along
with a bag of those as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
were incredibly sweet and we won’t forget their help!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We exchanged contact information and promised to get in
touch when we made it down to NOLA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They also gave us a pack of cola and even some cash so we could get
ourselves a real dinner at some point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After chatting a while and hugging farewell, which is a miracle in
itself considering how good we smelled, we packed up the canoe in high spirits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those pecans were our favorite snack
for the next couple of weeks and we were sad to see the bottom of the bag.</div>
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The trip into town had taken so long that we didn’t get going until late
in the afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped at
532 after only going 11 ½ miles, but meeting Martha and Judy, getting water and
power and fresh supplies made it a very nice day.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-3624032755072799822012-12-08T17:34:00.005-08:002013-02-18T09:16:10.035-08:00Day 72: F 11/23- Tricky Camping
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We left from
572 ½ the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was still
pretty warm, but the wind had steadily picked up over the previous couple of
days so paddling was a bit harder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were padding more houses on the MS side, but AR still seemed pretty
bare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finding camp that night was
a little tricky; first we tried a sandbar on the AR side which turned out to be
mostly gravel and too shallow to beach safely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could see a nice looking sandbar on the other bank, but
the river is too wide to see detail across the water.</div>
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When we got over there, they first spot was too steep to make camp and
the next one had a deer blind with hunters in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went a few hundred yards down and pulled up onto a steep
sand bank broken by deep ravines from rain runoff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That night we heard then saw a pickup drive by on a two
track very close to our camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
figured they were the hunters leaving, but were not sure if they had seen
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one bothered us, but we had
a bit of a restless night.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-50973067386965570072012-12-08T17:34:00.003-08:002013-02-18T09:15:17.616-08:00Day 71: R 11/22- Happy Thanksgiving!
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Happy
Thanksgiving!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our holiday was
pleasant enough, though no kind fisherman offered to take us home for a nice
home cooked meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did come
across several fishing boats and their trailers at a ramshackle fishing
camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One boat stopped to chat and
see where we were heading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
were two nice guys and their boat was chock full of spoon bills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They said they had seen other paddlers
attempting the trip in the past, but no one yet this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day was warm and only slightly breezy,
making for a pleasant day.</div>
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We
stopped for the night on a shallow sandbar on the AR side and prepared our
Thanksgiving ‘feast’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had
instant mashed potatoes with instant chicken gravy, instant stuffing and mini
tuna casseroles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aaron drained two
cans of tuna, added some milk and seasonings, covered each with a slice of
American cheese and set them to bake in a coal-lined hole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were very tasty and the most
complex meal we had had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
finished it off with a fried peanut butter, chocolate and marshmallow sandwich
each, delicious!</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-88328793657102195672012-12-08T17:34:00.001-08:002013-02-18T09:14:46.453-08:00Day 70: W 11/21- Longest Day Yet
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Aaron and I
grew up in the middle of nowhere, or so we thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a major shipping route, there is an unbelievable amount
of nothing on this stretch of river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We would sometimes pass a hunting cabin or blind, but there was not a
town to be seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The occasional
large round hay feeder or stock tank sitting on top of the embankments would
indicate a pasture, but we were riding so low, we didn’t even see much of that.</div>
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The
day was a great one, we did our longest stretch at 39 ½ miles, just short of
the elusive 40.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had thought
about stopping on a sandbar a few miles up, but we had just enough daylight to
make the next bend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that, we
ran into barge traffic and the spot we stopped was right in the way and had no
suitable spot for a tent or firewood, so we had to keep going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped in a small cove right at the
start of an embankment; the sand had built up a nice little platform just big
enough for our camp, but high enough we didn’t have to worry about the water
rising on us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wood,
unfortunately, was mostly up the embankment and Aaron had to scramble along the
rocks at dusk to collect enough for our evening and morning fires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-33739374517786486412012-12-08T17:33:00.003-08:002013-02-18T09:13:48.335-08:00Day 69: T 11/20- Helena, AR
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At this
point we were almost out of water once again and planned to stop in Helena to
refill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The small town has a
couple of ramps, but they were tucked behind some industrial buildings and
clogged with the inevitable barge traffic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made an improvised landing on the outside of the harbor
and walked up, but there was no spigot to be found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We didn’t want to walk all the way around the harbor into
the town proper, so we settled for boiling more water and took off again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For you history folks, apparently
Helena was dubbed “Hell-on-Earth” by the Union army when they camped
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s some interesting
information on the town that may be worth looking up.</div>
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After
our stop we headed almost due south for several miles, fighting a stiff cross
wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t the worst wind we
had fought, but exhausting nonetheless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We ended up doing 28 for the day an camping on the AR side once
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Since
we haven’t talked a great deal about the natural surroundings, I’ll throw a
note in here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we traveled down
river, changes to the ecosystem were gradual and easy to miss over the long
haul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The nice northern woods were
gone at this point and we traveled through strange trees and other flora.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sandbars along the river were
mostly bare and had bur bushes, some fluffy grass and sometimes scrubby bushes-
you can tell I’m an ecologist, right :p<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the high water line, the trees were small and grew close together,
