It's hard to describe the last 3 days as anything but tough as hell. I'm starting to think these lakes don't want me to finish them. Paddled and walked 13 miles straight into a South wind to finish up Big Bend and get down past Lower Brule.
It was a hot day, and time for a bath. I get this question a lot, so here's how I do it.
I set up camp about 12' up from the river's edge, but something around 10:00 p.m. told me to move up higher.
At that point, my camp was up over the high water point behind a burm in a stand of Cedar trees at least 20' from the river's edge. Around 11:30 p.m., the wind shifted out of the North, and picked up speed tenfold. Hank and I were pancaked flat and in the 10th under the storm tart for a good 30 minutes. Then then, not thinking the wind could get any worse, I heard crashing waves getting closer.
I squeezed out from under the tent only to see the waves had come up a good 10' and were now starting to splash over the top of the burm. We had to move again. In record time, I moved everything higher in the stand of cedars up on the top of one of the grassy hills. By this point it was after 2:00 am. We slept fitfully rolling downhill sideways for about an hour before the rain started.
Got a late start yesterday and made slow progress. Even with a NW wind, it can be tough when the waves are so big. Had to empty the canoe twice, and the second time Hank wasn't having it. Took me a half hour to get him back in the boat. All said and done, we arrived at the dam at 5:50 PM and I knew we had a few miles left in us.
Mentally, I'm exhausted. Physically, my body is screaming. Even with all that, there are moments that remind me there is a power and beauty in living and surviving in the elements.
I needed that day to end on a good note. Doesn't get much better than smooth sailing at sunset and a night with no rain or wind.
