Day 44: Lake Pepin Part 2

8/18/2015

Hot and still.

Think I'll take the Atchafalaya route. "It's where the Mississippi River wants to go" if it weren't engineered to be routed through Baton Rouge and New Orleans for industry."

Sunday, I talked with Justin about the lower Mississippi. We pored over his maps and I got a bunch of great tips for the rest of the way, like the suggestion to take the Atchafalaya River rather than going through "Cancer Alley" (the industrial, dangerous stretch from Baton Rouge, past New Orleans, to the gulf). "You still have a long way to go!" he said. I know, I know! So, I got my earliest start yet--8:15am to try and get most of Lake Pepin under my belt before the wind picked up. Instead, there was no wind at all, and I was paddling with no current, and no wind to help me the whole day. It was hot and quite a slog. The recreational boats weren't quite as bad as it was Sunday. Half way through the day, I had to take off my full spray skirt because the heat building up under the neoprene was too much for me to handle. I felt like I couldn't drink enough water. I felt like I just wanted to fall sleep because I was so hot. Eventually, I made it to the end of the Lake, and was pleased to see the water clear up significantly. I made it to an island downstream of Wabasha, where I camped just in front of a large mansion. The contrast of my tiny tent with the mansion made me giggle. My favorite part of the day was setting up camp in a leisurely manner, enjoying the fact that mosquitos are no where near as prevalent. Many times, these days, the mosquitos are absent until dark. I love not having to rush setting up camp, not having to hold my breath and hop into my tent as fast as possible. It’s nice to arrive on a beach, set up camp, walk around and explore the waterline a bit before I make dinner. It’s nice to make dinner without having to stay zipped into my tent between stirring my food.