One of the concerns I have is being forced off the river because of flooding. If this happens there are two options
1/Wait until the flooding subsides and proceed;or
2/Get a rde further down the river to where the flooding is not as bad and continue from there
As I will be operating with a limited time frame,option one doesn't appeal
Option 2 would mean bypassing a portion of the river frustrating the rationale for the trip which is to paddle all the river from source to sea.
Concern is already increasing that the Spring thaw will bring record flooding caused by ice jams of broken ice and the heavy runoff. Already it is being about in terms of the 1965 flood which is unrivalled in Mississippi flood lore.Winter precipitation has averaged 150-200 percent of the mean in the river catchment above MinneapolisStream flow is at or above the 90th percentile for this time of the year.
So while the present flooding will undoubttedly have abated by the time I start out at the end of May it does reinforce that the river can flood in summer,generated in the old fashioned way by heavy rainfall in any of the catchment areas (remembering that the river drains 41% of the lower USA). Let s hope that doesn't happen this summer
This would be my main concern and making sure your camp site and kayak were substantially above the usual water level could be an issue with having to unload, carry gear and kayak, reload the next day etc, the temptation could be to ignore the risk at the end of a days paddling. Be sure to tie the kayak up every night to something.
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