Herman

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. James 4-14



When we were returning the Keel boat to St. Charles we encountered some early morning fog in Herman, Mo as shown in this photo from August, 2005. Five years later in August, 2010 we were going to get to experience some of this fog again.

When I landed in Herman the fog was beginning to form on the river. It was my plan to take a quick nap here in Herman so I wouldn't hit the "wall" as I did a few days ago. Since it was going to be a quick nap I didn't want to put up the tent so I just lay down on a picnic table with my light sleeping bag under the shelter there at Riverfront Park in Herman. My plan was to head back out to the river in about an hour.


It was after 3:30 when I woke up cold, hungry and confused. Even if it was August the night was really cool and it was the cold that woke me up. My one hour nap had been stretched into 2 1/2 hours. I picked up my bed and headed back to my canoe, the boy scouts were selling coffee at the checkpoint but breakfast wasn't going to be ready for another hour so I gulped down a cup of coffee and prepared to proceed on. The person manning the checkpoint said the fog was going to get heavy at daybreak so I decided to get in as much distance as I could before then.

The fog was settled in but it looked like there might be 100 yards or so of visibility. One other canoe was preparing to depart so we launched together to aid each other if the fog would get thicker. Once back on the river we encountered another canoe and the three of us headed downriver. Once we were away from the street lights of Herman the fog really closed in around us and that 100 yards of visibility turned into 20 feet of visibility or less.

Within a mile our three canoes were separated and I never did see them again. I don't know if they fell behind, went ahead or simply moved over in the channel. With the heavy fog it seemed my canoe we sitting still. I'm not one that minds being alone but at this point I was more alone than I wanted to be. I knew there was debris, wing dikes and other boats out on the river but being unable to see them sure raised the tension level.

I determined to land the canoe and wait out the fog and began paddling very gently in the direction of the river bank. When I was within a few feet I could make out some trees hanging out over the water and headed to them. I grabbed an overhanging branch and eased my canoe up to the bank.

Once I had my canoe tied up I got out and gathered up some driftwood and built a fire. With cool damp air the fire felt good and I thought it might be a beacon for some others that might be out in the fog. With sunrise still more than a hour away I pulled up a rock next to the fire and waited for the fog to lift.


When the sun came up I was totally amazed. It seemed to me the sun was rising in the west. Instead of landing on the bank of the river I had actually landed on a island and my internal compass was turned around 180 degrees. As the sun began to warm things up I could make out a canoe going by once in a while out on the river as they moved thru the fog. I was going to stay put until visibility opened up because I didn't want to encounter any unexpected objects out on the river.

Once the fog lifted I loaded up and headed downriver again. I must have lost about 4 hours but I did get in another hour of sleep so it wasn't a total loss. Once I got out into the current visibility was much better and it improved by the minute as the sun burned the moisture out of the air.

Last year we encountered some of the worst winds below Herman and this year the winds were still there. Perhaps not a bad as last year but being solo I didn't have the power that Chad and I had last year so I think I must have struggled as much as I did last year.

A few miles above Washington I could see a huge barge that actually looked like a factory building or something coming upriver very slowly. I knew this beast would be putting out a huge wake so I started looking for a landing spot to wait him out.

Hugs, Pizza and River Angels

The departure from Jeff City quickly takes me past the state capitol on the port side and I am soon past all signs of the settlements. This area of the river is familiar to me and the high water is beginning to go down. Which makes the wing dikes much more visible. They are still underwater but they don’t have as much water over them as they have had which makes them even more treacherous with whirlpools, rough water and occasional rock poking up out of the water. It is best to stay away from them.

Its about 20 miles from Jeff City to Mokane. Mokane is not a scheduled stop for the MR340 but it is my favorite stop because I usually meet someone there with one of the famous pizzas from
Wright Brothers Store in Calwood. This year Casey, Becky and the boys meet me there at about 6:30 with lots of pizza and fresh drinks. I took about a 45 minute break eating and visiting with them. They live just up the road at Toledo so its not that farm from home for them but they had to go to Calwood to get the pizza first.