indicating young growth for several yards into the woods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regular flooding of these areas
inhibits long-term growth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, the
forest always seemed dense, overgrown with weeds and not at all like the open
woods we are used to back home.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Wildlife consisted mostly of herons, deer, coyotes and small, burrowing
critters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And spiders!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were an unbelievable number of
eight-legged monsters all over the place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They dug holes in the sand, built webs under our rain fly in a matter of
hours and would float on the breeze across the river on thin lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These were the worst; the lines would
coat our hair, arms, paddles and dog and once their lines were on you, you knew
they had made it into the canoe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We almost bludgeoned ourselves with our paddles trying frantically to
kill the little buggers as they made a dash up our legs (by we I mean mostly I,
Aaron wasn’t nearly as girly about it).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were also big hairy looking guys with long legs who would float on
the water until we came close.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
this point, they would pop up onto their toes (or the arachnid equivalent) and
sprint to the canoe; we think they were looking for a ride or a meal, but we’re
not sure.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-6221565237513079072012-12-08T17:33:00.001-08:002013-02-18T09:13:00.430-08:00Day 68: M 11/19- Coyotes
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As we broke
camp the next morning, Lilly took off for the brush over the ¼ mile of sand
bar, barking at two large coyotes who had come looking for water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They paused for just a moment before
darting back into the scrub.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
that, the day was pretty uneventful and we made camp at 665, another 33 mile
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stayed on Prairie Point
Towhead just north of Helena, AR.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-38417598019621493532012-12-08T17:32:00.003-08:002013-02-18T09:12:40.903-08:00Day 67: Sn 11/18- Sunshine
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Sunday was a
nice, full day with more sunshine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The last several days we had been able to have our solar charger out all
day and by the evening it was finally fully charged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we left the last of Memphis behind, we passed several
industrial complexes and had quite a bit of barge traffic to deal with, but the
paddling was smooth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were
excited to pass the 700 mark as well as enter into Mississippi, the namesake of
our journey!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
We
stopped on the right bank at 698 on a tall sand dune across from a casino.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a brief daydream of paddling
across for a visit to their buffet, we settled for camping right at the rivers
edge and watching the sun go down over the water, very pretty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We plugged the phone into the charger
and after the entire evening, it had actually fully charged the phone, so
yay!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As long as there was ample
sunshine, we might actually be able to use the phone regularly again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-28452342271341414852012-12-08T17:32:00.001-08:002013-02-18T09:12:15.114-08:00Day 66: S 11/17- Land of the Delta Blues
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We left 743
early so we would have as much time in Memphis as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were only seven miles from the
landing we were aiming for and made it there with no problems and little barge
traffic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we passed under the
I-40 bridge, we made for the left bank, only to find that our ‘boat ramp’ had
obviously been out of commission for a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We managed to pull the boat up on to the concrete remnants
of the ramp and headed up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
found ourselves in a closed down park/convention center surrounded by barbed
wire and under repairs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We met a
very nice lady at the gate who said it was fine to leave the boat where it was
and that she’d be around to let us back in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, the area had no power, so we couldn’t charge
the phones and all three of us headed to a Save-a-Lot the gal directed us too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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It
was a roughly two mile walk and the area went from high-end, riverside condos
to rough ‘hood pretty quick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
waited outside with Lilly while Aaron went in to resupply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After what seemed like ages he finally
emerged with a huge supply of groceries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since towns had become so scarce, we wanted to get as much as possible
in Memphis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hauled our load
back to the boat, stopping for a coveted Subway sandwich on the way and had
lunch in the sunshine by the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It took forever to pack everything away, but we’d be set for quite some
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Afterwards
we headed out, but only made another five miles and stopped at 731 for the
night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was just 12 miles for
the day, but we had a good resupply and were ready for a break after our town
adventure.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-32965425647237378962012-12-08T17:31:00.001-08:002013-02-18T09:10:57.657-08:00Day 65: F 11/16- Helpful Duane and the Stinky Dog
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We left our
camp, at mile 763, looking for spot to stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The river was large here, but the wind was gentle and we had
pretty easy going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was one
turn around 757 that was tight to the right and resulted in rough water where
the river was choked up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
stopped briefly to let a couple of barges by, then shot through as quick as we
could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After we got through the
chop, another barge camp by headed north.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The turn was tight enough that we would have been trapped on either side
of the river if our timing hadn’t been on and we got caught next to a barge.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After
that we made our way a couple of miles to the Shelby Forest boat ramp, figuring
there would be some water supply and possibly a ride to town for food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turned out the ramp was almost five
miles from the main visitors center and almost seven to the nearest ‘town’- it
was as much a town as Kewadin is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Luckily, as we wandered down the road back to the canoe, water jugs and
dog in hand, a guy spotted us in his pickup and offered to drive us to his
house to fill up water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
beautiful drive up through the Tennessee hills and the guy was friendly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After we got our water, he drove us
into the little town to a convenience store where we could at least get a few
basics, cereal, peanut butter, eggs, etc.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Our
