Risk Management

With kayaking anywhere in the world there are certain common risks to be identified and dealt with by eliminating or minimising e.g.sunburn,dehydration,hypothermia. In addition every location has its own separate risks,none more so than the Mississippi for a kiwi paddler coming from the relatively benign location that is NZ.I have tried to identify as many of the risks as I can and what action I can take to reduce or eliminate them. It is said that there are old kayakers,and there are bold kayakers,but there are no old, bold kayakers. Two words that I am going to try to keep in mind all the time are "pay attention". For that reason I am not taking an ipod or MP3 player. Not only do I not want to detract from the moment but I don't want something that might make me loose concentration.
So, in no particular order,these are the risks I have identified
1/Deer Ticks. These can give you Lyme disease which I understand is a particularly debilitating illness similar to malaria in that once you get it ,you never entirely loose it. This is where a travelling companion would come in handy to give each other an inspection of those parts of your body that don't readily lend themselves to self examination, similar to the mutual grooming that one sees monkeys in the zoo performing. While with the right companion I am sure this would provide a welcome end to a day's paddling it immediately disqualifies paddling mates such as Charlie and Guy who have volunteered to come along (especially Guy who failed in my hour of need when bitten on a sensitive part by an amorous mussel or crab some years ago). The best way to minimise this risk is to stay out of long grass as much as possible and to make sure to wear full length trousers and socks
2/Barge tows.The river is a major transport artery and north of Baton Rouge to Minneapolis goods are transported by barge. This does not mean one barge. Between St Louis and Minneapolis where the locks operate it means 18 barges tied together (3 wide and 6 deep) pushed by a tug To get throgh the locks the barge tow has to be broken in two of 3x3. Below the locks the barge tows are even bigger (6x7). The issue for kayakers is two fold. Not are you very had to see but the barges have very little manoeuvreability or stopping ability. They can also throw up a decent sized wake The solution is to stay out of the shipping channel as much as possible and to stay on the inside of bends on the river as the channel usually follows the outside of the bend. This gives rise to the next risk
3Wing Dams. These are man made structures that extend from one river bank part way across the river to make the water in the shipping channel move faster and keep it from silting up.There are hundreds of them.. The issue for a kayaker is that depending on the height of the water these dams are either above or possibly just under the surface.If they are out of the water they creates turbulent water and whirlpools of varying size and strength that need to be avoided. If they are just below the surface then there is the danger of plowing into them at a reasonable speed and destroying your boat.
5/Poison Ivy I don't even know what the stuff looks like. I understand there are even poison trees
6/ Snakes. The ones that freak me out the most are the ones that can just drop out of a tree as you pass underneath and the ones that swim in the water.
7/Bears.I don't think they are a problem to the extent they are in Alaska but I gather one should take sensible precautions around food cooking and storage
8/Alligators. I am extremely unlikely to encounter one in the main river despite the feeling I have of it being my destiny to meet with one. I have joked with friends that if my GPS tracking device shows no sign of me having moved for several days it will either mean I am waiting out a storm or it is inside an alligator
10/ Storms. Kayakers I have paddled with in the States seem almost paranoid about getting off the river during a storm because of the possibility of a lightning strike
11/Raccoons I am told they are like Keas in NZ in their cunning and ability to steal food if left unattended. for a moment. having dealt with Greg the Takahe I think I have this one covered
12/Locks. Locking through will be a new experience. There are 29 locks on the river. I am sure that once I have done one or two that I will be confident about the procedure. The main problem is the delay they can create.I understand that while the lock masters are happy to lock through a single kayaker, you are the lowest priority if there is commercial traffic wanting to go through and it is not uncommon to have to wait 2-3 hours for your turn
13/Wolves. I understand wolves are making a come back in several mid western states including Minnesota but they shouldn't really be a problem along the river.
14/Chain of Rocks. This is a man made barrier that stretches right across the river at St Louis. Depending on the water level it is possible to shoot the rapids it creates or to walk a kayak through from the river bank using a length of rope. The alternative is a longish canal with a lot of barges and possible strong head winds that other paddlers have spoken of disparagely
15/Shipping From Baton Rouge south I will encounter large ocean going freighters which can snaek up on an unsuspecting paddler very quietly and quickly.
16/Asian carp-These are an ecological disaster already with the distinct possiblity of getting worse. Originally farmed in Louisiana and Mississppi on the lower river ,they escaped during a flood some years ago. Over the years as they have acclimatised to colder water they have moved northward and have finally reached the Illinois River which connects to the Great Lakes. There is only one dam now between them and the lakes and it is only a  matter of time b'4 they get past this with huge consequences for fishing and water quality.The issue for kayakers is that these fish have a proclivity for launching themselves several feet into the air and as they can weigh up to 100 pounds(not that I have seen any pictured of this size).and have been known to cause serious injury to people in small craft. Google "Asian Carp" and look at the videos to see what I mean. i am not sure what precautions one takes to minimise this risk
17/Humans. Finally while I expect an overwhelmingly friendly reception from the people I encounter and this is the one thing I am looking froward to the most,it is an unfortunate fact of life that there are a few bad people out there (cue banjo music). Initially as I pass through Minnesota and Iowa I will be camping in Department of Conservation type campsites. On the lower river it is preferable to camp on the many spoil islands as opposed to the river banks to be less accessible. Wherever I camp I will try to be as inconspicuous as possible. I might try the old campervan trick of sussing out a campsite at the end of the day,going elsewhere to eat my dinner and returning to the campsite at dark to put up my tent
So there it is,my list of unique risks. Neil would be proud of me. If anyone can think of any risks I have missed please let me know (and provide ways of mitigating or eliminating them)