While at Mokane Scott Mansker, the promoter of the MR340, is there taking a break in his safety boat. In spite of his T shirt I allow him to take a photo of Casey, Becky, Dawson, Grant, Chase and I before I head back out on the river. I get my hugs from the boys and head on down river.

Once back on the river I soon come to the most significant milestone for the entire trip, the Auxvasse Creek. The Auxvasse Creek is joined by the Crows Fork Creek a few miles up in the heart of Callaway County and its here where they form the Missouri River. When the “Sons of Auxvasse Creek” meet up with the Auxvasse Creek it is a joyful event. Shortly after passing the Auxvasse Creek or Big Miry as translated by William Clark (of Lewis and Clark fame) it begins to get dark.
When darkness fell one of the largest full moons I have ever witnessed came up out of the trees. It was huge and provided plenty of light to avoid river obstacles. At 8:31 I posted to my journal, I got peace like a River, God is good, 250 miles no flats.
I always like travel on the river when nightfall comes. Somehow it seems to make one blend in with the flow of the current. Once the night is established I go to my usual routine of hanging out in the middle of the river to stay away from those hidden wing dikes.

As I proceed on in the darkness a few wisps of fog are starting to appear. At about 10pm is seems I’m headed straight into a bluff which must be about half a mile straight ahead. I really don’t remember this from my prior trips on the river so I get my 1 million candle power spot light out and shine it downstream and I see this long wing dike with water going over it stretching across the river just in front of the bluff. For some reason this just wasn’t making any sense to me. I switch the modes on my GPS and I can see that I’m approaching the confluence of the Gasconade River. Even knowing this I still a little concerned about what to do next when I encounter my first River Angel.

I don’t know where she came from but a lady in a bass boat eased up beside me and asks if I’d like for her to lead me thru there. I quickly replied yes ma'am and fell in behind her. When the river is at normal level that big wind dike sticks up out of the water and it is very obvious where the river is going but with the water going over the dike I was very happy to have a River Angel escort me thru that pass particularly with the wisps of fog that were sprouting up on the river.

It seemed like no time before the bridge over the river at Herman came in view. I paddled my canoe into the boat ramp at Herman at 12:05 am on Friday August 27, 2010 which would have been my Grandmother Wright’s 117th birthday.

2010 MR 340

Katfish Katy’s Thursday Morning

Rob and I at Cedar City.

When I awakened from my nap it was nearly 6:30 am. It was daylight but foggy and everything was wet from the heavy dew. Once I was up I took a walk down the road abut a half mile and back to my tent to get all of the kinks worked out. Last year I had some issues with my shoulders and blisters but this year my shoulders were pain free and I didn’t have a blister yet. I did get cortisone shots in my shoulders on Monday and I was wearing paddling gloves most of the time this year. Between the shots, gloves and the prayers of my brothers in Christ my body was holding up good considering the last 50 or so hours.

Last night I would have quit if I could have worked out the logistics but this morning I’m a new man and ready to get back on the river as we approach Callaway County. I have my breakfast of a caned Starbucks drink and a bagel from Panera. It was a good idea to bring the bagels, it’s a good change from the energy bars and they make a tasty and quick meal. With my restored energy a Bible verse came to mind:

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Phillipians 4:13

As well as this poem by my favorite author:

If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you'd like to win, but think you can't
It's almost a cinch you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you've lost.
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will:
It's all in his state of mind.
If you think you're outclassed, you are:
You've got to think high to rise,
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You'll ever win that prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the one who thinks he can.
Anonymous

I took my time taking down the tent because of the heavy dew and the fog because I really would like to fog to lift some before I took off. Once I had everything packed up and cleaned out my canoe one of the safety workers helped my carry “My Dianna” back down to the water, I mounted up and departed Katfish Katy’s at 8am. There was still some spotty fog but within an hour it was all clear.
Once back on the river it doesn’t take long to get back in the rhythm. There were some foggy spots but for the most part the river was clear.