new friend, Duane, drove us back down to the ramp and we chatted a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He couldn’t seem to understand why
people attempted trips like this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Apparently we were not the first paddlers he had helped out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gave us some advice for our upcoming
journey through Memphis and we were off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While we were away, a huge barge had come up and moored right by the
landing, to take on a crew member. The barge had stopped just yards from the
canoe and while we loaded up we had a good perspective to see just how huge
they really are compared to an 18’ canoe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After he pulled away we hopped back in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Our goal was to get as close to Memphis as possible before making
camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had gotten enough food to
get by a day or two, but would still have to stop in Memphis for a long-term
resupply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped at 743, after
just 20 miles on a pretty lagoon tucked between two dikes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The view of the sunset was beautiful
and we could just make out the Memphis skyline in the distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took some time to gather enough
wood, but all around the camp was one of the best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We talked into the night and were excited for our foray into
town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then the dog came
barreling out of the brush, stinking.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
She didn’t smell like skunk, not quite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that’s not to say she smelled good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soon as we caught a whiff, we called
her over, hoping to keep her away from whatever smelled so terrible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too late.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She came over slobbering uncontrollably, white foam pouring
from her mouth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aaron took off her
now pungent lifejacket and wiped her mouth out as best he could, pouring water
down her throat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We wiped down her
face, but she broke away and rolled frantically in the sand whenever she
could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually she calmed down
a bit and we were able to get her to drink water and figure out that she was
ok, if rancid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That night the
stench in the tent was almost unbearable, but we couldn’t leave her outside for
the cold and whatever critter smelled so bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We figure she stuck her nose down some burrow and its
inhabitants didn’t want a 70 lb dog for company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-89045453221077011752012-12-08T17:30:00.001-08:002013-02-18T09:09:26.650-08:00Day 64: R 11/15- Low on Supplies
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At this
point, we were getting pretty low on supplies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had been boiling water for a couple of nights, which was
fine, but time consuming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
weather was holding fine, the wind was light and it was relatively warm, a nice
respite from 45 with a damp wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We tried several landings in the evening, but it was either too gravelly
to land the boat or the beach was too exposed for a camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We finally pulled up on a sandbar and
pulled the canoe up a steep little hill for the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fishermen from the week before had
warned us about the river rising in the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They said it could rise up to four feet and had just weeks
before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since then we had been
careful to pull the boat up as far as possible and to tie her off when
possible.</div>
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We
had to haul our gear through dense brush to get to an open area farther up the
beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It made us nervous going so
far inland, possibly into private property, but it gave us a good
windbreak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had to boil more
water, so we had several trips back and forth through the brush before we were
done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That night we went over all
our supplies and realized we were even lower than we thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had 2 eggs, a few pieces of bread, a
little peanut butter, dogfood and coffee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We’d be fine for a day or two and could improvise, but we really needed
to find a town.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-84456256506922093862012-12-08T17:09:00.003-08:002013-02-18T09:08:48.661-08:00Day 63: W 11/14- Arkansas!
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We had
another good day and made a smooth 33 miles to camp at 796 ½.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Early in the day we passed out of MO
and into Arkansas, another state down!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We made camp on a gravelly beach with little cover and less wood to
burn, but the evening was warm and still so we made due.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stayed up chatting for quite awhile,
enjoying the night, but it made the next morning a bit of a challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found several cool stones and Lilly
played on the beach with her Jolly Ball.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062159603814666823.post-66493023309288426832012-12-08T17:09:00.001-08:002013-02-18T09:08:23.138-08:00Day 62: T 11/13- Caruthersville Bust
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The next day
we knew we needed to stop soon for water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were doing alright on food and such, but were down to our last jug of
drinking water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped in
Caruthersville, MO at a ramp with a small park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were plenty of outlets, but no water to be found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We decided against walking to the
nearest grocery since it was so far away and we wanted to knock down some
miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also didn’t want to
spend time charging the phones if that’s all we were getting in the town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, with nothing to show for the stop,
we headed back out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We figured we
would find another place for water shortly and in the meantime could boil water
for drinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This ended up being
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Even
with our wasted stop, we made it to mile 829 ½ as the sun went down, making it
a 34 mile day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We paddled in
between a couple of dikes, ‘canoe parking spots’ as we had come to think of
them, to make camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There had
obviously been people camping their recently and we used their firepit for our
own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Walking away from the river,
we came on ATV trails that ran up to a well used two-track.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We assumed we were on state land, and
even if we weren’t, it was awfully cold and getting late for someone to show
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We set the tent up in the
midst of heavy grass and burr bushes with some difficulty and went to bed
early.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->4 Feet 4 Pawshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11797523866613005170noreply@blogger.com0