On one of my earlier posts I tried to identify all of the risks I would face on this trip that weren't common to kayaking anywhere. Among these was storms and the risk of a lightening strike. Until you have experienced a Mid West storm you have no idea how loud thunder can be and how long it lasts.It is all very well being advised to get off the river when a storm hits but sometimes this is impossible. All you can do is paddle close to the shore line and hope for the best. We got hit by a storm coming out of Hannibal a few days ago. It was accompanied by strong tail winds and for an hour or so we were really speeding along at about 10-12 kilometres an hour.
I believe that you can't really say you have camped until you have spent a night in a tent when a storm hits. I had my worst a few nights back. I could hear the distant thunder then without warning at about 2.00am I was hit by ferocious winds. The tent was rocking back and forth but stood up to it (except for the leaking problem). The winds lasted for an hour then died away to persistent rain which continued until mid morning
Greg - you are doing wonderfully well! Look forward to your updates, keep them coming. Have fun with the family visit and build up your reserves for the next leg.
ReplyDeleteMay your spray deck be in place when waters get rough
Yahoooo!