It felt really good to be back on the river. No aches or pains and back in an area of the river I’m a little more familiar with. A few hours ago I was ready to quit but now its hard to imagine it even crossed my mind. My advice to anyone that ever might think about quitting the MR340 would be simply “take a nap”. Of course if one were experiencing a medical issue one must use common sense. Which reminds me of something I heard a while back, “common sense is not all that common”?

Once back underway I placed a call to my older brother, Rob, who had agreed to bring lunch to me at Jefferson City. I gave him my ETA and put in my order for a Big Mac and large ice tea. Somewhere about this time I entered into the waters of the Kingdom of Callaway so with the rest and now the energy from the Kingdom I was paddling as good as I had at any time on this trip. This is the same area that Matt and I paddled in the “Race to the Dome” a few weeks ago. We were fortunate to place 2nd in that event.

When one rounds that bend in the River above Jefferson City and can see the State Capitol building on the bluffs on the south side of the river and the Highway 54 Missouri River Bridge its time to start paddling to the Cedar City side of the river and the boat ramp which is almost under the bridge.

As I approached the boat ramp I could see Rob and Lewis Baumgartner, “The Worlds Worst Farmer”, coming down the ramp with my lunch. As a rule the officials at Cedar City don’t like for us to land at the boat ramp but they could see that Lewis was having a hard time navigating (due to a stroke a year or so ago) so they allowed me to pull up there on the concrete ramp. I devoured my Big Mac, restocked my cooler with ice and G2 which Rob and Lewis had brought for me and launched again at 2:22 pm. At this point I was about 4 hours behind schedule. I was also very grateful for the help from Rob and Lewis. There are no services available here so it would have been a long haul to the next stop to restock.

Next stop Mokane.

Wednesday at Glasgow

Matt and I installing plastic over the bow of the canoe.....
Dianna and I.... Glasgow paddle salute.........





By the time I got my tent set up and ready to take a nap it was about 9:30. I expected to get about 3 hours sleep and Dianna and Matt would wake me when they arrived to resupply me at about noon. However, I couldn’t sleep. I was tired enough but with the daylight, cars going in and out, and folks walking about I just couldn’t sleep. I did lay still and rest but sleep just wouldn’t come.

They have shower facilities at Glasgow so I walked over to the shower house and took my shower. After the clean up I still couldn’t sleep. With Dianna and Matt scheduled to arrive at noon I need to wait for them to restock my cooler and food supply. Once they arrived with my lunch we ate, then put a plastic cover over the front of the canoe to help keep some of the water out and to help cut down on some of the wind it was catching. Matt helped me tear down the tent and repack and I shoved off from Glasgow at about 1:45pm just 15 minutes behind my schedule.

I wasted several hours in an attempt to get some sleep. In hindsight I should have shoved off down river and had Matt and Dianna meet me somewhere else. I could have covered an extra 20 or so miles and they could have caught up with me with little extra road travel for them because of all of the turns the river makes.

Just below Glasgow is Lisbon Bottoms noted for its treacherous cut off. With the high fast current I just stayed to the left side of the river and didn’t even notice the cut off. If one gets sucked into the chute leading to the cut off I understand it gets real interesting.

For the first 15 or 20 miles I had a tail wind and even in the August afternoon the heat was not an issue. It was a grand time to be on the river and this area is one of the most scenic parts of the river we have been on up to this point. With the tail wind and absence of heat I was making some of the best time I ever made on the Missouri River at times my GPS was consistently registering 8 mph. It was during this segment of the river I was able to overtake 6 or 8 boats.

Franklin Island is at the base of the Arrow Rock bluffs which marks about the half way point. Having once lived in Arrow Rock on one of the bluffs overlooking the river I often would look out on the mighty Missouri River and imagine what it would be like to travel on her. At the time I never had any idea I would actually one day be out here solo in a canoe. Including the travels with the Discovery Expedition of St. Charles, the MR 340’s and training runs I have now logged nearly 2,000 miles on the Missouri River.

