Mississippi Solo Series #3 - Lost on the Mississippi

I'm an adventurer, thrill seeker, and life enthusiast with a shorter life expectancy than your mother's cat - Follow my never-ending journey.

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Mississippi Solo Series - After friends and family label him a serial quitter, Henk sets off on a wild ride down the Mighty Mississippi as he paddles from Source to Sea to prove to himself and other that he can stick with something.

Read previous post in this series: Part 1 | Part 2

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I was surrounded by fallen trees.

Four days into my Source to Sea paddle of the Mighty Mississippi I entered Silver Maple Forest.

Sometimes I could hustle my way through, but mostly I had to climb out of my boat— which was heavy with supplies— and wrestle it over the top.

After an intense day of battling log after log, I reached the end of Silver Maple Forest. I was back on the open waters, and able to cover a good bit of distance, before setting up camp on the banks of the Mississippi.

A meal prepared in nature somehow always tastes incredibly good. Perhaps it has something to do with the amount of effort you invest. When you're out in the wild, you're back to the basics, and something that normally takes five minutes now takes fifteen minutes.

Shaving in the morning often turned into a minor acrobatic feat, which makes you wonder why I even bothered to shave at all?

I couldn't tell you, to be honest. Perhaps my subconscious vanity was making sure I looked good. You know, in case I was mauled by a bear and found by hikers.

After about a week of paddling, and crossing several minor lakes, I had reached the northernmost point of the Mississippi River.

From here onwards I would just be paddling south.

Paddling across a lake might seem like fun— and trust me; it is— but it's not without challenges.

I had to cross Lake Winnibigoshish, the largest lake on the Mississippi River. The river itself continues on the other side of the lake, and so I had no choice but to cross it.

It's easy to lose your bearings when you're in a small kayak in the midst of a gigantic lake. I sat low, close to the water, and it didn't take long before I could see nothing but water around me.

I wasn't sure if I could trust the electronic compass on my rundown iPhone 4. It would suddenly switch directions, which hinted at a broken gyro sensor.

Without a point of reference on the horizon, I quickly lost my orientation and had no idea in which direction I had to paddle.

I was lost.

So I did what any self-respecting adventurer would do; I poured myself a cup of tea and enjoyed the view.

Unfortunately, I didn't take into account that tea breaks inevitably lead to the call of nature. Which begs the question; How does one urinate when stuck in a kayak?

Well, you become creative.

Bill Bryson famously said: You're not a real man until you've taken a shit in the woods. Well, I'd like to add that taking a piss in the middle of a lake— in a wobbly kayak— isn't very pretty either.

After the scuffle in my kayak, I decided to do something about my predicament. I picked a direction and began paddling. However, soon after, the winds picked up speed and nearly tipped me over.

I paddled as fast as I could, because the more speed you have, the less likely you are to go bottom-side-up.

As soon as I saw land, I paddled straight for it, but as I got closer to shore, and the wind calmed down, I realised I had ended up very close to where I had started several hours before.

I took a break, considered my options, and decided to track the coastline of the lake. It took me nearly all day to do it, but it was the safest thing to do.

One of the benefits of making such a journey is that it gets you back in shape. However, I snacked on lots of beef jerky and M&M's because let's be honest here…

The journey was good for my overall fitness, but it was terrible for my neck. It probably didn't help that my paddling technique was bass-ackwards.

I didn't have much kayaking experience​ at all. I figured I'd learn the proper paddling technique along the way. However, as my neck pain became a crippling factor, I found the will to adapt quickly.

Like a rookie paddler, I put tape on either side of my paddle, that way I knew how to hold it correctly. I also improved my posture​ and made sure my legs were in the correct position.

As I made the changes, my neck immediately improved. Soon after I could enjoy paddling again, and I was back to full days of paddling.

At this point,​ the water was still crystal clear. However, the Mississippi River is one the most polluted rivers in the world, and one of the reasons I paddled the river was to create awareness for it's deteriorating state.

At Lake Itasca— the source of the river— I had collected a sample of water. I planned to take it with me downstream so I could compare the clean water from the source to the polluted water further down.

At this point, ​I had paddled nearly 400 kilometres​s in 21 days. My progress was fairly slow due to the giant lakes, neck pains, low water levels, and the fact that I was in no hurry at all.

I had experienced so much, but in the grand scheme of things, it was nothing at all. As you can see on the map below, I had only paddled a tiny fraction of the river.

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NEXT TIME >>

As I neared Minneapolis, I returned to the modern world. This reemerging would bring with it amazing perks. Showers, laundromats, and a much-needed resupply of wine. It also meant I would be facing very different challenges...

I'd have to paddle through giant locks & dams. How on earth do you paddle through one of these in a kayak? You'll find out in my next post!

Now that I was back in civilisation I met lots of Americans, and I was shocked by their incredible kindness. To give you one example:

Brian— a local campground host— found out I was hauling my boat across a long stretch of land, by myself. So he got out his tiny tractor and gave me a hand.​

Follow me so you don't miss the next post.

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