It was here near the Lamine River and with the approach of nightfall that I was beginning to experience some real fatigue. It’s been nearly 40 hours since I slept and every stroke was becoming a real effort. Not that it hurt or anything just that it took a lot of effort to make each stroke. I attempted to just let the canoe drift but if I let it drift more than a minute it took much more effort to get back into the current.

I decided I would pull out and take a brake when I got to Boonville. When I paddled up to the boat ramp at Boonville there was one power boat tied off at the ramp and it was otherwise vacant. Because of the high water the landing area was covered with sand and debris and I had a very difficult time making the landing but eventually did which took a tremendous amount of labor.

I got out of the canoe and walked around the area for a few minutes and decided to set up my lights for night travel and then proceeded on. Just to get out of the canoe and walk around a bit reenergized me. As darkness fell it cooled off again and I needed an extra layer on my upper body to be comfortable. The canoes were really strung out now and I could see a few in the distance ahead of me when the conditions were right but for the most part I was alone in my section of the river.

I don’t mind traveling alone. In fact it’s very difficult for me to talk with others on the river because of the difficulty I have in hearing them. As a rule when I come into contact with another canoe I tell them right off that I’m hearing impaired because I don’t want them to think I’m rude if I don’t respond to them. Most of the time I just don’t understand what others are saying so it’s just simpler for me to travel alone.

Once the darkness set in I again began experiencing extreme fatigue. If I could have quit the race I would have done so. I thought if I could just get to a boat ramp I would call someone and have them take me home. I was thinking about just tying the canoe off to a limb or something and taking a nap but couldn’t find a good spot to do so. I also thought about landing at Rocheport but then remembered that the boat ramp at Rocheport it about a mile up the Manitou Creek. At this point I didn’t want to paddle an extra 2 miles.

When I passed under the I-70 bridge I knew I was getting close to Katfish Katy’s, which was the next checkpoint at river mile 226. I didn’t know where I was in relation to river mile markers. I attempted to use my spotlight to find the mile markers but once I found them I couldn’t make out the numbers because fog was starting to build and I just couldn’t focus my eyes. I didn’t want to get too close to the river bank for fear of running over a wing dike. I knew in my exhausted state I would most likely swamp it I did encounter the current from one of those underwater wing dikes.

Apparently my spotlight attracted the attention of a safety boat which eased up behind me on the starboard side of my canoe. A couple of Conservation Agents were out there making sure everything was okay. They ask if I intended to stop at Katfish Katys and I made it clear that was my intention if I ever got there. They told me it was about 5 more miles which I found discouraging because I was hoping it would be closer.

At last I could see the light marking the check point at Katfish Katys and I found the energy to land there. A couple of guys at the check point helped me move my canoe up out of the way and I unpacked my tent and went looking for a place to set it up. It was 10:30 and I was actually about an hour ahead of schedule but my sleep bank was totally empty and I would have to sleep before proceeding on.

I found my spot to set up the tent but I just didn’t have the motor skills to get is set up. Its just a small one person backpack tent and usually I can set it up in 2 or 3 minutes but when I would get one end of it secured the other end would fall down. Someone standing nearby saw I was having difficulty and they helped me get the tent up and I crawled in and immediately fell asleep just a few miles from the hollowed ground of the “Kingdom of Callaway”.

Miami Departure

Wednesday 8-25-10 3am

Once I get underway again the little light at Miami quickly disappeared in the distance as I crossed under the bridge. It was just me and Amos (my sandbag ballast) out on the river under the early morning moonlight.

Even if we are alone we know we really are not alone:

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God [is] with thee whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:9

I did eventually catch up with a few others who were out on the river during the early morning hours but like last year it was hard for me to go at the same pace they were going so soon I pulled away from them. I did notice someone had pulled up to the river bank and built a campfire somewhere along this stretch of river and it looked awfully inviting compared to the coolness out on the water.

After a couple of hours I realized that I hadn’t hand any real food since the hot dog back at Waverly and with the chill and dampness of the early morning air it was actually too cool to be comfortable. It seems to always cool off as the sun creeps up in the early morning and this morning was no exception. I put the following post on my facebook page: tired, cold, hungry….appreciate prayers….keep praying…..proceeding on.

I knew some of my brothers in Christ would be checking on my progress and would respond to my request and as the sun rose above the eastern horizon so did my spirits. It’s great to be on the river at sunrise.

With a burst of energy with the new day and the better view of the river and channel markers progress improved and before I could think too much about it I could see the new bridge over the Missouri River at Glasgow. I also noticed a kayak beached on a pile of debris up against one of the bridge pilings. I thought it strange and when I landed at the checkpoint I ask one of the officials how the kayak ended up there and he told me a lady got dumped out when her kayak got tangled up with the debris.

At is turned out what could have been a very bad crash had a good ending. You can read “Goldfishgoddess” account here:
http://rivermiles.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1283050380

If it would have been me that took that spill I’m not sure I would have been as clear headed as she was. Reading of her account of the incident will help me should I ever find myself in a similar circumstance.

I arrived at Glasgow at 8:40 am just 10 minutes behind schedule. Glasgow is a milestone in this marathon canoe race because most of those who drop out will do so before Glasgow. Glasgow is 141 miles from the start which leaves 199 miles to the final check point at the Lewis and Clark boathouse in St. Charles.

With the help of one of the check point volunteers’ I carried my canoe up out of the way and unpacked my tent and gear. I found a shady spot in the park, set up my tent and crawled in for a nap before Dianna and Matt’s expected arrival at about noon. I didn’t know it yet but my plan, which was going very smooth up to this point, was just beginning to fall apart.

Going Rogue

Tuesday Afternoon August 24, 2010

I was at Lexington and about an hour behind schedule but overall very pleased with my progress. I had planned a short break at Lexington and then back on the River for the next stop at Waverly. The trip from Lexington to Waverly was uneventful. The boats had spread out a lot but I did catch up with Pat from the safety meeting and he was disappointed with how his kayak was handling, this being only the third time he had it on water and the first time on the River. I arrived at Waverly at 8:03 pm which was about sunset where this photo was taken.

Waverly was a little more crowded than Lexington but still not as crowded as last year. I purchased a hot dog from the boy scouts. A local guy was there selling his home grown peaches and I purchased a few to take along. I visited with him for awhile and discovered he was a real “River Rat” that had a lot of knowledge about the river. I told him of the constant battle with the wind and he gave me a tip to help keep my canoe going with the current in spite of the wind. I didn’t have what I needed but I did make a mental note to be sure to have the needed supplies for next year in the event the wind is an issue again.

I set the lights up for night travel and headed off downstream for the next check point at Miami . The high fast current we had been hearing about was in fact contributing to the progress I was making and I was very thankful to have the extra boost of about 1 and sometimes up to 2 mph. Once it gets dark (it’s not really that dark with the full moon) the river takes on a new personality.

The trip on into Miami was as uneventful as well. Uneventful may sound boring but never fear river travel at night in a canoe is never boring. There will always be something to keep one on their toes particularly when many of the wing dikes are underwater. The best advice is to just keep the canoe in the middle of the river to avoid any unseen dikes lurking just under the surface.

I arrived at Miami at 1:28am 28 minutes behind my schedule, which I was pleased with. Miami was more crowded than Waverly with many spending the night there. After spend the most of the last 15 or so hours in my canoe I needed to get out and walk around a bit. I had scheduled a half hour stop here but needed more time to walk about. It was much cooler now as well, I dug out my jacket and wool sox to ward off the chill of the early morning.

Very few people were up and about at Miami since most were sleeping and this may be the first time I realized I was on my own hook, alone and unsupported, going rogue as some say. With a partner or ground crew one has the opportunity to discuss various options and get feedback but when one is “going rogue” there is no one to bounce ideas off of. I took an extra hour here to reflect on the challenge and drink a couple of cups of coffee before heading back out onto the cool moonlighted river and shoved off downstream for Glasgow at 3am still a little behind schedule.

To be continued…………….

2010 MR 340

This years MR340 is in the record books and if one goes far enough down the list of those that finished you will find my name. I'm way behind the quickest and just a little ahead of the DNF's.

The race was postponed 28 days because of the high water in July and the date change really decimated the turn out for this years big show. A lot of folks just couldn't manage to work the change into their schedule as evidenced by my own team in the loss of my partner and ground crew. Despite the rescheduling there were more than 200 boats, down from the 340 originally expected. At the safety meeting on Monday night before the race began there was plenty of room to sit close to the front (necessary for the hearing impaired) unlike last year when we had standing room only way off to one side.

Dianna attended the safety meeting with me and she caught just a little bit of the excitement that goes with the race. As the race promoters went thru the high and fast water warnings, fog warnings and the do's, dont's and deadlines we scarfed down the pasta buffet (which was made available to the race teams for an additional charge) with our new friend Pat who was a first timer who had only been out in his kayak two times. After the meeting we headed back to Maysville to make last minute preparations and get some sleep.

The sleep was short as we had to get back on the road before 6am to make connections with Chad, who was going to help us launch "My Dianna", then get down to Kaw Point so we could get the canoe unloaded, packed and on the water before the scheduled start at 8am.

Chad and I unloaded the canoe and arranged my cargo so it would be properly balanced once we got her on the water. With my tent, sleeping gear, food, water, Gatorade and other items in place I still needed a sandbag in the very front to keep my trim where it needed to be. This sandbag became my partner. I drew a face on it, placed some buffalo hair on top and named him Amos after the Old Testament prophet.

As it turned out we had plenty of time and I was on the water waiting for the lady to sing our National Anthem prior to the gun that would start us on our 340 mile river journey. As one is sitting in the canoe surrounded by all the other canoes the realization of the magnitude of this event sinks in with over 200 boats staged to travel 340 miles, the news helicopters overhead and all the people lined on the river bank its an impressive sight. This is a time when doubt slips in and makes one wonder why they are out in murky water surrounded by all the sharp looking canoes and kayaks but then the gun goes off and the only concern is the next paddle stroke.

With the sound of the muskets fired by my good friends from DESC another ultra marathon race is underway. The water is choppy with the other boats and the merging of the Kaw and Missouri Rivers. Once the nose of the craft hits the Missouri River current one can feel the awesome power and the river take control for a few seconds while we adapt to the current. I didn't like the feel when I hit the current so I turned my canoe into the current to get a better feel then did a 180 degree turn to get on with the race. Two of the canoes capsized when they entered the Missouri which I'm sure put a damper on their day.

Once in the Missouri the current was swift and choppy but with the adrenalin boost one has at the start of such an event we made a quick trip thru Kansas City. There is a new bridge under construction and they had half the river blocked with construction barges which still left us with plenty of room to get by but a small boat must be wary of any obstacle's on the river including barges. A few years ago a canoe ran into a stationary barge and was immediately sucked under and came out the other side. Shaken, the crew was able to proceed on once they rescued their stuff and reloaded.

Except for a headwind the weather was perfect for being on the river. Once in a while the sun would pop out but mostly it was overcast which was a tremendous help. With the headwind or even a cross wind it becomes very difficult to take any kind of break from paddling, within moments after the last paddle stroke the canoe nose begins to take off to the right or left which slows one down and requires extra effort to get back in the channel and on stride. This is where having a partner pays bid dividends by allowing one of the paddlers to take a break once in a while for a minute or two.

When I arrive at the first checkpoint at Lexington I'm about an hour behind my schedule but for the most part am very satisfied with the progress. The landing at Lexington was uneventful and compared to last year very few boats were there which allowed for choice landing spots.

More to follow.